What do you think?
Copsi Castle
Under the towers of Copsi Castle...a tale of brooding terror & romance unfolds -- a tale of history and love and hot perversity. The castle boasted 750 years of ancestors and now this -- the prayed-for-heir is a family curse.
Sir Harald would do anything to insure an heir for Copsi Castle -- even tolerate the wedding of his uncontrollably violent and insane son, Magnus, to the sixteen-year-old beauty Hannah.
Under the lash of a riding crop, the dance of death begins. Where it will end, nobody knows, for Copsi Castle never gives up its secrets...
Sir Harald would do anything to insure an heir for Copsi Castle -- even tolerate the wedding of his uncontrollably violent and insane son, Magnus, to the sixteen-year-old beauty Hannah.
Under the lash of a riding crop, the dance of death begins. Where it will end, nobody knows, for Copsi Castle never gives up its secrets...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 27, 2010
Cover blurb: Under the towers of Copsi Castle...a tale of brooding terror & romance unfolds -- a tale of history and love and hot perversity. The castle boasted 750 years of ancestors and now this -- the prayed-for-heir is a family curse.
Sir Harald would do anything to insure an heir for Copsi Castle -- even tolerate the wedding of his uncontrollably violent and insane son, Magnus, to the sixteen-year-old beauty Hannah.
Under the lash of a riding crop, the dance of death begins. Where it will end, nobody knows, for Copsi Castle never gives up its secrets...
Sounds exciting, right?
Well, it isn't. While accurate in basic plot, the blurb leads to disappointment; there's no romance, nor is there "hot perversity." Actually, there's very little anything in this book. The gothic aura is distant & dull, especially considering what should be a brooding, gloomy, & dangerous plot. The violence is so veiled it's hardly described, & the plot staggers with long passages describing one day versus weeks blurred over a single page. Meanwhile, the tone has an awkward cadence...not to mention an extreme phobia of italicized thought-bubbles, which wouldn't be nearly so irksome if the text didn't head-hop from one character to another.
...And oh, what characters. For lo, they should be romantic, grotesque, infuriating -- even all-out loathing is preferable to no connection at all. But the only semi-dynamic personages are Bolsover (the former pugilist hired to guard Magnus), Bertie (the spinster sister who disappears for long stretches), & Juliet (Magnus' mother, who died after the first twenty pages). Everyone else is bland as elevator musak...with the exception of Jerry, the sort-of hero, who is worse than elevator musak. Truly, Jerry is one of the least reactive heroes I've ever read in ANY genre. He makes Tuppy Glossop look like Iron Man. This wandering man-of-all-work is suddenly in love with Hannah after one partially-drunken kiss...promises to protect her if ever she needs it...and then does nothing else. The rest of his (blessedly few) appearances are spent mooning over her fate & drinking in the dark corner of a pub, except for the single time he bestirs himself to visit Copsi -- but not until several days after a dangerous situation has already been handled. Wow. Be still, my heart. For all his professions of hardiness, I have no doubt this fellow would have his ass kicked by anyone with a pulse -- including Tuppy Glossop.
Alas, this book deserves that most dreaded of labels: BORING.
Sir Harald would do anything to insure an heir for Copsi Castle -- even tolerate the wedding of his uncontrollably violent and insane son, Magnus, to the sixteen-year-old beauty Hannah.
Under the lash of a riding crop, the dance of death begins. Where it will end, nobody knows, for Copsi Castle never gives up its secrets...
Sounds exciting, right?
Well, it isn't. While accurate in basic plot, the blurb leads to disappointment; there's no romance, nor is there "hot perversity." Actually, there's very little anything in this book. The gothic aura is distant & dull, especially considering what should be a brooding, gloomy, & dangerous plot. The violence is so veiled it's hardly described, & the plot staggers with long passages describing one day versus weeks blurred over a single page. Meanwhile, the tone has an awkward cadence...not to mention an extreme phobia of italicized thought-bubbles, which wouldn't be nearly so irksome if the text didn't head-hop from one character to another.
...And oh, what characters. For lo, they should be romantic, grotesque, infuriating -- even all-out loathing is preferable to no connection at all. But the only semi-dynamic personages are Bolsover (the former pugilist hired to guard Magnus), Bertie (the spinster sister who disappears for long stretches), & Juliet (Magnus' mother, who died after the first twenty pages). Everyone else is bland as elevator musak...with the exception of Jerry, the sort-of hero, who is worse than elevator musak. Truly, Jerry is one of the least reactive heroes I've ever read in ANY genre. He makes Tuppy Glossop look like Iron Man. This wandering man-of-all-work is suddenly in love with Hannah after one partially-drunken kiss...promises to protect her if ever she needs it...and then does nothing else. The rest of his (blessedly few) appearances are spent mooning over her fate & drinking in the dark corner of a pub, except for the single time he bestirs himself to visit Copsi -- but not until several days after a dangerous situation has already been handled. Wow. Be still, my heart. For all his professions of hardiness, I have no doubt this fellow would have his ass kicked by anyone with a pulse -- including Tuppy Glossop.
Alas, this book deserves that most dreaded of labels: BORING.
June 22, 2026
So many layers to this story. Keeps you alert throughout. Intriguing and never knowing what comes next.
Read
April 6, 2016This one I only got about 20 pages in. It's a pseudonym written novel for a reason. This is Norah Lofts doing what was considered "romance" tale writing. It was written in 1979 at the end of her life and it's not up to her standard. Not even for the marriage tale. Today it would be used for a one of those Spanish channel soap operas in which drinks get thrown in faces or whips or knives appear on a twice monthly basis. The nasty is similar to a cartoon comics baddie, like the Joker. So glad she knew enough to know NOT to use her own name.
April 27, 2009
Hmmm another Norah Lofts I am not impressed with. I have one more by her to read, and if I don't like that one, I won't check out anymore...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews