Scan barcode
alba_marie's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
You sound like a heroine. Now, let's see of you can suffer like one.
I want it written on my tombstone "She hast read The Mysteries of Udolpho and hast not fainted despite O! the terror contained in its pages. "
Ha. 15 year old me would have been SUPER into Ann Radcliffe, I'm just reading in almost two decades too late
This was one BIG book. Nearly 700 pages (full of tiny tiny words) written in 18th century style, it’s no surprise it took me almost 3 months!
Did I enjoy it? I’m not sure. I’m proud of myself, certainly. Ann Radcliffe is the mother of Gothic fiction and I’ve been meaning to read her since high school. Only took closing in on 2 decades, but I got there. I’m glad I read it in in the end but I would not recommend it, if I’m honest. Not unless you:
A) Have a death wish or,
B) Absolutely love gothic books
The book is long and rambling. The titular Udolpho takes over 100 pages to show up. Radcliffe spends a looong time sending us around France and Italy, giving us detailed description of travelling in that era through the Pyrenees and other remote places - full of many anachcronisms but without Wikipedia, you can’t expect her to et it all right.
Radcliffe is not the kind of writer that gets to the point. She tells her story from many POVs, creates a number of extraneous characters and side stories and red herrings and she writes pages and pages of atmosphere.
The story is hard to summarise, but essentially Emily, the heroine, who faints A LOT (like ALL THE Time. She also trembles a lot and is assailed by feeling and emotion constantly), meets a knight while travelling with her dad, and after her dad dies, she falls in love with the knight, she is sent to live with her narcissistic aunt who is tricked into marriage by the book’s villain, Montoni, and they both are sent to live in the rambling castle in Italy where Emily pines A LOT, faints a good bit, and spends plenty of time wandering around stumbling across mysteries, bodies, ghosts, stories about dead or missing wives, and more. Aunt dies, villain tries to take Emily’s now-inherited lands, she escapes (like, SUPER easily), and then there’s so more running around in forests and wnatnot, sneaking back in and out and in, and eventually to a random convent where some more stuff happens, she learns some bad news about her lover but eventually all is well. The end.
WHEW. That’s a lot. And so much of it unnecessary! 200-300 pages could have been cut out and STILL had a plenty twisty gothic romance. I guess that’s what the Isabella Thorpe-type readers wanted at the time, and what Jane Austen famously mocked, but STILL. What!!
Emily is a miss goody two shoes. She faints a lot, she is too demeure, and she is easily persuaded by others even when it comes to her own heart.
Montoni is a two-dimensial villain that could have been WAY more interesting if he were more well-rounded like a well-written more modern baddie. (Pet peeve is to have 2D villains and all you do is hate them. Morally grey is THE way to go to keep it interesting!)
Vallencourt, the lover, has a bit more fullness to him as he’s got his darker past which contrasts with his fancy, nice-dude facade.
There are many, many other side characters but too many to list and they come and go too much.
The setting was great - the travelogue part was WAY too long but really did transport you there! It was very atmospheric and felt very mediaval romance and all - and I was happy to see at least a LITTLE bit of depth in the romance, and a little bit of will-they-won’t-they, and she even had me doubting the lover a few times going, wait IS he a good guy?
Anyway this was a crazy book but I’m glad I read it in the end…
I want it written on my tombstone "She hast read The Mysteries of Udolpho and hast not fainted despite O! the terror contained in its pages. "
Ha. 15 year old me would have been SUPER into Ann Radcliffe, I'm just reading in almost two decades too late
This was one BIG book. Nearly 700 pages (full of tiny tiny words) written in 18th century style, it’s no surprise it took me almost 3 months!
Did I enjoy it? I’m not sure. I’m proud of myself, certainly. Ann Radcliffe is the mother of Gothic fiction and I’ve been meaning to read her since high school. Only took closing in on 2 decades, but I got there. I’m glad I read it in in the end but I would not recommend it, if I’m honest. Not unless you:
A) Have a death wish or,
B) Absolutely love gothic books
The book is long and rambling. The titular Udolpho takes over 100 pages to show up. Radcliffe spends a looong time sending us around France and Italy, giving us detailed description of travelling in that era through the Pyrenees and other remote places - full of many anachcronisms but without Wikipedia, you can’t expect her to et it all right.
Radcliffe is not the kind of writer that gets to the point. She tells her story from many POVs, creates a number of extraneous characters and side stories and red herrings and she writes pages and pages of atmosphere.
