I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about Nelly Dean as Case adeptly fills in the narrative gaps of the original novel without disrupting anything within that story. In Case's novel, Nelly discloses the full truth of her childhood, her life has a servant, and her emotional connection to the residents of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Lockwood, the outsider who visits Wuthering Heights in Emily Brontë's original novel and finds himself drawn into the stories, ghosts, and nightmares that haunt the house and its residents. Within moments of starting the story, I felt I was back on the moors. It's easy to see how Case's research informs her ability to recreate Nelly Dean's narration to stay true to her character, though she makes the purposeful choice not to fully adopt Nelly's original vernacular but to rather use a voice more accessible to modern-day readers. Case is a professor of Victorian literature who has published numerous scholarly articles on British literature, gender issues, and female narrators (as a fellow 19th-century scholar, her work is very interesting). It's evident that Alison Case is a Victorian scholar because numerous elements are accurate to the time period. Alison Case does a masterful job staying true to the themes and emotions of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. When you love a text, it's painful to see someone not capture what you love about the original. I'm often intrigued by retellings, but I've learned to be wary of them. To fans of the Brontë sisters, Wuthering Heights is twisted Gothic passion at its finest. I loved every moment of reading this book. It is the story of a woman who is fated to bear the pain of a family she is unable to leave, and unable to save.'

Nelly Dean is a wonderment of storytelling and an inspired accompaniment to Emily Bronte’s adored work.

But when a new heir is born, a reign of violence begins that will test even Nelly’s formidable spirit as she finds out what it is to know true sacrifice. As death, illness, and passion sweep through the house, Nelly suffers heartache and betrayals at the hands of those she cherishes most, tempting her to leave it all behind.

But when the benevolence of the master brings a wild child into the house, Nelly learns she must follow in her mother’s footsteps, be called 'servant' and give herself over completely to the demands of the Earnshaw family.īut Nelly is not the only one who finds her life disrupted by this strange newcomer. 'Young Nelly Dean has been Hindley’s closest companion for as long as she can remember, living freely at the great house, Wuthering Heights.

Nelly Dean by Alison Case