I have to admit I was puzzled by her sometimes and wondered why she just didn’t take off. Nelly is a fascinating character to read about. But, in spite of a certain sense of remorse the story has a really positive ending and I think Nelly succeeds in demonstrating that there were moments of love and laughter at the heights before things took a turn for the worse.

You can’t help coming away from this feeling a little sad about missed opportunities and wondering about how different people’s lives would be if those around them didn’t keep such secrets within their hearts that eventually lead to bitterness and anger. Nelly’s story isn’t the dark and brooding tale of Cathy and Heathcliff but instead looks more into her own upbringing and explores the close friendship that she shared with Hindley. It’s a tale of woe in many respects but in spite of this Nelly manages to show that the lives of those at the Heights wasn’t all doom and gloom. I’m not going to elaborate on her story here as it would spoil the read for others but hers is definitely a tale full of secrets and family skeletons in cupboards.

I really enjoyed the style of writing and found Nelly to be a captivating narrator. Obviously I enjoyed those points in the story where I made the connection to the original book but even without that I think this would make a good read. Unsurprisingly the story is told by Nelly and whilst a number of the key points from the original novel make an appearance here this is a new and original story that focuses on some of the other characters and perhaps gives more enlightenment to the reader as to their actions and motivations in Wuthering Heights.įirstly, I will say that I think although this is a great companion novel I don’t think it is necessary to have read WH before picking this up. That being said Wuthering Heights is a great story and so I was very excited to pick up a copy of Nelly Dean and see what a new perspective could bring to the story. The Bronte sisters are no exception to this although my favourite book from the Bronte’s is Charlotte’s Jane Eyre.

I read a number of the classics during my younger years and most of them hold a fond place in my heart. If you want the short and sweet version of this review then I will start by saying that I loved this book.

Nelly dean alison case