I think I'm not alone in saying that classics, especially those over 300 pages are daunting. Most early novelists LOVE to add so much detail to their stories that sometimes, chapters in classic novels can grow tiresome and confusing. Yet I have to say, even though The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (The Tenant) is over 500 pages, I had no problems at all with the language or the story. I understood everything that was happening and every time I opened the book up, I slid perfectly back into the story.

Now, even though I love classics, reading The Tenant so easily was new to me and I found myself being able to read huge chunks of the book instead of little bits here and there. I found the story and the characters completely encapsulating and I enjoyed every second of it.

There were certainly moments throughout this book where I felt I could hear moments of Anne’s personality shining through. There were so many subtle hints about how Anne truly felt about the different treatment of women compared to men and even with her character creation, Helen Graham is a brilliant heroine that takes no sh*t from the men who surround her. Helen Graham is now one of my favourite female characters and it’s so refreshing to see such a strong-willed character like Helen, featured in a novel which was written way before the fight for women’s suffrage. I know that the fight for women’s rights didn’t begin with the Suffragette’s and it certainly didn’t end there either, but what is so great to hear is that there were women, like Anne, who were not afraid to voice their opinions on the treatment of women. 

I certainly enjoyed every moment of this book and it is one that will surely stick in my mind forever. I look forward to hopefully reading more of Anne’s work and hopefully reading more about her because for her to remain known as the ‘forgotten’ Bronte sister would be truly heartbreaking.