Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

1 review

bweeb's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

As a precursor to the gothic genre, or as the first gothic novel, you can indeed see the cultural influence it has had on the genre as a whole; from the suspense, terror, and horror, to the treatment of the divine, the gothic, and the supernatural, it is a masterpiece. In terms of plot, it is interesting, but at times does fall flat - whether it be the lack of description or excess of exposition, it feels dull or not fully fleshed-out. The fast-pace of the novel is often juxtaposed by long bouts of dialogue, but I would still consider it to be extremely fast-paced. As such, I found myself struggling to connect with characters. This being said, the pace certainly held the suspense throughout the novel, and was seldom diffused until the end of the novel and sometimes of the chapter. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, but it does not come without its flaws. A great read if you're interested in the gothic genre, but I would not necessarily call it the epitome of the gothic genre.

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