Horace Walpole (1717–1797)

I confess that while I've had this on my shelves for a while, fully intending to read it someday, I read it at this time just because I needed a book "with a building or dwelling name in the title" to get a square on my book bingo board. I enjoyed it mainly because it feels like a fun, over-the-top parody of the gothic novel. But I know that it's considered one of the first gothic novels, so I'm guessing that when it was written, readers enjoyed it as a thrilling read, not a fun parody. It is thrilling, and I enjoyed the action in the first half (it starts off with a bang), but got a little bored during the second half.
I did like the sentiment in this bit in particular: "Hast thou so soon forgotten that twice the savage Manfred has pronounced thy sentence?" — "Nor have I forgotten, sir," said Theodore, "that the charity of his daughter delivered me from his power. I can forget injuries, but never benefits."… (mer)

My first thought when reading this book was what in the Henry VIII kind of hell is this?

There are better Gothic lit novels out there you can read but if you want a quick classic, this is a good choice. You could finish it in a day, maybe a few nights if you don't fall asleep first. Would I read this again? Probably not. Am I glad I did? Absolutely. The book is the Gothic grandaddy and I was here for it.

I liked this one for what it was and I can see why it is an important read for the genre. It was interesting enough to keep my attention but I didn't go in to it expecting a masterpiece. If you do the same, you may enjoy it a little bit too. If you don't find that it keeps you entertained, you could go down the Horace Walpole rabbit hole like I did. He's far more interesting than the novel itself.… (mer)

Like a self cleaning oven, the “first Gothic novel” is also a self parody. A slight, ridiculous business with a medieval ghost giant. I will say, you can’t beat how the story starts. In a way, it’s all downhill from there. You would think it’s a Monty Python skit, or an episode of Scooby Doo , but they can sit this one out. It’s already baked in the cake. No harm to read (better as an audio book), often funny, in a so bad it’s good way. Considering it’s historical context is as good a way as any to pull you through this silly exercise. I guess you had to be there.… (mer)