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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
The Old Nurse's Story - 5 stars
Exactly what I expect Victorian gothic story to be like! Creeepyyy (and really sad too).
Curious, if True - 3 stars
Meh. This wasn't as good, struggled through and didn't really get the point in the end. He had fallen asleep and it was all a dream? I really don't like those type of endings...
Exactly what I expect Victorian gothic story to be like! Creeepyyy (and really sad too).
Curious, if True - 3 stars
Meh. This wasn't as good, struggled through and didn't really get the point in the end.
Read full review at: http://thereadingarmchair.blogspot.gr/2015/05/mini-reviews-beautiful-cassandra-old.html
In both of those stories, Gaskell proves of how nicely she can write. The Old Nurse's Story is a ghost tale. The atmosphere it builds is magnificent. You come to care about little Miss Rosamond and until the end you are anxious to find out if the nurse was able to protect her from the ghostly child. Curious, if True is an equally eerie story. A man comes upon a strange party while lost in the woods, where fairy tale characters have gathered. But this isn't obvious from the beginning and as the hints become more frequent, the amazement is great. I would say that it did have an Alice's Adventures in Wonderland feel to it.
In both of those stories, Gaskell proves of how nicely she can write. The Old Nurse's Story is a ghost tale. The atmosphere it builds is magnificent. You come to care about little Miss Rosamond and until the end you are anxious to find out if the nurse was able to protect her from the ghostly child. Curious, if True is an equally eerie story. A man comes upon a strange party while lost in the woods, where fairy tale characters have gathered. But this isn't obvious from the beginning and as the hints become more frequent, the amazement is great. I would say that it did have an Alice's Adventures in Wonderland feel to it.
mysterious
fast-paced
The book starts a little slow & the introduction to characters was bewildering, but once you learn the characters & plot it is quite creepy. Horrors of phantom children bewitching the living, the hesitancy to tell the story of the macabre manor, all led to a deliciously terrifying story.
**** stars
**** stars
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such a fun spooky classic! I wonder if The Haunting of Bly Manor was partly inspired by this.
I listened to Natalie Chisholm's rendition on Spotify while reading, which I strongly recommend if you want to be completely drawn in.
I listened to Natalie Chisholm's rendition on Spotify while reading, which I strongly recommend if you want to be completely drawn in.
If you're looking for a spine-chilling Victorian ghost story you need look no further than this little black classic. Gaskell manages to spin a gripping tale that feels much, much longer than its thirty pages in The Old Nurse's Story.
As soon as you pick this up you're transported back to the 19th century. You're sat in front of Hester, the old nurse, with the other children she's relating this tale to. You're hooked from the get go, as you know there's more to what she's saying than she's letting on.
Gaskell perfectly captures the essence of her time in this little story. The writing is meandering and just on the side of overly descriptive, there's a preoccupation with class and status, and no one is comfortable enough to outright say what everyone is thinking: this house is haunted.
Don't be scared by the fact that this is a classic. Be scared that it's a hauntingly good story.
As soon as you pick this up you're transported back to the 19th century. You're sat in front of Hester, the old nurse, with the other children she's relating this tale to. You're hooked from the get go, as you know there's more to what she's saying than she's letting on.
Gaskell perfectly captures the essence of her time in this little story. The writing is meandering and just on the side of overly descriptive, there's a preoccupation with class and status, and no one is comfortable enough to outright say what everyone is thinking: this house is haunted.
Don't be scared by the fact that this is a classic. Be scared that it's a hauntingly good story.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyed the gothic literature of the first story. I couldn't here cared less about the second story.