English Literature Wider Reading Forum 

The Power

Hello everyone, I read The Power previously at the end of Year 10 when my English teacher recommended it to me. Although it's been a while, I think I still remember it quite well. I want to be honest and say that I didn't find the book to be particularly exciting or had a continuous urge to read it, however, I did enjoy the themes and ideas that were explored. I appreciated it much more for the ideas rather than the story. It was a great book to read when I was in the mood for speculating how the current "normal" of the world could be overturned. Overall, I thought it was a good book and would recommend to anybody to read if they are at all interested.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights follows the life of Heathcliff from the early years of his childhood to his death in his late thirties. Heathcliff rises in status in his adoptive family but is then reduced to being a servant. He runs away when the woman he loves, Catherine, decides to marry another man. Years later he returns a rich and educated man. His life purpose is now set on getting revenge on the two families that tore his world apart.

This dark & mysterious romantic revenge story that tells of the classic "star-crossed lovers" cliché, similar to Romeo and Juliet. Both Heathcliff and Catherine are unlikable characters at many points in the story but their complex dynamic makes the story that much more interesting. No matter what came between Heathcliff and his lover, they always remained in each others corner. This epic love story depicts the budding romance between the two obstinate lovers whilst they were young and later the tragedy of her loving someone else. This story was very controversial as it challenged Victorian morality, religious and societal values as well as its depictions of mental and physical cruelty.