A review by nellym27
At Chrighton Abbey and Other Horror Stories by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
4.0
It’s so hard to review a short story collection as my feelings always differs so strongly from one story to the next.
(All my individual story reviews were made as I was reading and are in my activity log*.) At first, I felt quite underwhelmed and disappointed by this short story collection - one I was very excited by as I love Braddon and didn’t know she had any stories in print that I hadn’t read. However, having finished on a story I loved, I’m giving it a generous 4 stars (it really deserves a 3.5.)
My favourite stories were Good Lady Duncayne* and The Shadow in the Corner (both 4/4.5 stars), both of which used poor female protagonists as a way to make comment on the way that these kind of characters were dismissed and taken advantage of in Victorian society whilst also creating growing unease from the very start of the stories. Perhaps what makes these two stories so successful is that the characters are so hopeful and vulnerable, making the reader warm to them. The evil in both stories seems absolute, and science plays a large role in both. Though, luckily one is much happier than the other.
Evelines visitant -3.5 stars
At Crighton Abbey - 3 stars
A Cold Embrace - 3 stars
Overall, Braddon is just a great writer and if you like her other stuff you’ll like this.
(*It turns out my review for Good Lady Duncayne wasn’t saved in my activity log so I’m pasting it here) Good Lady Duncayne: I really enjoyed this. There was a growing sense of dread from the beginning of the story and a clever twist in the vampire myth.
Again, I thought Braddon used the protagonist of a young, poor woman as a way to talk about how much they could be taken advantage of in Victorian society.
(All my individual story reviews were made as I was reading and are in my activity log*.) At first, I felt quite underwhelmed and disappointed by this short story collection - one I was very excited by as I love Braddon and didn’t know she had any stories in print that I hadn’t read. However, having finished on a story I loved, I’m giving it a generous 4 stars (it really deserves a 3.5.)
My favourite stories were Good Lady Duncayne* and The Shadow in the Corner (both 4/4.5 stars), both of which used poor female protagonists as a way to make comment on the way that these kind of characters were dismissed and taken advantage of in Victorian society whilst also creating growing unease from the very start of the stories. Perhaps what makes these two stories so successful is that the characters are so hopeful and vulnerable, making the reader warm to them. The evil in both stories seems absolute, and science plays a large role in both. Though, luckily one is much happier than the other.
Evelines visitant -3.5 stars
At Crighton Abbey - 3 stars
A Cold Embrace - 3 stars
Overall, Braddon is just a great writer and if you like her other stuff you’ll like this.
(*It turns out my review for Good Lady Duncayne wasn’t saved in my activity log so I’m pasting it here) Good Lady Duncayne: I really enjoyed this. There was a growing sense of dread from the beginning of the story and a clever twist in the vampire myth.
Again, I thought Braddon used the protagonist of a young, poor woman as a way to talk about how much they could be taken advantage of in Victorian society.