junelaurens's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so under-rated, it is almost criminal! Written in four volumes in the 1780s, this novel follows the story of Emmeline Mowbray, the eponymous 'Orphan of the Castle' as she negotiates life following the death of her maid/nurse (who had been her surrogate parent following the deaths of her parents). It is a blend of Jane Austen, the Brontes, and Ann Radcliffe - mixing together manners, man-trouble, a strong female lead character, and the Gothic in order to provide a commentary on 18th century marriage - I honestly don't know why this book is not in more general circulation. As publishers appear not to have produced a physical book which contains all four volumes in one text, I read this on my Fire. I really wish a physical copy existed though; this book is one of my favourites and deserves to be housed in one of my bookcases.
It's got everything a novel of this type should have: snobby, proud dynastic families, forbidding stately homes, men in desperate search for wives, duels, deaths ..... It is a drama in approx 500 pages which is very hard to put down. Emmeline the man-magnet, seems to attract every young man in the novel; some of these menfolk are right cads. There are instances of comedy too, and very obvious baddies. The action continues right up until the last page - just when you think you know how the novel will end, it spins off in another direction. One thing that did 'bug' me a bit was the coincidental appearance of characters, particularly in the section based in France, which detracted from the realism of the story a bit (to avoid spoilers, I won't refer to the characters I am meaning).
I'd recommend this to anyone who is an Austen/Brontes/Radcliffe/Thomas Hardy fan. It's a hidden treasure which deserves to be read more widely. And there is an equivalent of Mr Darcy...... need I say more?
It's got everything a novel of this type should have: snobby, proud dynastic families, forbidding stately homes, men in desperate search for wives, duels, deaths ..... It is a drama in approx 500 pages which is very hard to put down. Emmeline the man-magnet, seems to attract every young man in the novel; some of these menfolk are right cads. There are instances of comedy too, and very obvious baddies. The action continues right up until the last page - just when you think you know how the novel will end, it spins off in another direction. One thing that did 'bug' me a bit was the coincidental appearance of characters, particularly in the section based in France, which detracted from the realism of the story a bit (to avoid spoilers, I won't refer to the characters I am meaning).
I'd recommend this to anyone who is an Austen/Brontes/Radcliffe/Thomas Hardy fan. It's a hidden treasure which deserves to be read more widely. And there is an equivalent of Mr Darcy...... need I say more?
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