Uncle Silas in Reading the Chunksters

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Uncle Silas

J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Start date: August 1, 2011

Finish date: October 15, 2011

Discussion: Side-Reads

Discussion leader: Jason

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What Members Thought

Nov 13, 2015 Nicola rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1001-books, mystery, gothic

This was a wonderfully engaging read which I have to say was a bit of a surprise. Considering the time period it was written in and the fact that it is a famous 'gothic' horror novel I was braced for fainting and hysterical heroines, supernatural mysteries and a plot improbable enough to make Walpole proud (the author of The Castle of Otranto). I was also listening to an audio reading from librivox and I wasn't expecting to be able to stomach it as I don't have a particularly high opinion of the This was a wonderfully engaging read which I have to say was a bit of a surprise. Considering the time period it was written in and the fact that it is a famous 'gothic' horror novel I was braced for fainting and hysterical heroines, supernatural mysteries and a plot improbable enough to make Walpole proud (the author of The Castle of Otranto). I was also listening to an audio reading from librivox and I wasn't expecting to be able to stomach it as I don't have a particularly high opinion of the quality of those recordings.

In all things I was pleasantly surprised. The audio wasn't great but the reader didn't change and I got used to his rather flat delivery. It certainly didn't take away from my enjoyment anyway.

The plot was suitably eerie but relied on atmosphere and psychological means to create the horror rather than supernatural effects or straight out violence and gore. I think this might have been one of the earliest gothic novels to do this and it was extremely effective. Along with the heroine I continually wondered 'who am I able to trust?'. Every persons actions and motives were scrutinised, as, like her, I had nothing other than my own perceptions to guide me.

But the heroine herself was the biggest shock; she wasn't exactly kick arse but she had a definite will of her own and when her back was really against the wall she fought like a tigress to save herself rather than wilting up like a flower in traditional gothic horror style. I'm not saying that there weren't times I didn't want to reach into the pages of the novel and give her a good shake (at one point in particular I thought 'look it would be so easy, all you'd have to do is....) but if she had done so then the book would have been over and it wouldn't have had its dramatically climatic ending. Which was great! I was on the metaphorical edge of my seat over the last few pages, almost holding my breath it was so exciting. I think listening to it on audio made it even more explosive as I couldn't increase the speed at which I read, I could only proceed along at the same torturous pace, heart palpitations be damned.

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Jul 18, 2011 MichelleCH rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, group-reads, victorian, my-ebooks

At first I wasn't that interested in where the storyline was taking me. Maud the innocent daughter of Austin Ruthyn has a nutty French governess with ulterior motives. And of course there is a will and lots of land with money. But when Austin dies suddenly and Maud is sent to live with her Uncle Silas the story begins to really gather steam. We find out that Silas has been implicated in the past for murder, and his behavior and family are incredibly odd.There house is remote and every character ...more

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