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hoserlauren's review against another edition
3.0
Young Miranda lives on a farm with her large family and one day her parents get a letter from a cousin that asks them to send their eldest daughter to Dragonwyck. The letter comes from Nicholas Van Ryn, socialite from the Hudson Valley. Miranda is super excited to leave behind her simple life and become more sophisticated.
Upon arriving, Miranda meets Nicholas' wife and daughter. The wife doesn't seem to want Miranda around and doesn't hesitate to make that known. Meanwhile Nicholas suffers from violent mood swings and Miranda never really knows what to expect from him. When the family suffers an emergency, Miranda's life changes once again.
I picked this book up because I enjoyed Seton's Katherine so much. Dragonwyck doesn't have the same magic that Katherine does. I didn't really enjoy any of the characters. Miranda was weak and annoying and even by the end of the book I didn't understand what was going on with Nicholas.
Everything just went on too long and all the characters were too annoying to enjoy this a lot.
Upon arriving, Miranda meets Nicholas' wife and daughter. The wife doesn't seem to want Miranda around and doesn't hesitate to make that known. Meanwhile Nicholas suffers from violent mood swings and Miranda never really knows what to expect from him. When the family suffers an emergency, Miranda's life changes once again.
I picked this book up because I enjoyed Seton's Katherine so much. Dragonwyck doesn't have the same magic that Katherine does. I didn't really enjoy any of the characters. Miranda was weak and annoying and even by the end of the book I didn't understand what was going on with Nicholas.
Everything just went on too long and all the characters were too annoying to enjoy this a lot.
freyamoongana's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a great anti-fascism text. So much language about burning surrounds Nicholas, he is a clear Hitler figure. Hope to have a more fleshed out review soon.
germainek's review against another edition
5.0
I read this at the right time. It was just what I needed to escape!! I had Vincent Price and Gene Tierney in mind while I was reading. Although, the movie is not the same as the book it is still great!
gofftree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
hanket's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault
emilielewis's review against another edition
2.0
Very Bronte-Esque and a typical gothic romance. There are a shocking number of typos and punctuation errors in this edition though...
brodi727's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is sooo good I found out about it cus I’m a big Vincent Price fan and saw the movie first this book had me feeling so many emotions and I could not put it down however if u have triggers or if discrimination heavily bothers you in books please read the warnings going into this book knowing it was written in the 1940s and takes place in the 1840s America I knew there was gonna be racism and a lot of not pc stuff but there was still a lot that I was not prepared for so if u do have triggers read the content warnings first cus this book has a lot of stuff that could be potentially triggering
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence
Minor: Slavery, War, Addiction, Ableism, and Drug use
eleanorbxharris's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
baileyreneec's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A novel that took me by surprise. At first I was thinking this was going to be a Pride and Prejudice-esque romance but with ghosts and the like. However, this novel turned out to be much darker than I ever could have imagined. This was most definitely a psychological horror novel in my mind. The complexity of the characters, especially Nicholas, was astounding and his motives continued to elude me, aside from one: to keep his power and reputation intact at all costs. The twists in this story, while they weren't entirely out of left field, only added to the horrifying and disturbing nature of this novel.
mabelcharlotte's review against another edition
3.0
Easy to read and understand, I enjoyed Anya Seton’s Dragonwyck, but I think the suspense and mystery of the ghost and the red room could have been heightened a lot more. A lot of the story felt like it was dragged out and could have been replaced with more information on Miranda’s relationships with other characters to provide them with more depth. One of the best features of the book is Miranda’s character development throughout the novel, it’s interesting to see her grow from some flighty, unlikeable child into a more reasonable woman. Overall the mystery and romance is there and provides for an exciting story, but more of this is needed before it becomes the particularly thrilling story it has the potential to be.