Member Reviews

Wuthering Heights isn't my favorite of the Bronte novels, but I love the idea of making classics more accessible and easy-to-understand, especially with added illustrations. The adaptation isn't perfect, but I still really enjoyed this one.

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Cime tempestose è, tra tutti i romanzi delle sorelle Bronte, quello che amo meno, per cui, visto che ritengo poco probabile una rilettura nel prossimo futuro, mi ha fatto piacere rivisitarlo in modo veloce e simpatico grazie a questa trasposizione.
La storia ripropone tutti gli eventi principali del romanzo originale, anche i comportamenti violenti del personaggio di Heatcliff, e credo sia un pregio del volumetto non aver addolcito gli avvenimenti e aver mantenuto il messaggio originale, ovvero che l'ossessione non ha nulla di romantico e che, insieme a scelte premature, può rovinare la vita delle persone coinvolte.
Le illustrazioni aiutano a familiarizzare con i personaggi e gli eventi e spesso, con la loro ironia, a rendere più leggero il contenuto.

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I would like to start by stating two facts;
1) I've never read the original Wuthering Heights
2) I have reviewed many of Sweet Cherry's easy classics.

Now, I need to state that I didn't like this adaption.

(please note there are spoilers below)

I still like the pictures at the start of the text to help differentiate from the people within the booik - however the family tree on this made it seem as if all of the characters within the book were literally related (though I am aware that the heir to her fathers estate later in the book is a cousin of hers and just... not needed in a reworked text in 2021) - and that made it confusing even as an adult. I have no idea how any children will come into this book and not be confused by the familial set up of this text.

Secondly, I feel that it was too condensed. Scenes jumped from location to location and seemed to think that you had read the original text and skipped too much of the information that was actually needed considering I hadn't read Bronte's book and as such I spent a good part of the book thankful that I had at least seen one of the movies of it. There is taking out the language of the 1800s, and just taking away the plot. Though, if you are going to remove as much as you did - please take out the weird incest-like plots and unneeded language and phrases from then. We have moved on...

I just.. there is no way I would buy this for my nieces and nephews where so many of the previous books that I have reviewed, I've been eyeing for Christmas for them (Pride and Prejudice and A Christmas Carol especially). Sad. I really was hoping to love this.

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3.5 A great and concise way to bring classic literature to early readers.

The illustrations are perfect to capture children's engagement.

It's pretty basic in the storytelling, of course it's not going to be as substantial as the original, but for kids it is a good summarization. Kudos to the author for adapting such a powerful, dark, and melancholy story into something simple and easy to read for youngsters. Also great as a quick refresher if you need to know the basis of the classic.

I hope Baudet's novel gives its readers the interest and the urge to find out more and to read the original tale. Everything is diluted for a much younger audience or for people who have difficulty reading the orginal text. Because of this the characters are slightly understated.

Thankyou to Netgalley and and Sweet Cherry Publishing for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Wuthering Heights (Easy Classics) was a modern and slimmed down take on the classic version. I started reading it with my 9 year old but she decided it wasn't for her after the 1st chapter so I finished it alone. I did read the classic years ago so I was fuzzy on the details. I did have some trouble following the back and forth and all the H names so I understand why the 9 year old gave up on it. Overall I understood the tragedy that unfolded as the book went on and I'm sure it's fairly closely related to the original work. However, I'd have a hard time recommending this book for elementary aged kids as it appears to be marketed for based on the cover.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

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*I received a digital ARC of this book, thanks to NetGalley*
Who would have thought that this classic piece of literature could be crafted into a story that kids could understand? I think Ms. Baudet did a bangup job of capturing the essence of Bronte's story while making it accessible for children. The pictures were beautiful, and it's a great way to introduce kids to classic stories. Ms. Baudet has put it into a language that kids can understand, as well as adults who haven't read Bronte in a good long while! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it for kids.

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This does a great job simplifying the original stories for younger audiences. It does lose some of the emotional resonance the way it’s simplified. Turns into a he said she said type of plot.

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After taking a few classic English courses for university, I'm loving diving into the classics. So, of course, seeing different versions of the classics makes me excited. Intertexts and adaptations can be so intriguing! Why not pick up a classic that is labelled "easy" and see what I get out of it?

These stories take a long classic that might not be easy to understand and condense it down to about 30 pages or so. This take was interesting and definitely made me want to jump back into the classic instead. If that was it's intention, it did it well! It peaked my interest.

