The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne, Ann Radcliffe
The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne, Ann Radcliffe
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The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne

Author: Ann Radcliffe

Narrator: Shelby Reinhart

Unabridged: 4 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/31/2020

Categories: Fiction, Classic, Gothic


Synopsis

The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne. A Highland Story is a gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe first published in London by Thomas Hookham in 1789. The novel is a set in a powerful landscape which became familiar in her later work, with complex clan feuds and mysterious romantic intrigues played out against a backdrop of ruined medieval castles and rugged Scottish coastlines. Each of the characters can be defined by their passions: The present Earl of Athlin, Osbert, is driven by a passionate desire to avenge his father’s murder at the hand of Malcolm, the Baron of Dunbayne. His sister, Mary, is ever swooning and fainting in an attempt to resist her passion for Alleyn, a highlander not of noble birth (and therefore unworthy). Alleyn is likwise driven to heroic deeds of rescue because of his love for Mary. Even the villain, Baron Malcolm, is driven by his desire—first a desire to kill Osbert; it is later supplanted by his desire to possess Mary. Although the passions of its leading characters dominate the plot, the castles of the title are as central to the narrative, establishing an enduring Gothic trope.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Katie on July 19, 2020

A fairly enjoyable but slightly predictable read. I found the characterisation a bit flat but enjoyed the writing.......more

Goodreads review by Ioan on July 18, 2023

So much fun! This is the first book by Ann Radcliffe, which I had to read after the second (A Sicilian Romance) and I must say, I definitely enjoyed this more. It is slightly deficient in the delightful descriptions of the second, but the story line and the characters I definitely had greater feelin......more

Goodreads review by Kailey (Luminous Libro) on April 28, 2015

I do love Ann Radcliffe's books, but this first attempt of hers is sort of pathetic. It's amazing to think that she went on to write such examples of Gothic perfection like Mysteries of Udolpho, The Italian, and Romance of the Forest. If you are new to reading Radcliffe, I would NOT recommend startin......more

Goodreads review by Lee on July 08, 2024

For the completist, Ann Radcliffe's first slightly clunky attempt at a Gothic romance. In retrospect it's easy to see both the promise of better Gothics to come, and to isolate why her later work is so much more successful. Mainly it's the filigree that's enjoyable about Ms. Radcliffe's art. The plo......more

Goodreads review by Wreade1872 on August 06, 2017

I've previously read the The Mysteries of Udolpho and the main complaints people have against that are the overly detailed descriptions and its overall length. Both of these factors are absent from this shorter work but unfortunately its the poorer for the loss. Without all that rich description it fe......more