Happy New Year! And welcome to a review of the first (and possibly only) door stop of 2026. My copy of Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is actually just shy of 500 pages, but I placed it under the 'door stop' category anyway because certain editions do go a bit over that limit. As the lesser known Bronte sister, Anne offers up a story of a mysterious woman moving to a new town, where the inhabitants can only guess at her background, until she offers up her story to someone she hopes she can trust.
The Situation: In a letter to a friend, Gilbert Markham tells the story of a time when a mysterious woman moved into his hometown, bringing with her a young boy and one servant. Helen Graham moved into the long neglected Wildfell Hall, managing to have just enough of the residence fixed up to make it inhabitable. Gilbert's friends and family immediately begin to make guesses as to the woman's story and where her husband may be. Many attempt to visit the woman, only to come back with a strong and strange sense that she wants to be left alone, and will not let the young boy out of her sight. It is not long before Gilbert becomes infatuated with her and her situation, which causes his irritation to grow towards those that would speak ill of her.
The Problem: Despite Gilbert's best efforts, Helen remains reserved and releases few details about her life before her move to Wildfell Hall, until she decides to let the young man read her diary. In it, Gilbert learns of her life growing up with her uncle and aunt, and the disastrous marriage to the man that the latter had attempted to warn her about. He is the reason Helen has retreated to Wildfell Hall, and Gilbert reads all about what caused the young wife to abandon her husband. Gilbert is happy to be trusted with this information, but distressed to know what Helen has had to deal with, and now wishes he may be trusted to remedy every situation for her to protect her and her son's future.
Genre, Themes, History: This book is a work of fiction set primarily in the late 1820s, early 1830s, when Helen's story takes place. Truly, the book is a story within a story as Helen's diary is read by Gilbert, who is a writing a letter to a friend. The bulk of Helen's story involves her troubled marriage to a Mr. Huntingdon, whose proposal she accepted over much older, though well-established and possibly better-behaved men. Though there is gambling, drinking, abandonment, and even infidelity, it is ultimately for the benefit of her son that Helen wishes to be done with her husband, but as a woman in the early 19th century, her options are limited.
My Verdict: While this is a thoroughly entertaining read, I can understand why it is not as popular as Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. Sure, there is a strong and willful heroine, plenty of conflict, and societal pressures that make it difficult for several of the characters to either act as they please, or even simply in their own best interest. But the story itself is oddly paced, and the characters are more than a little tiresome, Helen and Gilbert included. And for me, I had to allow for more than a little suspension of disbelief when it comes to the issue of a grown woman allowing a man she does not know all that well to read her private diary, even if it does help explain her situation.
Favorite Moment: Helen is nothing if not resolved, and there are a couple of moments where she must dismiss the supposed assistance of the most seemingly well-intentioned people.
Favorite Character: The character of Mr. Lawrence does not truly come into focus until the story is nearly at its end, but he proves to be both helpful and honest.
Recommended Reading: This is a recommendation I know few will take, if only because this book is so incredibly long, but I adore Charles Dickens' Bleak House.
