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mercyp's review against another edition
3.0
how is this man still alive ??? He should have died like 10 times wtf
mossgoblins's review against another edition
I just hated the prose, plot, and characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, Animal death, Miscarriage, Death, and Gun violence
izzyw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
1.5
paulcowdell's review
3.0
A day after finishing I might be revising my rating - not a vast amount (3.5, say), but for a not altogether satisfying book it's still with me. I didn't like it as much as Wieland, but there's definitely something here. (And it isn't just the absolutely excellent character name Clithero Edny).
One of the most pleasing things in Brockden Brown is his determination to forge a distinctly American Gothic. He cheats slightly in one of the story strands, which has some rather Italian-sounding rooms in Dublin, but the attempt to supplant mittelEuropäische landscape grandeur with American deserts and mountains is intriguing.
Brockden Brown was also determinedly opposed to the supernaturalism of Gothic fiction, so here (as in Wieland) there's a rationalist argument that somewhat undermines the mood he's aiming to create, even though that also leads to the elaborate description of one character's motivations and story being deflated rather abruptly.
Mostly, though, I liked it precisely because it just doesn't quite hang together: one story is wrapped up in such a way as to make it almost a McGuffin, which is intriguing, there are teasing plot lacunae which he doesn't really resolve well (the resolution works, it's just not very good) ...
I like the gaps in it, to be honest, but they're not going to appeal to everyone.
One of the most pleasing things in Brockden Brown is his determination to forge a distinctly American Gothic. He cheats slightly in one of the story strands, which has some rather Italian-sounding rooms in Dublin, but the attempt to supplant mittelEuropäische landscape grandeur with American deserts and mountains is intriguing.
Brockden Brown was also determinedly opposed to the supernaturalism of Gothic fiction, so here (as in Wieland) there's a rationalist argument that somewhat undermines the mood he's aiming to create, even though that also leads to the elaborate description of one character's motivations and story being deflated rather abruptly.
Mostly, though, I liked it precisely because it just doesn't quite hang together: one story is wrapped up in such a way as to make it almost a McGuffin, which is intriguing, there are teasing plot lacunae which he doesn't really resolve well (the resolution works, it's just not very good) ...
I like the gaps in it, to be honest, but they're not going to appeal to everyone.
katy7648's review against another edition
3.0
i think this is arguably one of the most batshit insane books i’ve ever read, and it’s only because of the last quarter or so of the book. i read it for an american lit class.
adunnells's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
eab7680's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
tiniestmite's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
thesydda's review against another edition
4.0
I loved it! It does take some getting used to the writing style, but is totally worth it. I had to write a conference paper on it, and the argument I made, that Edgar had multiple personalities, certainly made the story more interesting.
Outside of an English class, I'm not certain how successful this story would be.
Outside of an English class, I'm not certain how successful this story would be.