Reviews

Castle Rackrent (1800): Novel by Maria Edgeworth

ezpz's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.5

shinysarah28's review against another edition

Couldn’t get into it properly. Perhaps read too close to The Absentee

_jessica_08_'s review against another edition

adventurous informative lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.0

swaggieob's review against another edition

2.0

meh

ang_elica's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

2.0

ed_moore's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

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

1.75

Edgeworth’s ‘Castle Rackrent’ is a telling of the history of the Rackrent family by their loyal servant Thady Quirk. It has a focus on preserving Irish independence and legacy by discussing the noble families history and affairs, in the name of placing the Irish man on a pedestal. It was emphasised that the editor of the fictional chronicle could’ve glamourised the history further, though chose not to to preserve true history (though the Rackrent’s are fictional anyhow). In how mundane Edgeworth made the history, I would argue it wasn’t a chronicle in desperate need of telling for whilst there are key events and points of note they weren’t written in the most engaging of ways and really the only defining factors of the noble family were debt and alcoholism, with sprinkles of anti-semitism too. Overall I don’t believe the initial premise was particularly great, and Edgeworth’s writing failed to do much to enhance it. 

becmcgrath's review against another edition

3.0

✔ POPSUGAR reading challenge: A Book with an Ugly Cover ✔
Now, this book was read for class....but it does have an ugly cover, so it counts, yes?

lu2cy_i's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

balletbookworm's review against another edition

3.0

What a strange, short novel about four generations of Castle Rackrent inhabitants and how singularly terrible they are to their tenants (as so many gentry were, whether in Ireland or in England). It is meant to be satirical, and most of it is quite funny with all the 18th century Irish customs as told through the eyes of Thady Quirk, the caretaker? (I'm not sure what his role is exactly, although his son managed to come up in the world through brains, let me tell you) but some of it is so sad, when the estate tenants are abused and treated as little better than slaves.

c_totume's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

pretty random but funny