Sunday, 17 July 2011

Wuthering Hearts by Kay Woodward


7th July 2011, Anderson Press 
217 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Children's, 12+ 

School life, friendships, school play, drama in and out of the classroom, different family circumstances, isolation, fear, misunderstanding, sisters' rivalry, making mountains out of molehills, mild teen romance, lots of humour and a few tissues needed 

Summary from Anderson Press

Passion, the Yorkshire moors, a wild and handsome stranger . . . sound familiar?
When Robert arrives in town with his dark good looks and mysterious background, Emily has a huge crush! It’s almost enough to take her mind off this year’s school play . . . miserable, wailing Wuthering Heights.
But Robert is no prince, with his black moods and fierce temper. The beautiful untamed moors would be the perfect backdrop to their fiery romance, if only Emily could work it out.
On stage or off stage, will Emily ever be the Cathy to his Heathcliff?


Nayuleska's reasons for loving Emily: she's such a drama queen, and does have a good sense of right vs wrong (even if she does get convinced to cross the line at times). I love her dramatic take on life, which adds plenty of humour to the at times quite serious story. 

Is there another character who deserves a special mention? Jenna, Emily's sister, is quite funny. How the pair of them get on is a realistic portrayal of sisters. 

How evil/nasty is the enemy? Well, Emily hates her rival Lexie, who revels in taking centre stage. Lexie's comments can be quite hurtful, and she's a bit superficial too. But it's through fighting Lexie for the leading role that Emily develops as a person. 

Are there plenty of plot twists and surprises? Apart from the main one, which I guessed correctly (it was obvious), there were quite a few clever little twists that added extra dimensions to the story and pushed Emily into tight corners. 

One of my favourite parts was...when Jenna's about. Chaos always follows! 

I give this 9/10! You don't have to have read the original Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte to enjoy this book. 

Suggested reads
Check out Kay's other book loosely revolving around Jane Eyre - Jane Airhead will make you laugh a lot. 



For more school drama, check out Frankie Foster: Fizzypop! by Jean Ure 


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