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kpanagod's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars
The last 60 pages kinda ate! This felt like a really long Scooby Doo episode that was intermittently interrupted by extensive backstories and long (but beautiful) descriptions of the scenery and sublimity of nature. The only parts I didn’t care for were Radcliffe’s random poems in the middle of chapters, which she included by claiming that the main character wrote them…ok girl. Also the love interest was kinda mid so it’s a good thing the main plot didn’t revolve around romance.
Regardless, it was cool to read one of the earliest/most prominent novels of the Gothic genre and to see how the genre has evolved by comparing it to later Gothic works.
The last 60 pages kinda ate! This felt like a really long Scooby Doo episode that was intermittently interrupted by extensive backstories and long (but beautiful) descriptions of the scenery and sublimity of nature. The only parts I didn’t care for were Radcliffe’s random poems in the middle of chapters, which she included by claiming that the main character wrote them…ok girl. Also the love interest was kinda mid so it’s a good thing the main plot didn’t revolve around romance.
Regardless, it was cool to read one of the earliest/most prominent novels of the Gothic genre and to see how the genre has evolved by comparing it to later Gothic works.
tiff_39's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
my_chellf's review against another edition
Read Udolpho with audio and physical. Majority read so counted that as the book.
heathssm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thiswayforhorrorrecs's review against another edition
This book is so boring and nothing is holding my attention.
kdawn999's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t think I was going to recommend this half way through—and it is long and boring—but I actually ended up liking it once I accepted its caricatured characters and plot absurdities. The “romance” part is mostly sickly, and the main character is unlikeably perfect, but I appreciate reading the author who inspired Austen, the Bröntes, and later mystery writers. The book may feel tropey, but then you realize it started the tropes! I also can’t get over the fact that a 19th century French author decided to make Radcliffe a character in his vampire fan fiction. So it turns out Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has literary precedent and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies isn’t that radical! So, read this if you are curious about the literary origins of this vein of the Gothic romance—I promise there is blood if you read far enough! If you are looking for entertainment and thrill on the level her original readers might have had it, read Stephen King instead.
phantomwise's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, Valancourt is the worst romantic hero I've met since Heathcliff brooded across the moors. I think I liked every other character more than him - and that includes the legitimately rapey villains.