3.5*

I don't know why the Guardian's list of 1000 Novels has this book under 'Science Fiction and Fantasy'. There is nothing fantastical about it - it would more properly be described as a Gothic horror story, though the horror is very Victorian (not at all like the gruesome modern day horror stories). I would call it a suspense.

The atmosphere of terror and the plots laid for Maud Ruthyns, the heroine narrator, were very well done but Maud herself annoyed me. She was constantly referring to her timid nature which led her into some behaviors that were - to her - silly. That was okay - not my preference for a heroine but acceptable. It was her obstinate holding to the conviction that her Uncle Silas was a good man despite the history, the hints and worries from others, and even his own actions towards her that annoyed. Even after he had connived with Madame to separate her from her trusted maid Mary Quince and have her brought back to Bartram-Haugh secretly in the middle of the night and locked into a room with barred windows, she still believed that it was all Madame and her Uncle Silas would save her! If it wasn't for that, I would have given this 4*. ( )

Inquietante novela gótica, arquetípica de las llamadas "ghosts stories". Aunque la trama, a día de hoy, resulta un poco predecible y las descripciones son muy típicas del género (sombríos corredores, fantasmas, ruidos en la noche, niebla, tormenta, casa desolada, cementerios...), en su época tuvo que ser todo un fenómeno de la literatura de terror. Destaca la espeluznante Madame de la Rougière, así como también el retrato psicológico de los personajes principales. Los últimos capítulos están narrados con maestría, creando un ambiente sórdido, macabro, de angustia contenida.

LO MEJOR: El ambiente lúgubre del caserón del tío Silas, la angustia y el terrible destino que acecha a la protagonista. El lector siente en todo momento que el cerco se va estrechando en torno a la joven heredera, lee entre líneas los planes macabros de Silas contra su sobrina, creando un aura de suspense hasta el final. Lo que más asusta es que Maud no se da cuenta de nada hasta que ya es demasiado tarde para salvar su vida.

LO PEOR: La protagonista se pasa gran parte de la novela llorando o escondiéndose por los rincones. Le falta espíritu e iniciativa. Su ingenuidad e inocencia desesperan al lector, que tiene muy claro desde el principio la maldad de Silas. El final podría haber sido mejor, ya que Maud se salva de una muerte segura por pura casualidad. ( )

I really enjoyed this ancient book; it has real moments of terror in it, and keeps you guessing until the very end. ( )

Dripping with Gothic menace poor rich girl Maud Ruthyn braves every attempt to separate her from her life and her inheritance. Even the good guys are mostly super creepy making things even more interesting.

Le Fanu's best novel, Green Tea and Carmilla are his best works however. ( )

Hoariest tale I’ve read in quite a while. It takes forever to even introduce the titular uncle, and the hints of the supernatural turn out to be damp squibs. It does however have one hell of an antagonist in the galumphing brandy-snorting manipulative yet somehow pathetic French governess Madame de la Rougierre. ( )