Book Description:
One of the most effective novels of terror ever written, this true Gothic mystery novel is considered by many to be the best of the period. It is not only wonderfully written, skillfully plotted, and peopled with interesting characters, it is incredibly frightening.

See reviews at Amazon.com.

This is also No. 870 on the 1001 books you must read before you die list.

Update - 11/20/2010: Finished reading this today. This is probably one of the prime examples of Victorian melodrama. To me, the novel kind of dragged but throughout the story there is a feeling of dread and foreboding. The heroine, Maud Ruthyn, has been placed in the care of the titular Uncle Silas, who has a dark past and may have committed a murder to resolve some of his debts. He is a former gambler and rogue not to mention an opium (laudanum) addict. Along with his son, Dudley, and the evil Madame De La Rougierre, it appears that Uncle Silas is plotting to get Maud's inherited riches. Or could Maud be imagining it all? This reminded me a lot of novels by the Brontës including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I would give this a mild recommendation but don't expect a fast paced novel like today's standards.

Bookray

Starting a bookray for this book. Please PM me if interested in joining. Bookray will remain open until last person has the book.

Participants so far:

. davemurray101 from Australia (International)
. cat207 from Australia (International)
. silvia-pco from Portugal (EU preferred)
. kizmiaz from Portugal (EU preferred)
. Duskdreamer from UK (International)<----Skip - no response
. ArabellaFigg from UK (International)
. Tsjara from Netherlands (EU preferred - International if needed - near end)
. bookowl1000 from China (International)
. oppem from USA (USA preferred - International if needed)
Sorry to hear oppem passed away.


Note: Order is subject to change based on shipping preferences and others joining the bookray.

How the bookray works:
* Someone will PM you for your address, PM them back and provide your address
* When you receive the book, please make a journal entry letting everyone know that you received it
* Put the book at the top of your TBR pile (under other rings/rays that arrived first)
* Read the book (take your time and enjoy the book, don't feel rushed to finish it but try to get it out to next reader within a couple of months)
* When the end is in sight, check the book's journal and PM the next person to get their address
* Finish the book, make another journal entry and let everyone know what you thought of the book
* Send the book to the next person on the list (please use the cheapest shipping method available), make release notes (Controlled Release) or journal entry to let everyone know that it's in the mail
* Last person on the ray: Please either donate the book to the 1001-library or pass it on to another bookcrosser as a RABCK, etc.

Please feel free to PM me at any time with questions


Bookray is now complete. Thanks everyone for participating.

Sending to Australia to start this bookray. Enjoy!

Just recieved today. Thanks to Perryfran, will get a start on it by the end of the week.

A very good read. A lot of suspense and I think a lot of the suspense is due to the morals, airs and graces of the time, and that people who went against these conventions become sinister. I had only read Le Fanu once before, his collection, 'In a Glass Darkly', which I might release in future. Posting to Cat207 in the next few days with another bookring.

Posted to Cat207 with a couple of other books.

Picked up from the post office today - along with two other books. Thanks Dave.

Very sinister indeed! I was a bit disappointed by the ending - it was over in such a rush. After the very long build up I had expected more detail.

I have PMed bookowl1000 for an address, but it would seem from forum posts that he / she is travelling at the moment.

The mailing order has been changed to accommodate bookowl1000 (thanks perryfran), so the book goes in today's mail to silvia-pco in Portugal. Enjoy. X

It's here! I have a few books on my TBR right now but will pick this up as soon as I can. Thanks for the lovely postcard cat207 :)

A good read, not at all the kind of mystery we're used to read nowadays. It is a dense book that takes some time to get through, but I quite liked it. The sense of dread is always there and you can almost feel the anxiety oozing from the pages. However, I agree with cat207 - after the long build up I was expecting a much more exciting ending. It fell a bit short of my expectations.

I apologize for keeping the book for so long. I already have kizmiaz's address and will be mailing this out on Friday. Thanks for sharing!

just got it.
I still have a couple of rings on the go so I won't start right now, but hope not to take too long.

I'm sorry it's taking me forever to read this book but I'm still reading it and would like to finish it. I'll get moving by August 15th hopefully but it's a slow going book.
I apologize to all those who are waiting their turn.

