Reviews

It's a classic, and a worthy enough one. While it lacks any definable plot it does examine a lost period in Irish history as the aristocracy faced the 19th century. There is uncertainty in hiberno-british relations, the old plantations cannot sustain the spending of their inheritors and the class structure is changing regardless. These are the stories of people who were neither truly Irish nor English.
It's a fascinating period.

dajna's review against another edition

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2.0

Castle Rackrent is often regarded as the first historical novel, the first regional novel in English, the first Anglo-Irish novel, the first Big House novel and the first saga novel.

Thank God such novels evolded fast from such a first step. I didn't enjoyed it at all

rachelnvk22's review against another edition

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informative 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

3.0

nuska's review against another edition

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2.0

A brief novel about four Rackrent descendants. Narrated by their steward. It shows how the English landlords mismanaged their states. It's a satirical vision from a narrator who is beneficed by all this inability in the figure of his own son.

benababy85's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It was a really interesting insight into the Irish people's attitude to English landlords

siria's review against another edition

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3.0

[book: Castle Rackrent] is probably only of interest to students of Irish history; as bitterly funny and infuriating as I found it, the layers of meaning, the references, and certainly the dialect used must be quite inaccessible to anyone not familiar with the circumstances in which Edgeworth was writing. If you are interested in the time period, though, it's a very interesting read. Though god, the colonialism and imperialism—there's no way of avoiding the fact that Edgeworth was part of the Ascendancy.

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