Another classic TBR. I plan on hiding away for a very long time to get through all of these.

Finished this a good while ago now.
It's a truly telling story, still relevant today, of how that wonderful man can turn out to be a swine and abuser only a short time down the line.
Helen Huntingdon is a true heroine of her time, steadfast in the face of her trials, and so much more satisfying than Henry James's Isabel Archer, who makes a similar resolution to stick out an unfavourable situation.
The story within a story structure is a little frustrating at first - Gilbert Markham takes a little too long to get to the meat of his tale, but once he gets to know Helen - Mrs Graham to him at this point - better, his previous portraits of the people around him become more relevant.
But once Helen's diary - infused with restrained passions and intense morals - becomes the main narration, the frivolous world of the Markhams is reflected by a much darker mirror, one which you can't help being drawn into.

Like Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the deep emotional impact felt by the characters by the conclusion is clear but communicated in an almost dispassionate way.
A trailblazer for the time, and still outstanding now.