Reviews - The Castle of Otranto Illustrated

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

1.82k reviews for:

The Castle of Otranto Illustrated

Horace Walpole

3.06 AVERAGE

livi77fly__'s review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

literary_bub's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars

caitie95's review against another edition

3.0

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lebigmac01's review against another edition

1.5

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lemeatsweats's review against another edition

2.0

challenging funny mysterious slow-paced

Predictable, some interesting supernatural elements

evie_stevie's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It’s absolutely essential if you choose to read this book to listen to the audiobook simultaneously. It fully heightens the experience to an enjoyable one. I thoroughly enjoyed this! I can understand why others might dislike it, particularly if they only read it (with their eyes) since the 18th century language is difficult to get in the rhythm of. But the audio helps immensely in providing context, suspense, and excitement.

Content Warnings

bookdawg's review against another edition

Honestly I don't really get why this is considered gothic besides the fact that it's in a castle and there's a bad guy. It reads more like a Shakespearean comedy or romance and there is nothing at all spooky about it.

The introduction was interesting and offered historical context, which was helpful, but did not make the book itself any better. Disappointing if you're looking for a gothic story!