I got this paperback at a local Savers thrift shop, for another release copy. I first read it long ago, probably when I was too young to really understand the trials and tribulations of the heroine, and I found it interesting to re-read now that I'm a little more... seasoned? {wry grin}

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, from the framing device of a later-in-life Gilbert writing to his brother-in-law to the revelations of Helen's diary. Gilbert himself was a more entertaining narrator than Helen, very puppyish and bouncy - not something I'd expect in a Bronte novel - while Helen's portion of the story depicted all too clearly the shift from a bright, ardent, and a bit rebellious young woman into a heart-weary mature one.

[Some spoilers below - if they're required in a book that's been a classic for so long!]

I admit that I was quite startled by Gilbert's rather blithe recounting of his near-murderous attack on Lawrence, whom he believed at the time to be his rival for Helen's affections; while the context of the story shows that he wasn't habitually vicious, this was still an extreme act, one for which he received too easy a forgiveness in my opinion. (And that was from the victim; if Helen ever found out, what would she have done?) One could concoct an alternate-character-interpretation of Gilbert's entire story based on his admission about having committed that one act...

But Lawrence forgave him, and their ensuing friendship entertained me very much, despite Gilbert's comments about how close-mouthed Lawrence was on matters Helen-related, even as Gilbert himself refrained from speaking up. I liked the contrast between Gilbert's obedience to Helen's "if you care for me, don't contact me for at least X months" command and the behavior of the besotted Hargrave, though Gilbert did take his time in attempting to get back in touch once his probation was over.

The scenes of his eventual long, slow dash-to-the-wedding were hilarious - and a bit suspenseful, even though the reader was already well ahead of Gilbert re who was actually marrying whom - and while I found that final coincidental meeting to be a wee bit contrived, it was still quite satisfying. And there's that very droll scene where he and his beloved are planning how long to wait before their wedding: after going on about how he "has not deserved this felicity" and "cannot bear to wait" until next December, he adds, "And besides, winter is such a dreary season." {snerk!}

I enjoyed the variations in the secondary characters, from the melancholy and long-suffering Lowborough to the rest of Arthur Huntingdon's cronies, whose various fates depicted the different alternatives on the scale of vice to virtue, as well as of the different ways in which addiction to alcohol and/or gambling can affect individuals.

[There's a fairly good 1996 mini-series adaptation, though I'm not sure how far it departed from the source material. And there's a TV Tropes page that has some interesting tidbits about the book.]

I left this book in this VERY colorful Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

*** Released for the 2019 Into the Wild release challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2019 Movie release challenge. ***