Earl Grey Books

Wuthering Heights is having its moment right now with the new Emerald Fennell film staring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, and so today I thought I’d recommend some books for you to try next if you liked Emily Brontë’s original.

I want to say right here that I’ve excluded Jane Eyre from this list, but it might be the best place to go next after Wuthering Heights. I wanted to have the chance to highlight some other books, so I haven’t added it in here.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

If you pick up one book from this list, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is my top recommendation. Anne is the criminally neglected Brontë sister. Wildfell Hall doesn’t have the brooding, destructive romances that Charlotte and Emily Brontë created but what it has instead is a discussion of abusive relationships, escape and women’s creative work. This is my favourite Brontë novel by far, and Anne is still due her time in the spotlight.

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

I’ll level with you here—I hated this book the first time I read it. I was 15 and at a point in my reading life where I felt like I had to read certain classics to be well-read (which is such a lie). My school library had a copy of this one, but not Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights at the time, and so Vilette became my first Brontë. That was a really terrible idea, and I recommend this one to you as something for more advanced readers.

When I say ‘advanced’ here, I mean that you’ve got a good grip of Victorian literature. Maybe you’ve read some Dickens, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre already, or whatever titles and authors float your boat. Then you want something a little more obscure, then Villette is worth picking up. It’s a novel full of pining and unfulfilled desire based somewhat on Charlotte’s time as an English teacher in Belgium. As you’ve hopefully uessed by now, this is not the easiest book to get through as a beginner but it is worth the read if you’re ready for it.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

This comes with a bit of a caveat. You should absolutely read Jane Eyre before picking this one up as it serves as a sort of unofficial prequel. I know Jane Eyre is almost 180 years old at this point, but I’m still going to avoid spoilers for you here and just say that it follows one of the characters before the events of the original book. If you love delving into minor characters and seeing them developed into fully-formed people, then Wide Sargasso Sea is definitely worth picking up.

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

I’ve always got to find a way to slip a Daphne du Maurier book into a classics recommendation list—she’s one of my favourite authors and I still think she deserves more modern readers. Rebecca is by far her best-known book (and a personal favourite of mine), but for me Rebecca speaks more to Jane Eyre-vibes. Jamaica Inn gives me those more Wuthering Heights-vibes—this is full of unsavoury characters and dealings, and a touch of romance. There’s also an atmospheric setting to this one with the wild seas and eerie quietness of Cornwall serving as the backdrop. If you really fall in love with the book, you can make a trip to the real Jamaica Inn where du Maurier first got the idea for the book.

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Do you have any other recommendations for fans of Wuthering Heights? Leave them in the comments below!