Novel set in Yorkshire – Map Monday

Submitted: 9th February 2026

Catherine – Essie Fox – Map Monday

Where does this book take you?

The landscape of the Bronte sisters – Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – only this time Catherine herself has a voice and she is the one telling her version of perhaps the most famous story ever told….

Location map of Catherine

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Location map of Catherine

The setting:

You really can’t imagine any literary landscape more vivid than that of Cathy and Heathcliff. This is the Yorkshire we know from Wuthering Heights but seen through Cathy’s eyes. Think raw wild moors, dark shadows, outlines of bare trees…..and Cathy’s looking out a window and telling her story.

Catherine Essie Fox

Location map of Catherine

Review

First of all a confession. Despite being a huge fan of the Bronte Sisters and their writing, Wuthering Heights has never been a favourite of mine. I rememeber struggling with it when I read it for the first time and when I read it again many years later, it didn’t set my world on fire.

This retelling however, from the female perspective is different. Essie Fox has created something that is very special. She has also shown me what Wuthering Heights was and is in many ways.

Essie Fox has been a favourite writer of mine for some time but I really think this is something particularly special. Catherine is a gothic delight. Catherine as the main character is a clever move and allowing us into the novel through her eyes is genius. That bond between Catherine and Heathcliff is explored and examined in detail as the journey towards the full emotional breakdown later on.

I felt silent, humble and restful reading this. It is so much more than a retelling – it’s an elevation to another level.

And if like me, you didn’t really ‘get’ Wuthering Heights, you will discover a treasure trove of treats with Catherine.