Scan barcode
forever_fantasy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
miklosha's review against another edition
4.0
Can be tedious at times, but is suspenseful and very gothic in tone.
bookslovejenna's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
arthurbdd's review against another edition
2.0
Mediocre, overlong sensation novel, with a protagonist largely defined by a total lack of survival instinct. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/better-than-the-passage-but-no-wilkie-collins/
lbrex's review against another edition
5.0
I've read Le Fanu's Carmilla and many other sensation novels, but I'm ashamed to admit that this is the first that I've read _Uncle Silas_. It's a compelling thriller that follows along in the tradition of Wilkie Collins's writing, most notably _The Woman in White_, and deals with the perils of Maud Ruthyn, a young woman first entrusted by her father to a shifty French governess, and later to her Uncle Silas, a strange roue who has taken up Christianity despite the fact he was accused of a brutal murder during his younger years.
The opening of the novel is decidedly odd, and for many pages we are perplexed by Maud's retrospective account of her early years, especially by the fact that she seems terrified of so many things, most of which aren't necessarily scary. In the last 2/3 of the novel, the tone shifts and the novel becomes increasingly desperate and claustrophobic. At this point, it's really hard to put down.
The novel is well plotted, though there are certainly multiple loose ends in the conclusion, which feels rushed. Le Fanu's descriptions make up for these plot problems, however. I loved Maud's evolving impressions of Uncle Silas, as well as her accounts of her feelings and sensations as her terror mounts near the end of the novel. Lovers of Gothic fiction should be sure to read this, and it's a significant contribution to the sensation novels of the 1860s. Those looking to begin some initial explorations of the sensation novel or Victorian Gothic might have better luck with Collins or Braddon.
The opening of the novel is decidedly odd, and for many pages we are perplexed by Maud's retrospective account of her early years, especially by the fact that she seems terrified of so many things, most of which aren't necessarily scary. In the last 2/3 of the novel, the tone shifts and the novel becomes increasingly desperate and claustrophobic. At this point, it's really hard to put down.
The novel is well plotted, though there are certainly multiple loose ends in the conclusion, which feels rushed. Le Fanu's descriptions make up for these plot problems, however. I loved Maud's evolving impressions of Uncle Silas, as well as her accounts of her feelings and sensations as her terror mounts near the end of the novel. Lovers of Gothic fiction should be sure to read this, and it's a significant contribution to the sensation novels of the 1860s. Those looking to begin some initial explorations of the sensation novel or Victorian Gothic might have better luck with Collins or Braddon.
pinkalpaca's review against another edition
5.0
A leisurely paced Gothic classic. Pastoral scenery, odd goings-on, witty banter, chilling atmosphere...this book really has a bit of everything! I think the writing is still very fresh almost 150 years later.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
When Maud Ruthyn's loving but remote father dies, she is placed in the "care" of her Uncle Silas. True to form, she has inherited quite a bit of property and money and if she dies before reaching her majority guess who gets to scoop the pot? Good ol' Uncle Silas. She's been put under the thumb of an intimidating and kindof nutty French governess and we learn that Silas has been involved in a previous mysterious death. He is a small menacing presence rather than a large, overbearing villain. The whole household under Silas, including his ghastly son, are on the weird and threatening side and Maud feels danger from nearly every direction. Fortunately, she makes a few steadfast friends among her father's household servants and a cousin Lady Knollys (Monica) who see her through the worst of her trials. She undergoes frights and threats and there is a final midnight attempt on her life which lends itself to explaining the earlier death.
Of course, Maud Ruthyn tells her story of Gothic horror from a place of safety, years later after she is married to the charming Lord Ilbury. Having her tell the story in the first person takes quite a bit of the suspense away. I mean, if Maud can tell us this story we know she survives her ordeal, right? I'm afraid that the suspense just didn't hold me as well as it might have done if this had been told from a different perspective and there had been any possibility of doubt about the outcome. Le Fanu did his best to give the reader proper Gothic shivers and (when one could forget who was telling the story) was fairly successful. An interesting Victorian thriller with an air of mystery and suspense, though for preference, I would take his shorter ghost stories over this longer novel.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Of course, Maud Ruthyn tells her story of Gothic horror from a place of safety, years later after she is married to the charming Lord Ilbury. Having her tell the story in the first person takes quite a bit of the suspense away. I mean, if Maud can tell us this story we know she survives her ordeal, right? I'm afraid that the suspense just didn't hold me as well as it might have done if this had been told from a different perspective and there had been any possibility of doubt about the outcome. Le Fanu did his best to give the reader proper Gothic shivers and (when one could forget who was telling the story) was fairly successful. An interesting Victorian thriller with an air of mystery and suspense, though for preference, I would take his shorter ghost stories over this longer novel.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
nebula402's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty straightforward gothic novel: spooky with lots of shady characters. Just not as good as I had hoped.
eleanorgking's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.0
kaliobooks's review against another edition
4.0
•Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu, 2000, Penguin Classics, originally published 1864
Young, naïve, and eager to please, Maud Ruthyn lives a very sheltered life--but she’s no stranger to horror, mystery, and suspense. She’s in awe of her aristocratic father, her manor home is secluded deep in the English countryside, and her lonely lifestyle has made her sensitive and superstitious. But it’s her new governess, Madame de la Rougierre, who really makes Maud nervous. Madame is a strange, freakish woman with a secretive past who delights in terrifying, bullying, and spying on Maud. Thanks in part to her one true ally, her cousin Lady Knollys, Maud is eventually freed from Madame’s tyranny—only to be plunged into an even darker and more disturbing life with her mysterious (and maybe murderous) Uncle Silas. The suspense builds as mysteries pile up and sinister forces surround Maud until she is little more than utterly helpless. Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) grew up in Ireland listening to folktales, myths and darkly Gothic tales. His early writings were ghost stories; he even wrote a chilling novella about a vampire, Carmilla. But to maximize his appeal to English audiences, Le Fanu toned it down and turned his penchant for horror into the sensational—with a touch of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. Uncle Silas’ unique blend of ghostly, Gothic, and Sensational styles makes it a suspenseful psychological thriller that’s way ahead of its time.
Young, naïve, and eager to please, Maud Ruthyn lives a very sheltered life--but she’s no stranger to horror, mystery, and suspense. She’s in awe of her aristocratic father, her manor home is secluded deep in the English countryside, and her lonely lifestyle has made her sensitive and superstitious. But it’s her new governess, Madame de la Rougierre, who really makes Maud nervous. Madame is a strange, freakish woman with a secretive past who delights in terrifying, bullying, and spying on Maud. Thanks in part to her one true ally, her cousin Lady Knollys, Maud is eventually freed from Madame’s tyranny—only to be plunged into an even darker and more disturbing life with her mysterious (and maybe murderous) Uncle Silas. The suspense builds as mysteries pile up and sinister forces surround Maud until she is little more than utterly helpless. Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) grew up in Ireland listening to folktales, myths and darkly Gothic tales. His early writings were ghost stories; he even wrote a chilling novella about a vampire, Carmilla. But to maximize his appeal to English audiences, Le Fanu toned it down and turned his penchant for horror into the sensational—with a touch of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. Uncle Silas’ unique blend of ghostly, Gothic, and Sensational styles makes it a suspenseful psychological thriller that’s way ahead of its time.