The story is hard to summarise, but essentially Emily, the heroine, who faints A LOT (like ALL THE Time. She also trembles a lot and is assailed by feeling and emotion constantly), meets a knight while travelling with her dad, and after her dad dies, she falls in love with the knight, she is sent to live with her narcissistic aunt who is tricked into marriage by the book’s villain, Montoni, and they both are sent to live in the rambling castle in Italy where Emily pines A LOT, faints a good bit, and spends plenty of time wandering around stumbling across mysteries, bodies, ghosts, stories about dead or missing wives, and more. Aunt dies, villain tries to take Emily’s now-inherited lands, she escapes (like, SUPER easily), and then there’s so more running around in forests and wnatnot, sneaking back in and out and in, and eventually to a random convent where some more stuff happens, she learns some bad news about her lover but eventually all is well. The end.
WHEW. That’s a lot. And so much of it unnecessary! 200-300 pages could have been cut out and STILL had a plenty twisty gothic romance. I guess that’s what the Isabella Thorpe-type readers wanted at the time, and what Jane Austen famously mocked, but STILL. What!!
Emily is a miss goody two shoes. She faints a lot, she is too demeure, and she is easily persuaded by others even when it comes to her own heart.
Montoni is a two-dimensial villain that could have been WAY more interesting if he were more well-rounded like a well-written more modern baddie. (Pet peeve is to have 2D villains and all you do is hate them. Morally grey is THE way to go to keep it interesting!)
Vallencourt, the lover, has a bit more fullness to him as he’s got his darker past which contrasts with his fancy, nice-dude facade.
There are many, many other side characters but too many to list and they come and go too much.
The setting was great - the travelogue part was WAY too long but really did transport you there! It was very atmospheric and felt very mediaval romance and all - and I was happy to see at least a LITTLE bit of depth in the romance, and a little bit of will-they-won’t-they, and she even had me doubting the lover a few times going, wait IS he a good guy?
Anyway this was a crazy book but I’m glad I read it in the end…
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
readwithbells's review against another edition
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
1st Read: 4.0⭐️
What a wild ride of a novel that basically just ends up being a Scooby Doo story with the thesis that men suck and it’s really hard to be a woman in the 18th century. Quite enjoyed the author straight up telling us in no uncertain terms how we should feel and to be happy when she eventually gives us information. A LONG LONG LONGGGGG ride especially if you don’t read classics but oh man, Ann Radcliffe’s wit and style and opinions are some of the funniest and best I’ve ever seen. I had an absolute BALL reading this book. Enjoy at the peril of losing 2+ weeks of your life.
2nd Read: 4.75⭐️
I really love this book. Something about it is so engaging, I get so wrapped up in the landscape and the descriptions and Emily’s peril. On this read-through, I was analyzing it more closely through class and I think that added to my enjoyment of the piece a lot. Emily’s psychological state as matching the landscape, the politics and context, re-discovering Madame Cheron as possibly a new favourite character?? All really contributed to more enjoyment of the piece. My only gripe is in the relationship with Valancourt - he kind of sucks first off, but aside from the stalker gaslighting, the miscommunication trope is basically their entire relationship and does kind of get annoying. Otherwise though I think it’s pretty much a perfect book and a really interesting snapshot of French Revolution commentary.
Read for Romantic Period Gothics class.
What a wild ride of a novel that basically just ends up being a Scooby Doo story with the thesis that men suck and it’s really hard to be a woman in the 18th century. Quite enjoyed the author straight up telling us in no uncertain terms how we should feel and to be happy when she eventually gives us information. A LONG LONG LONGGGGG ride especially if you don’t read classics but oh man, Ann Radcliffe’s wit and style and opinions are some of the funniest and best I’ve ever seen. I had an absolute BALL reading this book. Enjoy at the peril of losing 2+ weeks of your life.
2nd Read: 4.75⭐️
I really love this book. Something about it is so engaging, I get so wrapped up in the landscape and the descriptions and Emily’s peril. On this read-through, I was analyzing it more closely through class and I think that added to my enjoyment of the piece a lot. Emily’s psychological state as matching the landscape, the politics and context, re-discovering Madame Cheron as possibly a new favourite character?? All really contributed to more enjoyment of the piece. My only gripe is in the relationship with Valancourt - he kind of sucks first off, but aside from the stalker gaslighting, the miscommunication trope is basically their entire relationship and does kind of get annoying. Otherwise though I think it’s pretty much a perfect book and a really interesting snapshot of French Revolution commentary.
Read for Romantic Period Gothics class.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
More...