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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, I'm torn between "Thank god, it's over" and "Wow, what a fascinating story." It took me almost two weeks to read this book, which is long for me, especially for a book that contemporary readers considered an absolute page-turner. I had a hard time getting into it at first, partly because nothing much happened in the beginning, but also because I had to get used to Radcliffes style and her overly complicated way of shoving way to many subclauses into one sentence. But I got more and more intrigued the further I read on. From the reputation of the book, I had expected more typical gothic horror and fewer crazy plot-twists. But this is not a simple ghost story or a vampire gore fest. This is first and foremost the story of unhappy people who made bad decisions that come back to haunt them. Oh, and there's dead bodies and robbers and pirates and sword and gunfights galore. But they serve more as a backdrop to the stories that really count. I think the book would make a good telenovela. The story is way too complicated and has too many characters and side-stories to reasonably fit into a movie or even a mini-series. That would break it. It is a story that, to develop its full potential, needs to be told exactly as Radcliffe tells it: slowly adding layer after layer of mystique and mystery, building a many skinned onion of tension that then, only in the last volume, slowly gets peeled open, revealing what's behind it all. It's a book that does not gel with modern tastes very well, where everything has to be efficient, on-point and immediately gratifying. This book takes patience and devotion. But then the reward is fantastic. I absolutely understand why this book was so loved at a time when reading was for many people, especially many women, their main way of escapism, when there was no tv, no social media, no quick way to entertain yourself. And I also understand why it has fallen out of favor since. It's not an instant dopamine rush. Instead it is a slowly rising tide that only gets you fully submerged towards the end.
I wasn't ready for just how dense and ponderous this one turned out to be. The story and writing are very pastoral and meditative for roughly the first third, waxing poetic (often quite literally) on the wonders of nature in the best Romantic tradition. Now I can enjoy that type of writing, but I just wasn't expecting to have to read quite so much of it before finally getting to the infamous Castle of Udolpho and its Gothic horrors. If I had been expecting that delay, it might not have felt like such a drag. I don't know if I will read this again (it'd be a great read if one is traveling to those regions of Europe that are so lovingly described), but if I did, I'd probably enjoy it more.
All that aside, by the end, I came to truly enjoy the book. The setting was dark, creepy, and full of midnight frights. Some of the side characters were fun, the villains were of the best mustache-twirling variety, and I became quite invested in the desperate and horrific plight of the long-suffering Emily, rooting for her victory and happiness with every page I turned. So really it was a very successful Gothic novel, if a bit on the long side.
All that aside, by the end, I came to truly enjoy the book. The setting was dark, creepy, and full of midnight frights. Some of the side characters were fun, the villains were of the best mustache-twirling variety, and I became quite invested in the desperate and horrific plight of the long-suffering Emily, rooting for her victory and happiness with every page I turned. So really it was a very successful Gothic novel, if a bit on the long side.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well.. what can I say? It is a classic that is interesting and well-written, but it is no Austen novel. There are heaps of ludicrously unlikely coincidences, stories within stories and an anaemic female lead who swoons on every other page. But there isn’t much wit and the pace drags - particularly as there is a lot of of inserted poetry that you can safely skip over.
The first two thirds of the book are the best and most exciting - the bits building up to and including the castle of Udolpho - with the last third almost feeling like a different book with new characters and yet more romantic complications. Also, with regards to the baddy he just disappeared and died off screen two thirds of the way through the novel! Why would you do that? He was the best thing in the story.
The first two thirds of the book are the best and most exciting - the bits building up to and including the castle of Udolpho - with the last third almost feeling like a different book with new characters and yet more romantic complications. Also, with regards to the baddy
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
I understand that this novel was very influential in its time... but oh my God I hated it. The experience was unbearably slow and bored me to tears for 90% of the story. When Radcliffe was determined to spook and keep her readers on edge, it wasn't half bad! But anytime Emily wasn't in the castle of Udolpho this novel was an absolute slog to get through.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated