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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
The first tale The Old Nurse's Story was chilling and blood-freezing, it reminded me very strongly of Emily Bronte's writing style. The short ghost story told to children by their nurse conjured up such a vivid image of little faces staring eagerly at the narrator around the fire!
The second, Curious If True, was enchanting and ethereal in way of Alice In Wonderland, I loved the slow revelation of which characters were which fairy tale protagonists and the question at the end of "was it a dream?" though cliche, is marvellously done.
The second, Curious If True, was enchanting and ethereal in way of Alice In Wonderland, I loved the slow revelation of which characters were which fairy tale protagonists and the question at the end of "was it a dream?" though cliche, is marvellously done.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
"He was mad after music, and would pay any money for it. So he got this foreigner to come; who made such beautiful music, that they said the very birds on the trees stopped their singing to listen."
This is an odd little book, and I'm still not sure why the two short stories it encompasses were paired together. The first is decent enough; it's a little lackluster compared to modern horror, but it has a solid pace, good characters, a great building and tension, and while it's far from terrifying it's got some creep. The second, however, is interesting enough until it's ruined by the ending, but is not in any way, shape, or form a scary story. It's not even mildly creepy. I wanted a quick, dark, spooky read, and I got that a bit from the first story but not at all from the second.
I'd give this a lower rating based on my personal enjoyment, particularly given how disappointed I was by the second tale, but I'm trying to balance that against how it would've been perceived at the time. Maybe the stories would've seemed a lot more scary and original, and I don't want to do them or the author too much of a disservice by judging them by modern standards. However, while I've not read too much classic gothic fiction, what I have read I enjoyed much more and found much creepier than these short stories.
This is an odd little book, and I'm still not sure why the two short stories it encompasses were paired together. The first is decent enough; it's a little lackluster compared to modern horror, but it has a solid pace, good characters, a great building and tension, and while it's far from terrifying it's got some creep. The second, however, is interesting enough until it's ruined by the ending, but is not in any way, shape, or form a scary story. It's not even mildly creepy. I wanted a quick, dark, spooky read, and I got that a bit from the first story but not at all from the second.
I'd give this a lower rating based on my personal enjoyment, particularly given how disappointed I was by the second tale, but I'm trying to balance that against how it would've been perceived at the time. Maybe the stories would've seemed a lot more scary and original, and I don't want to do them or the author too much of a disservice by judging them by modern standards. However, while I've not read too much classic gothic fiction, what I have read I enjoyed much more and found much creepier than these short stories.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes