Dragonwyck

She enjoyed it as much as she did ca 1954. Small price to make Mom happy for a while.

Dragonwyck has all the ingredients of a stereotypical Gothic story -- a beautiful, innocent young girl, a handsome, brooding aristocrat, a haunting ghostly presence connected to some past evil, and a huge castle-like mansion. Even the name of this mansion "Dragonwyck" adds to the melodrama, suggesting the abode of a dragon. In the hands of a less skillful writer these ingredients could easily add up to a hackneyed cliche of a book. However, Anya Seton weaves her story in such a way that it is never boring, never contrived, and though the plot is pretty predictable without any real surprises, she manages to keep the story interesting. Even though you know what's going to happen, you want to keep reading, anyway.Admittedly, I am a fan of well-written Gothics; Jane Eyre and Rebecca are two of my all-time favorites. And after reading Dragonwyck I consider it of almost that same caliber. It was only Seton's second published work and, like her other earlier books, it shows a subtlety and constraint that, I think, make it a finer work than if Seton had spelled out every detail. In this, too, it compares to Jane Eyre and Rebecca. For instance, the violence which led to the haunting of the Red Room at Dragonwyck, the evil in the Van Ryn men which has been passed down to Nicholas, and the psychological damage to Nicholas somehow connected to the loss of his mother, are all only vaguely described by Seton. Although she could have explained them in detail she instead leaves it for the reader to fill in the gaps of the past history themselves. And of course, the sexual relations between Miranda and Nicholas are only vaguely referred to. This is due more to the cultural constraints of the times during which Seton wrote than to a particular choice of style, as evidenced by her later works written when such constraints had become much more relaxed. Green Darkness in particular, and to a lesser degree Avalon, are much coarser in their treatment of sex. This is why I prefer Seton's earlier works, and older books in general. I do not need a writer to spell it out in graphic detail for me to understand what goes on behind the closed doors. And in fact, I find such graphic sex a poor substitute for the truly fine writing of earlier authors who knew how to tell a good story without titillating their readers.Ok, enough of that.....What makes Dragonwyck particularly engaging is the setting. Perhaps it's just the romantic or Gothic-lover in me, but I found the setting of 19th century New York along the Hudson river something that I wanted to return to; a perfect escape from the 21st century! Although Seton's works are typically considered "historicals", the historical element of Dragonwyck is secondary; it is first and foremost a romance. Although Seton does weave in some actual historical events that took place during the time of the story, the history doesn't really impact Miranda's and Nicholas' story all that much. The true driving force was Nicholas, and what happened to him, and to Miranda because of him, was inevitable regardless of what took place in the world around them.There are a couple of little teasing tidbits that I wish Seton had followed up on. The first is in her Author's Note, where says that the idea for this story came from a news item she read in a New York newspaper from 1849. I do wish she had related just what was in that article ....... The second is in the early part of the book, when Nicholas orders a whole new wardrobe for Miranda shortly after her arrival at Dragonwyck. The modiste hired to make the clothes is not surprised, because Nicholas had done the same thing for "an orphan from New Orleans" not long before. Nicholas, being the misanthropist that he was, would not have taken in an orphan and ordered her a new, expensive wardrobe just to be generous. Just who was this orphan? I really thought this was going to be a significant point later in the book, but unfortunately it was never mentioned again......So if you're looking for an enjoyable book to escape into for a time, this is it. Enjoy!

Do not read this book unless you enjoy twisted gothic tales with ghosts, abuses of power, the subjugation of women, murder, and the like. The story is set in 1844 in the Hudson River valley upriver from New York City. The historic aspects of the book were the only thing that I enjoyed. The story begins when the Wells family receives a letter from and extraordinarily wealthy cousin asking them to send their eldest daughter to his estate to be a teacher and companion to his only daughter. The Wells family is working very hard to scrape by on a small farm and Miranda is dazzled by the idea of living in rich surroundings. Miranda was hard to like. She is understandably naïve, but she is also shallow, callow, and selfish. Her cousin is a sociopath and perhaps the reader is supposed to blame his amoral and manipulative behavior and her youth for her shortcomings. I thought she should have more responsibility for her failings. This book is long, and it felt longer. It was not a book that I enjoyed reading.