September 15th - Shame on me!
I've struggled hard with this one and although I've enjoyed what I've read I wasn't able to finnish it. Not on account of the story, that is eerie and dark, but the writting, these Victorian novels are not a day at the beach, they make you work hard.
Anyway I didn't finissh it so it would be unfair to rate it.
I'll be passing it along soon.
Duskdreamer hasn't replied to the PM's I'll try the next in line.
This book's on its way for two weeks now, snail mail.

Thanks kizmiaz. So sorry that I didn't journal this earlier, been very busy! Going to start reading it now!

Sorry I've had this book for so long. I did start it but been very busy and haven't finished it. I don't want to hold up the ring any longer so will post it on. I have Tsjara's address and will post it asap.

Arrived here safely today. Thanks for sending ArabellaFigg!
What a lovely looking book (though I hadn't realized it was so heavy - don't think I will carry this one around :p). I have a couple books in front, but hope to get to this one soon. Thanks for sharing the book perryfran!

I finished reading this yesterday and really enjoyed it. At first it seemed to go rather slow and I read it in little bits, even putting the book away for a while, but once Maud arrived at Bartram-Haugh I couldn't stop reading. The story is well written, very atmospheric and there is this sense of foreboding... though I was sometimes quite confused as to whether Silas was evil or not.. (and maybe it's just Maud's or my imagination).
I was a bit annoyed with Maud at times, but growing up in such isolation, I guess she would be quite naive. However, Madame de la Rougierre really annoyed me, with her lying/cheating and doing her creepy acts. Most of the French I understood, but I was confused about 'cheaile' and finally, near the end, I googled it.. but it didn't turn up anything. And then finally I realized that she probably meant child the whole time haha. There were some really likeable characters too, especially Lady Knollys and Milly, who lighten this feeling of dread for a while (and really liked Lord Ilbury and poor Dr. Bryerly as well).
So, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and will definitely keep an eye out for more of these Gothic novels.


I have received Bookowl1000's address and will mail the book after the weekend.
Thanks again for sharing it Perryfran!

The book is now on its way to Bookowl1000 in China
(wish I could sneak myself in the envelope and visit China too :p).
Enjoy! :)


Package number (track & trace): 3SRZ015658845

Picked up the package from the post office today. Perfect timing as I am going on holiday tomorrow so will take it with me to read.

Thanks for the extra surprise in the parcel.

I think I may have set a record for the quickest time to read this book; most of it was in effect in one long sitting.

Started reading it on my 2 hour journey on the Guanzhou metro to get to the airport, and the subsequent 2-3 hours hours queuing and waiting at the airport. I could not help but think that Maude was a teenager with an over active imagination, and she did take a somewhat irrational dislike to Madame the moment she laid eyes on her. We do not see much of Uncle Silas, is was not expecting him to have such a small part in the story; it was mostly rumors and gossip. I felt very sympathetic towards him as a scandal in his past meant that people just wanted to think the worst.

During the next two and a half hours (flight delayed), I became even more sympathetic. His brother must have trusted him to place his daughter in his care, Lady Monica keeps filling Maudes head with unfounded suspicions. The story does have very realistic characters and behaviour. I can totally understand the logical reasons for Silas insisting that Maude stay with him, and Lady Monica being ordered to keep her mouth shut, guarantees a spilling of all details.

Eventually boarded the plane, though worried when the stewardess started giving out drinks and snacks...they don't usually do that before take off. An hour on the runway, followed by flight time meant that I got all but 40 pages read, but was still not at the climax. The story was successful in building up the tension; a typical Victorian melodrama. I was asking 'is this imagination or not'. Having arrived at my hotel in Nanning at 3am I was too exhausted to continue so had to wait until this evening to finish; I agree that the story did end so quickly..though I suppose the build up is what the story is about.

I do enjoy a good Gothic novel, and it really was very fortunate that I to received this book when I did. Victorian novels are not easy going, and my normal work hours do not give me much time to read. I was not expecting to get it done quite so quick...good job that for me a holiday is not holiday without 4 or 5 books in my bag.

Posted to oppem today - surface mail.

Hope it gets there ok. The Chinese post office won't let me use my own reinforced/padded envelopes - has to be their regulation normal paper ones - not really designed for books. Also, hope they seal it properly and not use the wallpaper paste they call glue - it has to be open when they get it so they can examine the contents.