I wouldn't say it's the best adaptation, but it's definitely one way to get people reading the classics again.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

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I studied Wuthering Heights at university, so I was really interested to see how this adaptation had been done for children.

First, the positives. I love the little illustrations throughout the book, and the style is really clear and uses plain English without going too simplistic or patronising the reader. There's a bit of sanitisation of Heathcliff and Cathy's characters, of course, but their characters are true to the original.

For the negatives, a big part of what makes the Brontë original such a classic is the emotion and passion in the story - in this short, stripped down version most of that is lost, and that shows clearly how ridiculous everyone's actions are without that emotional element driving them.

However, overall, this is a great way to introduce children to the classics, and would also work well for adult literacy students, and people learning English as a second language - or even people who just want a reminder/introduction to the plot. I think this whole series is a great idea.

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Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Brontë is widely known to be one of the masterpieces of world literature. This version is very simple for adults but is ideal for children and teenagers to get in touch with classical literature. The adaptation of the text is satisfactory although, to tell the truth, it's unfair to the original text. Nevertheless, the text fully describes the plot and its atmosphere, although oversimplified. The illustration is also simple, black and white and maybe old-fashioned but quite tasteful. It was interesting to see how a classic book can be adapted to be intended for younger readers. Overall, I enjoyed it and find it an interesting proposition. I would love to see it translated into languages other than English, so that it is accessible to young readers around the world. @booklivion

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Thanks so much to Sweet Cherry Publishing for the ebook being available to read and review.

This was certainly an unusual, dramatic and tragic story. None of the characters were nice at all, it was one big messy drama everyone hated one an other but then married Into each other’s families, tried to control each other, had kids and forced them to fall in love and take over the properties. My goodness what a drama.

I cannot say that I enjoyed this story as much as I’d have liked to have, but it was still an interesting read and I loved that it was shortened and made to be read a lot easier. I do love that these classics are a great opportunity to give children the opportunity to read them. And understand the old times, the way stories were once written and be in a much easier simpler way.

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Alright, where do I start exactly the spelling? And it wasn't correct in some areas in my copy, and I didn't realize this was a children's version until after I saw the illustrations, however, I feel that it grasped the concept in a child's perspective perfectly, and it was a cute quick read.

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Since I have never read Wuthering Heights the adult version, I thought this might be a good introduction to this timeless classic. It is a nice introduction to the classic, easy reading, some illustrations. However, it was a struggle for me to read.

A special thank you to Sweet Cherry Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

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An easy read for younger audience; but just as fulfilling as the original. My daughter didn't seem to get into it as much as I did when we were reading it!

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This retelling of Wuthering Heights is prefect for both younger readers who want to get a feel for the classics or for older readers with a lower reading age. For children who want to know the story of Wuthering Heights but would find the original too difficult this is the perfect starting point. The story is told with clarity that allows the reader to understand the complexities of relationships, betrayal and revenge. The illustrations add to the story and the family tree at the start helps the reader further.

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This is an illustrated edition of Wuthering Heights which has been simplified for young readers. It tells the story of the classic novel, without all of the fluffy details from the original. I would recommend this for kids and teens, or even adults, who want to learn the story of Cathy and Heathcliff without reading the massive and tricky original.

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Very easy to read version for children who want to be introduced to the classics but may not be at the proper reading level, it’s a fun and short read with lovely illustrations

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When I first read Wuthering Heights in university 25+ years ago, I loved the darkness and never ending drama between the characters. Upon reflection, I still love the book - it is a magnificently crafted story filled with, at best, flawed, or at worst, utterly unlikeable characters.

Stephanie Baudet has managed to adapt the complicated story into its essential plot points. It explains all the relationships between the characters, and the role each of them plays in the saga. However, it fails to evoke the desolate feeling of the Yorkshire moors and Cathy and Heathcliff's connection to nature.

Baudet has certainly made this classic novel accessible to a wider range of readers; I would certainly recommend it to older students who have been tasked with reading the original novel but may find it challenging for their reading ability. I would caution them that without Emily Bronte's hauntingly descriptive writing, they will have difficulty understanding the motivations behind the characters' actions.

Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I absolutely loved the original of Wuthering Heights but found this version was a bit too complicated for my liking, despite being an abridged version. It jumped from different events too quickly and I was confused as to who was who and which characters had a relationship with other characters and their role within the story!

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Wuthering Heights is a classic for a reason. There are so many lines that I love in this book. Toxic romance yes, but still holds merit.

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