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Ann Ward Radcliffe
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The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne Hardcover – July 15, 2002

by Ann Radcliffe (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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Years ago, when Young Earl Osbert of Castle Athlin was a boy, his father was ambused and slain by Baron Malcolm of Dunbayne. Now Osbert has come into his majority, and in the company of a sturdy and heroic young peasant named Alleyn he's gone to avenge his father's murder. What waits for them at the castle of Dunbayne is not vengeance but a fate that neither one of them imagines: not just conquest or defeat, but a terrible chanllege -- and the romance of a lifetime. (Jacketless library hardcover.)

Previous page
  1. Print length
    152 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Borgo Pr
  4. Publication date
    July 15, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    158715997X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1587159978
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ann Radcliffe (née Ward, 1764 - 1823) was an English author and pioneer of the Gothic novel. Radcliffe's technique of explaining the supernatural elements of her novels has been credited with enabling Gothic fiction to achieve respectability in the 1790s. In 1787, she married the Oxford graduate and journalist William Radcliffe (1763-1830), part-owner and editor of the English Chronicle. He often came home late and to occupy her time she began to write and read her work to him when he returned. Theirs was a childless, but seemingly happy marriage. Radcliffe called him her "nearest relative and friend". The money she earned from her novels later allowed them to travel together, along with their dog, Chance. In her final years, Radcliffe retreated from public life.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Borgo Pr (July 15, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 158715997X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1587159978
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

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Ann Ward Radcliffe

Ann Ward Radcliffe

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Avid Crafter
5.0 out of 5 stars loved it
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2022
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Great story. Lots of ups and downs. A little predictable but good succinct writing. Loved the characters and definitely Recommend.
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JC
3.0 out of 5 stars First foray
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022
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This book was Radcliff's first foray into the genre she would later develop so masterfully. As such, this early attempt is only moderately successful, but still of interest to those who enjoy following an author's development.
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Luca Graziuso
5.0 out of 5 stars terrfic
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2009
The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne was published in 1989, that fatidic year, and it marked the arrival of Ann Radcliffe upon the English literary stage. Here we find the orgy of gothic drama, such as family-inherited feuds, cases of mistaken identity, aborted fantasies and a mood of passionate abandon. However this specific short novel, (roughly more than 100 pages) differs in its setting from later writings of the queen of Goth. Here we are ensconced in the melancholy beauty of the Scottish Highlands. The castle itself manages to become the focal point of romantic sublimity. In this novella Radcliffe also disavows the use of marvelous supernatural effect, without however dismissing the mysterious flush that is pervasive in all her works.
It is a critical convention today to deem the explosion of popularity of gothic literature as a reaction to the French Revolution. The maligned aristocrats, the proud passions, persecuted maidens, moldering castles, the bleak irruption of terror, all seems to be related to the French Revolution. Hence the particular place of this short read, since it was published prior to the events that led to the Days of Terror in France, and the unease across Europe.
Ann Radcliffe influenced every aspect of 18th century literature, including the drama of romantic jostling of Jane Austen and the heroic rakish verse of Lord Byron. Perhaps it may well be staked that no one, save for Walter Scott, has played such a determining role in English lit and the evolution of the novel.
Scholars, gothic enthusiasts, those seeking an absorbing good story, should do well to grab a copy, since it is shorter than Udolpho but just as representative, influential and enchanting.
7 people found this helpful
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RCM
4.0 out of 5 stars The Signs to Come
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2010
"The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne" was Ann Radcliffe's first novel and has long been out of print. It is set in the Middle Ages and follows the intertwining paths of two noble families in constant battle with each other. This early work certainly set the stage for Radcliffe's later work - especially her Gothic masterpiece, "The Romance of the Forest."

Set in the highlands of Scotland, the novel begins with a battle between the chieftains of the two warring families. On one side of the fray is Alleyn, a poor young man who falls hopelessly in love with Mary, the daughter of the Athlin family, knowing that they could never be together because of his lowborn position. On the other side is the evil Baron of Dunbayne, whose family is responsible for the murder of the Lord of Athlin (the main cause of the dispute between the families). Soldiers from Dunbayne capture in turn both Mary and her brother Osbert, and each must fight to save their lives as well as those of the ones they have fallen in love with. Of course, with a Gothic novel, nothing could be straightforward and Radcliffe filled her novel with numerous schemes, several kidnappings, near death experiences, nefarious plots and a long-lost heir returned to glory - a tall order to fill in 113 pages.

"The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne", while a short and rather fast-paced read, is also rather confusing. Radcliffe switched from character to character with little distinction between their actions or thoughts. The initial problems between the families can be difficult to sort out since she used names instead of titles. One fight follows another with no time to recover from the last. The story follows a rather predictable outcome, but is filled with the typical Gothic archetypes that roots Radcliffe's romance. Surely this publishing of her early work is a treasure for literature lovers, but it is far from Radcliffe's best work. Still, it is interesting to see how her work progressed from this early attempt to her later novels.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars The good and the bad
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2013
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I'm a longtime fan of Gothic novels, even though many of them leave a lot to be desired. The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is hard to find, and for those who enjoy the genre, the low price of the Kindle version makes it worthwhile. Nevertheless, "Castles" is very heavy reading, in spite of its relatively short length. It is definitely overburdened with a heavy dose of the sublime, willing suspension of disbelief, and fainting, mindless women. Those who can handle having their intelligence insulted--over and over again--will be pleased to add this to their Gothic bucket list, but those who can't will surely find this book to be a waste of time and money.
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Ms. Knight
4.0 out of 5 stars Early Romance
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2005
This book is one of the earliest examples of the romantic novel. The plot was original for its time, though certainly nothing new today. It is completely predictable. Nevertheless, it is interesting as a study of English literature and the development of the novel. This was Radcliffe's first novel, and became the model for many of her later works, as well as the works of many other novel writers.

This book is very plot-driven. The characters are flat, and dialogue or character thought is almost completely non existant. The action in the story leads the text. It also contains the typical hero/heroine relationship; the men, in accordance to the time this book was written, do all the fighting and rescuing, while the women sit at home, unable to do anything but worry and faint.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sam Fifield
5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated gothic text
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
I’m using this text for my dissertation, certainly an interesting novel that’s a reasonably easy read for 1790s.
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Elena
4.0 out of 5 stars Muy bonita obra.
Reviewed in Spain on March 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
Es una obra muy bonita, sin ser espectacular. Tiene un encanto especial, porque tiene lugar en Escocia y está relacionada, justamente, con la historia de estos dos clanes cuyos nombres forman parte del título. Me ha gustado mucho el "plot twist" y el descubrimiento de "hidden identity" que Radcliffe emplea en la novela, características típicas de estos "early Gothics".
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