Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Wuthering Heights,' by Emily Brontë
2/27/202654 min
Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” is a tale of star-crossed lovers: Catherine, the wild daughter of an aristocratic family, and Heathcliff, an orphan whom Catherine’s father brings home unexpectedly. While Catherine’s brother and mother denigrate Heathcliff, depriving him of an education and forcing him into a servant-like role, Catherine forms an intense, almost spiritual bond with her family’s new charge.
Despite their deep connection, however, she marries the scion of a nearby wealthy family — a decision that leaves Catherine yearning, Heathcliff bent on revenge and everybody in their orbit on a path to calamity.
Brontë’s classic has long been a favorite among readers, and the novel is back in the zeitgeist thanks to Emerald Fennell’s recent film adaptation. On this week’s episode, host MJ Franklin discusses “Wuthering Heights” with colleagues from the New York Times Book Review.
Other works discussed:
“Wuthering Heights,” the song by Kate Bush
“Twilight,” by Stephenie Meyer
“But Daddy I Love Him,” by Taylor Swift
“Wuthering Heights,” the 2026 film directed by Emerald Fennell
“The Safekeep,” by Yael van der Wouden
“Mexican Gothic,” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The “Wuthering Heights” comics in Kate Beaton’s “Hark! A Vagrant” series
“Villette,” by Charlotte Brontë
“Rebecca,” by Daphne du Maurier
“The Idiot,” by Elif Batuman
“The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“The Count of Monte Cristo,” by Alexandre Dumas
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Clips
Transcript preview
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Gilbert Cruz· Host0:30
I'm Gilbert Cruz, and this is The Book Review from The New York Times. [upbeat music] On this week's episode, our monthly book club discussion, hosted by MJ Franklin. February marked the peak of Wuthering Heights fever, given the recent film adaptation, and MJ gathered a fantastic group of book review editors to talk about Emily Brontë's Gothic classic. MJ, over to you.
MJ Franklin· Host0:56
Hello, and welcome to another book club episode of The Book Review podcast. I'm MJ Franklin, and you know, it's funny, we here at The Book Review are always watching out for what books are popping in a year, what books are sticking, what are the books readers don't want to miss. And so far this year, it seems like there's been one big it book that everybody is talking about, and yep, you guessed it, it's Wuthering Heights. A book that originally published in eighteen forty-seven, and yet it seems to be the event of twenty twenty-six so far.