I adored 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'. To me, it combined the best bits of 'Jane Eyre' and 'Wuthering Heights' and smashed them together in a wonderful story of intrigue, at the heart of which Helen Lawrence.Helen is a fascinating character, who attracts the attention of Gabriel Markham who serves a similar role of Lockwood in 'Wuthering Heights', in that Helen's backstory is told with the help of him; when he obtains her diaries. The main difference is probably that Markham plays a more interactive role in Helen's present life, as he falls in love with her. Helen had previously been married to the alcoholic, unfaithful Arthur Huntington; who she ran away from with their son. To me, Helen had far more spunk about her than either Cathy or Jane. Not only is she brave enough to slam her bedroom door in her husband's face, she attempts to make her own living through painting and she also has the bravery to leave him.There is rather a lot of religious imagery, as is typical of a Bronte novel. But in my mind, the Brontes are the best at creating gothic novels with fine female lead characters.
