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 starting with this book. There is next to no dialogue. The characters are not as developed as they could be. The plot twists are just a little TOO convenient. The story could have been fleshed out more and explained better.

But... there is this lovely little glimmer of the writer that she would eventually become, making it worth the read. The asides about human nature, the concise but pointed writing style, the suspenseful plot, the mysterious characters, the apparently supernatural events that turn out to be merely artifice - all these wonderful elements are still present, just waiting to blossom in her future novels.