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shncwn's review
4.0
a great gothic fiction book, really interesting antagonist and beautiful imagery and gloomy atmosphere. there is a big chunk of this book where nothing happens, which felt a little bit of slog to get through but the ending made it worth it.
itslaur's review
4.0
what an ending! if you're looking for a slow-burn oldie with thrills and suspense i totally recommend this book
noble_reads's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nfleow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
alysian_fields's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
ablotial's review
2.0
This book took me a long time to read. There were some parts that I had a lot of trouble getting interested in, although there were other parts where I just wanted to keep reading and keep reading. The main character, Maud, annoyed me -- at times she seemed very wise, but much of the time she seemed incredibly naive and young for her years. Even with the crazy hints people were dropping, she still missed what I considered obvious.
Being a Victorian novel, much of the book is sort of dark and mysterious, though I would say very little was actually scary. Often, in the style of many books from this time period, the author would go off on seemingly unrelated tangents or introduce seemingly unimportant characters, though they often tie in in some way far, far down the line. Though I still do wonder about Captain Oakley. Not sure what the point of his existence was. I guess just as a potential love interest, but we sort of all knew from the start that it wouldn't work out.
The ending left me unsatisfied for the most part, though it did tie up a few things rather nicely. There is a fair bit of "dialectical" speech written beginning in the middle of the book -- normally I don't mind this too much, but when you combine the dialect with the fact that it is a BRITISH dialect and I'm American, and the fact that the book was written in somewhat archaic language anyway due to the fact that it's just an old book... some parts were incredibly difficult to decipher.
Overall and interesting book, and I could definitely see how some of the devices from this novel have made their way into modern cliches, but I don't think much about it will stick in my mind for long.
Being a Victorian novel, much of the book is sort of dark and mysterious, though I would say very little was actually scary. Often, in the style of many books from this time period, the author would go off on seemingly unrelated tangents or introduce seemingly unimportant characters, though they often tie in in some way far, far down the line. Though I still do wonder about Captain Oakley. Not sure what the point of his existence was. I guess just as a potential love interest, but we sort of all knew from the start that it wouldn't work out.
The ending left me unsatisfied for the most part, though it did tie up a few things rather nicely. There is a fair bit of "dialectical" speech written beginning in the middle of the book -- normally I don't mind this too much, but when you combine the dialect with the fact that it is a BRITISH dialect and I'm American, and the fact that the book was written in somewhat archaic language anyway due to the fact that it's just an old book... some parts were incredibly difficult to decipher.
Overall and interesting book, and I could definitely see how some of the devices from this novel have made their way into modern cliches, but I don't think much about it will stick in my mind for long.
jessthanthree's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual harassment, Blood, Violence, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism
Minor: Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Terminal illness
juliekreddy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25