Melikan, Rose. The Blackstone Key. A "cozy" Gothic novel--most of the Gothic elements are present, but somehow without the usual Gothic ambiance. Gothic-light.The hero is somewhat isolated; the heroine innocent and curious; the villain, while not entirely evil, has suffered a fall from grace; there is the traditional mansion in disrepair; an underground passage; lots of shadows, and plenty of secrets.
Yet the traditional feeling of horror, the sense of evil, gloom, and dread are much modified to a more traditional romantic feel.
It was a fun, quick read, and while I wouldn't call it a parody of the Gothic novel, it fits more into the idea of historical mystery with Gothic inclinations.
Fiction. Historical mystery. 2008. 435 pages
I read this recently, and thought it was a pretty light read--nothing truly intellectually challenging, but fun nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI have this here to read, and hope to get to it soon.
ReplyDelete"Cozy gothic" is not a term I've heard before! It sounds like a fun read -- probably good for a chicken who is prone to nightmares (that means I'll look for a copy, thanks!).
ReplyDeleteSounds a little bit like the feel of Houses of Stone by Barbara Michaels--a mystery about a woman doing research on something gothic, and it turns into a gothic mystery. I really enjoyed taking a week to read this during my bath time (an hour a night) in my first year of teaching. In fact, I bookcrossed my copy, decided I wanted to read it again to see if it was as fun the second time around when I didn't remember much about it, and bought a second copy at a used bookstore. I'll add The Blackstone Key to the list of books I want to look up at the library
ReplyDeleteKatherine - No, nothing intellectual and definitely a light read. :)
ReplyDeleteMarg - Hope you enjoy it, Marg!
Bookfool - Certainly nothing to give you nightmares.... In fact, a little more suspense would have been a good thing!
Jena - I like the sound of the Michaels' book. Think I'll look for it at the library. Thanks for reminding me of an author I haven't read in a while.