Read for a graduate seminar on Romantic Era Women Writers at CU Boulder.

I'd give this novel 3.5 stars, if such an option existed. As is, I'm rounding up!

I love how intricate the plot of this Gothic romance is - there really isn't a dull moment and the foreshadowing is not at all as obvious as it appears. That said - I could do without the excessive exclamation points (Perhaps Jay Anson was an avid reader of Radcliffe!) or the excessive exultations of the numerous servants/guides throughout the novel to which the main characters frequently failed to listen. As a plot device, I found that pretty weak - admittedly because my 21st Century sentiments were a bit vexed at the prospect of action moving forward because the rich guy ignored the poor guy.

That said - I'd recommend giving this one a read at some point in your life. ( )

Read for a graduate seminar on Romantic Era Women Writers at CU Boulder.

I'd give this novel 3.5 stars, if such an option existed. As is, I'm rounding up!

I love how intricate the plot of this Gothic romance is - there really isn't a dull moment and the foreshadowing is not at all as obvious as it appears. That said - I could do without the excessive exclamation points (Perhaps Jay Anson was an avid reader of Radcliffe!) or the excessive exultations of the numerous servants/guides throughout the novel to which the main characters frequently failed to listen. As a plot device, I found that pretty weak - admittedly because my 21st Century sentiments were a bit vexed at the prospect of action moving forward because the rich guy ignored the poor guy.

That said - I'd recommend giving this one a read at some point in your life. ( )

Less well-known than The Mysteries of Udolpho even though it is in some ways the better book, this is a classic Gothic romance. One of the founders of the genre, Radcliffe is well worth reading if you are interested in the best of what late eighteenth century literature has to offer. ( )

This one of Radcliffe's I didn't enjoy as much as the others by her that I've read; I found myself unintentionally skimming at times, which very rarely happens when I read. I found the plot mostly unsurprising and the characters fairly boring. ( )

A really good classic book by Ann Radcliffe. I really enjoyed Vivaldi as a character, and the amount of family related plot twists in this book is staggering, but fun. It was stressful following the characters around as they had their goalpost move every time they got close to resolving their struggles. I really enjoy how versatile of a character Schedoni is throughout the book, his chapters were some of my favorite. ( )