Scan barcode
tishtashtosh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sarahcoller's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Ugh, what a slog.
Anything I've read by Gaskell has bored me to tears --- except maybe her biography of Charlotte Bronte, which was the first thing I ever read about the Brontes so it was all new information. I thought I'd give her another try and figured Gothic Tales would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, the majority of these tales had very little about them to render them "gothic", in my opinion. They were boring, convoluted --- not even weird or creepy --- just dull with large doses of melodrama.
I was really only semi-interested in two: <i>Lois the Witch</i> and <i>The Grey Woman</i>. <i>Lois the Witch</i> was one of the most touching fictional stories regarding the witch trials I've read. I really did end up liking it in the end. <i>The Grey Woman</i>, though pretty coincidental and far-fetched, did manage to keep my attention.
Something I did pick up on when reading <i>Curious, if True</i> was that the struggle I was having was partly based on the fact that I wasn't making the connections that her contemporaries would have been making. In reading the endnotes to this story, I found that it was full of references to 18th and 19th century literature -- especially fairy tales. Since I know next to nothing about fairy tales and childhood literary characters of the time, I missed so much of this story. Just goes to show that the more we read, the more we know!
Anything I've read by Gaskell has bored me to tears --- except maybe her biography of Charlotte Bronte, which was the first thing I ever read about the Brontes so it was all new information. I thought I'd give her another try and figured Gothic Tales would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, the majority of these tales had very little about them to render them "gothic", in my opinion. They were boring, convoluted --- not even weird or creepy --- just dull with large doses of melodrama.
I was really only semi-interested in two: <i>Lois the Witch</i> and <i>The Grey Woman</i>. <i>Lois the Witch</i> was one of the most touching fictional stories regarding the witch trials I've read. I really did end up liking it in the end. <i>The Grey Woman</i>, though pretty coincidental and far-fetched, did manage to keep my attention.
Something I did pick up on when reading <i>Curious, if True</i> was that the struggle I was having was partly based on the fact that I wasn't making the connections that her contemporaries would have been making. In reading the endnotes to this story, I found that it was full of references to 18th and 19th century literature -- especially fairy tales. Since I know next to nothing about fairy tales and childhood literary characters of the time, I missed so much of this story. Just goes to show that the more we read, the more we know!
annadixon76's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
julianazure's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A collection of short stories. Some are better than others.
tt222's review
4.0
Disappearances -- 4 stars
The Old Nurse's Story -- 5 stars
The Squire's Story -- 3 stars
The Poor Clare -- 4 stars
The Doom of the Griffiths -- 4 stars
Lois the Witch -- 4 stars
The Crooked Branch
Curious, If True -- 3 stars
The Grey Woman
The Old Nurse's Story -- 5 stars
The Squire's Story -- 3 stars
The Poor Clare -- 4 stars
The Doom of the Griffiths -- 4 stars
Lois the Witch -- 4 stars
The Crooked Branch
Curious, If True -- 3 stars
The Grey Woman
thespiritoftheage's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
fearandtrembling's review
3.0
Stories of dread, menace, and the quotidian terror of patriarchy. A 3-star rating feels unfair, but it's only because it's a collection of stories, and some are simply better than others. Yet I think anyone who's read Gaskell before and knows of the ways in which she can pull a reader in will find lots here to think about and take pleasure in.
martha_g's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0