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sobertyger's review against another edition
3.0
An early entry into American gothic (published in 1799), Edgar Huntly or Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker is a strange and interesting read but could have benefited from extensive editing. I liked the story, but I was frequently confused by who was speaking and what exactly was going on.
verkisto's review against another edition
2.0
I added this book to my to-read list after reading The Monk, and seeing it mentioned in the foreword as another example of a Gothic novel. So, of course, I expected it to be, you know, Gothic. Instead, what I found was a book that had some Gothic leanings, but was mostly long-winded and rambling and took a long time to get to the point. I suppose I should grant it some leeway, since it was published in 1799, but The Monk was published just three years earlier, got to the point faster, and was a much easier read.
This book contains some of the most stilted language I've ever read.
In other words, "Dude, she doesn't like you." Again, yes, this is from 1799, not 2016, but again, The Monk didn't read like this. Did this guy get paid by the word or something?
The novel starts out with the narrator, Edgar, explaining who he is. Interminably. Then we get the next section, where he confronts the guy he saw digging under the tree, named Clithero.
(Vulgar side note: I kept reading this character's name with the break between the T and the H. It was ... somewhat distracting.)
In the next section, we get another interminable description of who Clithero is. Then we get some adventure, as Edgar pursues Clithero into a cave on one of his sleepwalking jaunts. There's some back-and-forth throughout, as Edgar has to keep returning home, and later Edgar finds himself in the caves, lost, in the darkness, and starving. The story picks up, and it's easier to manage Brown's melodramatic narrative, which takes us through to the end of the novel.
The thing is, between the time when he follows Clithero into the caves, and later finds himself lost in the same caves, he runs across a guy named Weymouth who says that Waldegrave was holding money for him. He has no proof of any of his claims, though the evidence supports it, and Edgar believes him.and wants to give him the money. I get the feeling Brown is trying to show Edgar as a generous, honorable character, but the interaction is random, and doesn't serve the story at all.
There are some redeeming features of the story: Edgar is an unreliable narrator, which adds a layer of interest; Native Americans are referred to by Edgar as "savages", when Edgar is the one who kills them; and it seems to be a parallel to life in early America after the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, the novel is a bit of a chore to read, it repeats itself quite a bit, and it takes too long to get going. It's certainly a book that's better suited for analysis than entertainment, which makes it an odd book to recommend to a casual reader. While I don't mind stories that engender analysis, what I look for in a novel above all is story, and the one in Edgar Huntly isn't sufficient enough to entertain.
This book contains some of the most stilted language I've ever read.
It was natural to suggest to my friend, when expatiating on this theme, an inquiry as to how far subsequent events had obliterated the impressions that were then made, and as to the plausibility of reviving, at this more auspicious period, his claims on the heart of his friend.
In other words, "Dude, she doesn't like you." Again, yes, this is from 1799, not 2016, but again, The Monk didn't read like this. Did this guy get paid by the word or something?
The novel starts out with the narrator, Edgar, explaining who he is. Interminably. Then we get the next section, where he confronts the guy he saw digging under the tree, named Clithero.
(Vulgar side note: I kept reading this character's name with the break between the T and the H. It was ... somewhat distracting.)
In the next section, we get another interminable description of who Clithero is. Then we get some adventure, as Edgar pursues Clithero into a cave on one of his sleepwalking jaunts. There's some back-and-forth throughout, as Edgar has to keep returning home, and later Edgar finds himself in the caves, lost, in the darkness, and starving. The story picks up, and it's easier to manage Brown's melodramatic narrative, which takes us through to the end of the novel.
The thing is, between the time when he follows Clithero into the caves, and later finds himself lost in the same caves, he runs across a guy named Weymouth who says that Waldegrave was holding money for him. He has no proof of any of his claims, though the evidence supports it, and Edgar believes him.and wants to give him the money. I get the feeling Brown is trying to show Edgar as a generous, honorable character, but the interaction is random, and doesn't serve the story at all.
There are some redeeming features of the story: Edgar is an unreliable narrator, which adds a layer of interest; Native Americans are referred to by Edgar as "savages", when Edgar is the one who kills them; and it seems to be a parallel to life in early America after the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, the novel is a bit of a chore to read, it repeats itself quite a bit, and it takes too long to get going. It's certainly a book that's better suited for analysis than entertainment, which makes it an odd book to recommend to a casual reader. While I don't mind stories that engender analysis, what I look for in a novel above all is story, and the one in Edgar Huntly isn't sufficient enough to entertain.
eviltidings's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shelbertcarr's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting introduction to the American Gothic genre. Will prove valuable to anyone trying to gain insight into the works of Poe and Hawthorne.
nikkigee81's review against another edition
2.0
Took forever to tell the story! The whole enterprise is fairly disjointed and meanders a lot.
withtheclassics's review against another edition
3.0
This story was a crazy ride. It is an American Gothic novel, and re-imagines European and English Gothic tropes for the late 18th century American landscape. Instead of bandits and crumbling castles, we get Indians and panthers.
On that note, be aware that the book's portrayal of Native Americans is very stereotypical/racist.
The blurbs for the book, both on the Penguin edition and here on Goodreads keep trying to make its theme some kind of "metaphor for the founding of a new nation," as the blurb on the book says. I disagree. What makes this interesting, and more of a 3.5 star rating, is the exploration of consciousness. The sleepwalking mentioned in the subtitle becomes an important plot point, and the book is very interested in the line between waking and dreaming, between sanity and madness, between primal instinct and rational action. If read with care, the seeming randomness of the plot starts to become more coherent, and yes, the main character fights a panther, but the novel also suggests some frightening things about the knife-thin line we all might balance between civilized behavior and madness.
On that note, be aware that the book's portrayal of Native Americans is very stereotypical/racist.
The blurbs for the book, both on the Penguin edition and here on Goodreads keep trying to make its theme some kind of "metaphor for the founding of a new nation," as the blurb on the book says. I disagree. What makes this interesting, and more of a 3.5 star rating, is the exploration of consciousness. The sleepwalking mentioned in the subtitle becomes an important plot point, and the book is very interested in the line between waking and dreaming, between sanity and madness, between primal instinct and rational action. If read with care, the seeming randomness of the plot starts to become more coherent, and yes, the main character fights a panther, but the novel also suggests some frightening things about the knife-thin line we all might balance between civilized behavior and madness.
emtobiasz's review against another edition
2.0
read in college for the Emergence of the American Novel. You can tell it was an early American novel, and (forgive me) Americans weren't very good at novels yet.