Two Envelopes And A Phone’s Reviews > The Mysteries of Udolpho > Status Update

Okay, Radcliffe…I’m onto you. I see your little game. Seriously, though - I have very much enjoyed this, and have no regrets about timing the last 80 or so pages for Halloween’s arrival. It has a shot at a 5-star rating from me, if the finale can make me lenient towards all the weeping and fainting, and all the mealy-mouthed natterings that defer helpful explanations until 50-100 pages later than needed. So Gothic!!

So, it looks like I will be finishing this on Oct. 31st, since I don’t think I can do 214 pages tomorrow. Maybe. But I doubt it. The print is small, the text is from 1794 and doesn’t exactly fly by, and I don’t want to annoy myself with pressure to rush things. Udolpho’s secrets do elude me, so I should be in for some surprising revelations. I have one hazy theory about something.

A mere 300 pages to go! I do like it, but it's long.

Emily, you’re a sweetheart, I love you - but you need to get a hatchet from Carlo, and - except for Carlo - hack your way through every male in the castle, and if necessary, hack every man blocking a path back to Valancourt. Being too submissive, good lady - I know it’s the 18th Century n’ all, but that’s as good a time as any to Atomic Blonde every one of these worthless jag-offs.

I had read her own book, The Italian, and stuff like Uncle Silas, not to mention Wieland - from around the same time, but from ‘across the Pond’ - so I knew I would probably be okay with this, once I stopped putting it off. And it’s great - really enjoying it. I would not want late 18th-Century Gothic on a regular basis…but a wonderful pick for the Halloween lead-up.