Bluebeards Castle, Anna Biller
Bluebeards Castle, Anna Biller
List: $42.99 | Sale: $30.10
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Bluebeard's Castle

Author: Anna Biller

Narrator: Samantha Hydeson

Unabridged: 10 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/10/2023

Synopsis

Bluebeard gets a feminist Gothic makeover in this subversive take on the famous French fairy tale — from the acclaimed director of The Love Witch, and for fans of Jane EyreWhen the successful British mystery writer Judith Moore meets Gavin, a handsome and charming baron, at a birthday party on the Cornish coast, his love transforms her from a bitter, lonely young woman into a romance heroine overnight. After a whirlwind honeymoon in Paris, he whisks her away to a secluded Gothic castle. But soon she finds herself trapped in a nightmare, as her husband’s mysterious nature and his alternation between charm and violence become increasingly frightening. As Judith battles both internal and external demons, including sexual ambivalence, psychological self-torture, gaslighting, family neglect, alcoholism, and domestic abuse, she becomes increasingly addicted to her wild beast of a husband. Why do women stay in abusive relationships? The answer can be found in the tortured mind of the protagonist, whose richly layered fantasy life parallels that of the female Gothic romance reader. Filled with dark humor and evocative imagery, Bluebeard’s Castle is a subversive take on modern romance and Gothic erotica.

About Anna Biller

Anna Biller is an independent filmmaker. The New York Times called her film The Love Witch “a hothouse filled with deadly and seductive blooms;” Indiewire called it “a spellbinding feminist delight;” and Rotten Tomatoes listed her as one of “The 21 Masters of Horror Shaping the Genre Right Now.” The hashtag #thelovewitch has gone viral on Tiktok, with over 72 million views to date. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the writer’s branch, and is represented for her film work by WME. She is currently in talks with production companies about the movie version of Bluebeard's Castle.

Reviews

Goodreads review by BJ on November 18, 2023

Anna Biller is one of the great filmmakers of our time. Her first feature, Viva, is hilarious and devastating and vastly underrated. Her follow up, The Love Witch, is a cult classic that invites repeat viewing—I’ve seen it three or four times at least. So when I heard that her long-promised “Bluebea......more

Goodreads review by Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) on September 21, 2023

4.0 Stars This was a delightful unexpected novel that blends erotic romance into a gothic horror. The story appeared to be a classic piece of dark romantic fiction, ignoring consent, until it evolved a more serious narrative of gaslighting and domestic abuse. I would recommend this one to readers look......more

Goodreads review by Anna on April 28, 2024

Reviews for Bluebeard's Castle are coming in! "Though the story is set in the present day, Biller paints a beautifully creepy atmosphere full of billowy dresses, darkened woods, burning candles, and castle corridors full of ghosts and secrets. The novel's timeless quality helps drive home the unendin......more

Goodreads review by Caroline on June 25, 2023

TLDR: D*ck blind FMC annoys me greatly Judith, the homely child of a dysfunctional family, only found mothering and love from the Virgin Mary throughout her life. When she meets a man who tells her she’s pretty she immediately marries him and becomes a vapid fragile princess. What’s up with her weir......more

Quotes

“Impressively original, inherently fascinating and vividly brought to life with the narrative storytelling skills of Samantha Hydeson.” —Midwest Book Review"Bluebeard's Castle [is] … a stylised retelling of the old fable that mixes self-reference and gaudy excess. Its ¬heroine, Judith, a gothic-romance novelist, shacks up in a crumbling castle with a brooding husband; the sex, death and pricy cognac are of a wildly enjoyable piece." —Cal Revely-Calder, Best Fiction Books of the Year, Telegraph"Both a fantasy and a nightmare ... [Biller] casts a chilling light on the kinds of real-world fairy tales we are all still so often encouraged to believe." —Elizabeth Dearnley, Times Literary Supplement

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