FIRST TIME WITH AUTHOR. SHE WRITES A VERY POWERFUL HISTORICAL NOVEL. SHE KNOWS HOW TO DRAW YOU INTO THE STORY. SHE HAS BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS, AND YOU CANNOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN ONCE YOU START READING IT. I LOOK FORWARD TO READING HER OTHER NOVELS. DON'T MISS THIS BOOK. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

This is a Gothic-style romance filled with intrigue, seduction, evil, and a touch of the supernatural. Think Daphne du Maurier meets Taylor Caldwell.Written by Anya Seton, this is the story of Miranda Wells, a naïve 18-year-old living on her family's farm in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1844. A letter from a heretofore-unknown cousin arrives, inviting her parents to send one of their daughters to live in the cousin's massive estate, named Dragonwyck, near Hudson, New York to act as a governess and companion to his six-year-old daughter, Katrine. Miranda goes on this adventure to discover that her cousin, Nicholas Van Ryn, who is 13 years older than she, is unhappily married to Johanna and living in a kind of fabulously wealthy splendor that Miranda could never have imagined—from the richly appointed rooms to the sweeping, colorful gardens. She quickly adapts, but all is not as it seems. Under the surface, there is evil brewing, and Miranda can feel it. When everything turns upside down after a shocking death, Miranda is seduced even further into this web of hatred, violence, and control.Although the novel takes place in the 1840s and is framed with some minor historical events—"down-renter" protests by those farming land in a feudal-like system and the Astor Place riot—this is really a timeless story of love, seduction, and abuse. He must control her every action, and, if he could, her every thought. She has fallen under his mesmerizing spell but when she awakens from it, she discovers her inner strength.Hauntingly atmospheric, this novel will sweep you away to another time and place filled with incredible wealth laced with sinister motives.Fun bonus: Authors Herman Melville and Edgar Allan Poe make cameo appearances.

I did not enjoy this book as much as Devil Water or Katherine. The book itself was old and small with small print which did not help. it did give a flavour, however, of early American settlement and society.

New York, 1840: Für die junge Farmerstochter Miranda Wells geht ein Traum in Erfüllung als sie als Hauslehrerin der kleinen Tochter ihres reichen Cousins Nicholas Van Ryn arbeiten soll. Miranda geht im luxuriösen Herrenhaus Dragonwyck vollkommen auf und schnell fällt sie unter den Bann des anziehenden und mysteriösen Nicholas. Miranda könnte so glücklich sein, wären da nicht Nicholas' Ehe mit Johanna und seine unerklärlichen Stimmungsschwankungen. Nach und nach bekommt Miranda außerdem das Gefühl, dass etwas Unheimliches in Dragonwyck vorgeht. Lastet ein Fluch auf dem Herrenhaus?DRAGONWYCK ist ein schöner und stimmungsvoller Gothic-Roman, der mit sehr interessanten historischen Details angereichert ist. Neben den Vorgängen in Dragonwyck und den Beziehungen der Figuren spielen auch historische Begebenheiten in der Gegend rund um das Herrenhaus eine Rolle und wir erfahren einige sehr interessante Details. Vor allem der Kampf der Farmer gegen den Großgrundbesitzer Van Ryn ist sehr spannend. Die Figuren treffen außerdem mehrmals auf historische Persönlichkeiten wie etwa Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville und die Astors. Anya Seton beschreibt sehr schön die angespannte und unheimliche Stimmung in Dragonwyck, ich hätte mir hier nur gewünscht, dass der Gothic-Anteil des Romans größer ist. Außerdem hätte ich gern mehr über die Vergangenheit des Herrenhauses erfahren. Und ich hätte mich gern ein bisschen mehr gegruselt.Die Handlung folgt hauptsächlich Miranda. Obwohl sie vor allem im ersten Drittel von DRAGONWYCK sehr naiv und oberflächlich erscheint, war sie mir von der ersten Seite an sympathisch und ich habe ihre Wandlung vom unbedarften Landei zur geprüften und erfahrenen Frau mit großer Spannung verfolgt. Nicholas ist zunächst ein sehr mysteriöser Charakter, der von düsteren Geheimnissen geplagt zu sein scheint, und Mirandas Leben komplett auf den Kopf stellt. Ich möchte hier nicht mehr über ihn verraten, da ich ansonsten zu viel vom Buch vorweg nehmen würde.Die Nebenfiguren in DRAGONWYCK haben mir ebenfalls gut gefallen. Mirandas Familie spielt eine Rolle und der junge Arzt Jeff Turner ist sehr wichtig für die Handlung. Auch Johanna und ihrer Tochter Katrine und einigen der Bediensteten wird einiges an Platz in der Handlung eingeräumt.Alles in allem hat mir DRAGONWYCK gut gefallen. Der Roman ist sehr stimmungsvoll und spannend und die Figuren haben mir gut gefallen. Ich hätte mir nur noch ein wenig mehr Grusel gewünscht. Empfehlenswert!

This was my first experience with Anya Seton, and I was immersed from beginning to end. Was a very interesting read, but she does lack that flare Philippa Gregory demonstrates in her historical fiction. There could have been more detail about that particular era, but all in all the story was enough to interest me through-out.I am a very picky reader, and if I find too many inconsistencies, or historical error, I won't even waste my time finishing the book. It's a more modern day Jane Eyre love story.Would recommend the read.

A very naive beauty and an egotistical wealthy handsome young man find a twisted lifestyle that brings neither of them joy. A haunting tale .

A fantastical period book with characters reminiscent of Rebecca and an Edith Wharton novel. Very atmospheric, with an aura of menace and impending doom. In the end, you end up feeling sorry for the villain after all.