The Bride of Lammermoor

This is an impressive work, one that can be enjoyed by fans of the historical novel, the gothic novel and the novel of ethnic character--provided they accept "The Bride" as a not completely effective fusion of the three and are willing to adjust their expectations accordingly. The essential plot--th......more

Around the time of the union between Scotland and England 1707, great changes are occurring in that ancient an often unhappy land of the north, rebellion is always beneath the calm surface, in uneasy Scotland. Rivalries, family blood feuds, (and just plain hate) political contests between Whigs and......more

Seriously gothic fans, listen up: This is your ultimate indulgence. This is ridiculously over the top. The characters actually swish their cloaks and make dark, portentous pronouncements. Wolves really howl at the moon, the dudes really live in broken down castles. Ladies go mad! Men lose their inhe......more

I read this book after working on the opera based on it which, it turns out, has relatively little to do with the novel after all. While the opera is boiled down to the story of two star-crossed lovers, the novel puts the lovers on the back-burner, preferring to concentrate its focus on creating a r......more

My second read of this story based on a true story where the bride went insane and stabbed the bridegroom on the wedding night. This tragedy has also been made into a opera. The novel starts with the death of Lord Ravenswood and there now being only one member of the Ravenswood family left, is Maste......more