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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Emily is a very bland heroine. She rarely effects any actions, things just keep happening to her, and she reacts with tears. It's hard to like her.
The story actually goes through 2 gothic mansions, one of which is the Castle of Udolpho, and while they are both described in wonderful and intriguing ways, they end up being rather underused for all that potential. Emily shows no interest in the explorationor either, something that could have helped her in quite a few occasions. Exploration of left to Blanche, who shines in a single chapter. Most of the time Udolpho, Emily just suffers senseless cruelty, and keeps herself shut in her room. Then, when she manages to go to the other mansion, where she is a friend of the family and very well treated, she does nearly the same thing, apart from asking a few questions about old history.
But the romantic plot is what annoys me the most. Her lover proves to be full of vices, the same as the man who treated her so cruelly in Udolpho. And yet, she loves him. She has a few properties which she wants to deliver into the hands of a gambler, even though her friends advise her against it! Oh, the frustration.
The one point I found very interesting was the plot of Ludovico and Annette, which I thought the author had dropped altogether for a while, but came back to the picture in time to star in a most intriguing event in the chateau. If only Emily was half as enterprising, curious or interesting as either them or even Dorotheè...
The story actually goes through 2 gothic mansions, one of which is the Castle of Udolpho, and while they are both described in wonderful and intriguing ways, they end up being rather underused for all that potential. Emily shows no interest in the explorationor either, something that could have helped her in quite a few occasions. Exploration of left to Blanche, who shines in a single chapter. Most of the time Udolpho, Emily just suffers senseless cruelty, and keeps herself shut in her room. Then, when she manages to go to the other mansion, where she is a friend of the family and very well treated, she does nearly the same thing, apart from asking a few questions about old history.
But the romantic plot is what annoys me the most. Her lover proves to be full of vices, the same as the man who treated her so cruelly in Udolpho. And yet, she loves him. She has a few properties which she wants to deliver into the hands of a gambler, even though her friends advise her against it! Oh, the frustration.
The one point I found very interesting was the plot of Ludovico and Annette, which I thought the author had dropped altogether for a while, but came back to the picture in time to star in a most intriguing event in the chateau. If only Emily was half as enterprising, curious or interesting as either them or even Dorotheè...
A generous 3 stars, but it could have been 300 pages shorter.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I absolutely loved Ann Radcliffe’s writing style. For a novel written in the 1700s, her prose feels remarkably modern, clear, and easy to follow. Set in the late 1500s, The Mysteries of Udolpho is packed with gothic intrigue, from eerie ghosts to deadly poison and atmospheric castles. I’m so glad I finally picked this up—it’s a true classic of the genre!
You’ve heard of gothic excess, now get ready for excessive gothic (someone faints on every page, at least one ghost/specter per capita, a record high of 22 commas in a single sentence)
I know it’s “of a time” but you would think every woman became faint at the mere mention of literally ANYTHING, and that people went around composing poetry all the time. I really did enjoy the story itself but it could have used a very severe editor. Glad i read it though - it’s probably more of a 2 1/2 stars than 2.
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
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
This was the disappointment of the year. I decided to read it because of the references in Northanger Abbey, but it was so boring that I nearly gave up on it. In fact, I'd definitely have abandoned it if it hadn't been a chapter-a-day buddy read. It's also very telling that the first thing I did every time I picked up the book was check how long the chapter for that day was, and whenever it was more than 3 pages, I felt immensely sorry for myself.
I didn't care about the characters, I was annoyed by the constant weeping, fainting and melodrama. Most of the problems could've been solved if they just talked honestly to one another. And don't even get me started about what was behind that veil. The whole story was just ridiculous.
I didn't care about the characters, I was annoyed by the constant weeping, fainting and melodrama. Most of the problems could've been solved if they just talked honestly to one another. And don't even get me started about what was behind that veil. The whole story was just ridiculous.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I tried, I really did. But I couldn't stand the main character, and found the entire thing incredibly overwrought and sentimental, even for a gothic work.