The Mysteries of Udolpho

I absolutely fell in love with this book. The prose and use of the english language is breathtaking. It's a long novel (but those are my favourite kind) but it kept me up into the wee hours to see what would happen next. I have read it many many times, I can just choose a paragraph at radom and fall into her lyrical writing. The ultimate gothic. READ IT! I love the picture on the cover of this Dover edition!

On one level, this novel defies categorisation. Yes, the Gothic web of mystery and intrigue is obvious. And so too are the beautiful descriptions of nature, the struggle between good and evil, the noble acts of heroism and the ignoble acts of greed. Anne Radcliffe has taken all of these components and distilled an imaginative creation that still, some 213 years after publication, catches the imagination of the reader. ... Read Full Review

This is a true late eighteenth century book in the sense that it has a leisurely (very leisurely) opening, a great deal of waxing eloquent on the beauties of nature--which are well written, but so frequent that one becomes inured to them--and enough pages to fill up the four volumes that the book originally was published as (over 600 of them). But there's more--castles, and dungeons and darkness, Oh my! In true Gothic fashion,... Read Full Review

This book was one of the most popular of the late 18th century when it was published, and has never ceased to be in print...and it's no wonder why! This piece of literature is SHEER BRILLIANCE; Ann Radcliffe's writing style is unsurpassed; she cleverly spins a yarn of terrifying proportions, while delighting readers with her majestic discourse on nature. If you're looking for a "page-turner," you've certainly found one... Read Full Review

I fear I don't have the words to fully explain just how important, enjoyable, and breath-taking this novel is to me; The Mysteries of Udolpho is simply one of the greatest written works ever produced. While this is a Gothic novel, arguably the greatest Gothic novel ever written, it is so much more than that. "Gothic" denotes dark castles, spectral haunts, dastardly deeds performed by cruel, mysterious men--certainly these... Read Full Review