Today I’m joining the blog tour for Catherine. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley, Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.

Essie Fox’s Catherine reimagines Wuthering Heights with beauty and intensity – a haunting, atmospheric retelling that brings new life to a timeless classic and lays bare the dark heart of an immortal love.

Review:

I read Wuthering Heights at university, and didn’t particularly enjoy it, but I’ve loved Essie Fox’s previous work, so I couldn’t not read Catherine. I’m very glad I did – it made Wuthering Heights feel much more accessible to me and I now feel encouraged to try reading the original text again.

As the title suggests, Catherine is told from the perspective of Catherine Earnshaw. It’s written in first person, and Essie Fox has really got under her main character’s skin. She’s still not particularly likeable, but I did understand her reasons for behaving in the way she did, and this made me feel more sympathetic towards her. The characters around Catherine are also really well constructed and this really helps to create a vivid picture of the environment and atmosphere around Wuthering Heights.

As I’ve mentioned before, Essie Fox is a fantastic writer and the emotion in this story really shines through from beginning to end. The intensity of their relationship was visceral, and it made the story really compelling.

There is a supernatural element to Wuthering Heights and Essie Fox approaches this really well. I loved Catherine’s reflections on what was happening for her family following her death. It really heightened the emotional elements of the story.

Catherine is available from Amazon.

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