The Mysteries of Udolpho Read-Along

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The Mysteries of Udolpho Read-Along

I wasn’t going to post on this The Mysteries of Udolpho read-along as a few of us have already co-ordinated, but I thought more people might want to join …… AND I found this wonderfully appropriate photo so I couldn’t resist.

This read along is easy, flexible and I believe will be rather amusing.  It will run from June 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020.  Read at whatever pace you’d like, post on your blog if you’d like or not, comment on other blogger’s posts or not, and try to finish by August 31st.  Here is a mock schedule that you can follow to keep yourself on track …. or not … 😂

 

The Mysteries of Udolpho

June 1 – 7                Chapters I – IV (Volume I)

June 8 – 14               Chapters V – XIII

June 15 – 21             Chapters IX – XIII

June 22 – 28             Chapters I – III (Volume II)

June 29 – July 5        Chapters IV – VI

July 6 – 12                 Chapters VII – IX

July 13 – 19               Chapters X – XII

July 20 – 26               Chapters I – VI (Volume III)

July 27 – Aug 2          Chapters VII – IX

Aug 3 – 9                   Chapters X – XIII

Aug 10 – 16               Chapters I – VII (Volume IV)

Aug 17 – 23               Chapters VIII – XII

Aug 24 – 31               Chapters XIII – XIX (end)

Just check back here to see if you’re on track.

And finally, Jean at Howling Frog Books designed this rather nifty The Mysteries of Udolpho read-along badge, so you’ll have two badges to draw from when doing your posts:

The Mysteries of Udolpho

So please get on the Udolpho train for this rather wild ride into the overly dramatic! My guess is that you won’t be disappointed!

The Mysteries of Udolpho Radcliffe

The Mysteries of Udolpho

60 thoughts on “The Mysteries of Udolpho Read-Along”

  1. I love The Mysteries of Udolpho! It cracks me up. 😆

    {Before you ask, I’m not joining. Just saying I like it. 1) I’ve already read it. 2) I have a huge stack of books to read 3) I always read everything but whatever I am reading for a readalong, so it literally would never happen. 😉 }

    Have FUN!!! <3 I read almost the whole thing in one night for a 24-hour readathon. I was so scared by 3am I terrified myself when I passed by a mirror. WHO WAS THAT. ('Twas I.)

    However, I'm not sure it's legitimately as scary as that. I think I just had the spooks because I was alone at 3am for no good reason. 😆

    I read it right after Northanger Abbey to get the scoop on that whole situation.

    I'll probably read another Ann Radcliffe at some point. Laughing aside, I genuinely enjoyed it.

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    • Oh my goodness, Jillian, your description is exactly how I expect/hope to feel when I read it! I hope I laugh, get scared, mock the herione, feel for the heroine, etc. I completely understand your scary/not so scary explanation. I’ll make sure to get myself in the mood for it! 😳

      Have you read any other of the Horrid novels? I’d like to try another after this one.

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      • I’ve read one of them, The Castle of Wolfenbach. It was ridiculously fun (and silly), but beyond that I really don’t remember a thing about it! A good diversion, though.

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        • That’s good to know. I can see how many of these would be forgettable in their silliness but definitely worth a read once.

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  3. Ohhh, I will seriously keep this in mind… I glanced through the Gutenberg ebook and it looks surprisingly fast-paced! Plus your readalongs are always fun. 🙂

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    • I would love it if you’d join, Marian. I think it would be a fun, light read for you and, in spite of its size, move along very quickly. Thanks for the compliment. As of now, I’m only planning to tack an update onto my monthly posts BUT, if I’m getting lots of laughs and have some things to say, I may do separate posts. We’ll see ….

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  4. I downloaded “Northanger Horrid Novels” just after reading Northanger Abbey, but it’s only sat in my Kindle unread. I think it would be fun to read The Mysteries of Udolpho with other people and though June is a packed month for me, I will try to participate. 👍

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    • Oh yay! No pressure. It’s definitely taken a group to get me started on this one. Who knows …. you might become totally absorbed in it. And you have until the end of August. Jillian read it in one night, which is encouraging. Glad to have you aboard the “drama train”!

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  6. You know, I might have the Penguin Classics edition of this sitting unread on my shelves. I’m going to dig around, and if I find it, I might just read along with you.

    Of course, my read along will go one of two ways:

    1. I will dither and never start.
    2. I will start reading it, keep to the schedule for a week or two, get bored and hate it and give up in the third week but feel guilty for several months.
    3. I will start reading it, keep to the schedule for a week or two, get really interested sometime in week three, and then finish the whole thing in one long marathon.

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  8. i’ve read it a while back and am into other, probably not as good, books… i liked it but not enough to reread; at the moment anyway… aside from occasional long-winded sections it does move pretty fast; if you’ve never read any of her books, this will be an introduction to all of them, at least the ones i’ve read were pretty similar…

    Reply ↓

    • I wouldn’t have suspected it would have been on your reading list but there you go. You surprised me! While I’m excited about this read I’m not sure I’ll get to any other of her novels with exception of The Italian which somehow resides on my bookshelves. I would like to read the Horrid novels though just for a laugh. Perhaps one day ….

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  9. Hi Cleo,
    I’d love to participate in The Mysteries of Udolpho Readalong this summer.
    I just have one problem. I wasn’t successful in finding a place to sign up. Just respond if there are any administrative details I need to take care of. I’m a gothic hound dog, and I haven’t read this, so…I’m game.

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    • This is a last minute, very loose read-along so there’s nowhere to sign up. Just read it during the summer, post on your blog updates or at the end or not at all. If you want to comment on other blogger’s posts you can if you like. Whatever works for you. So glad to have you join in!

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  10. Cleo, I am happy to say that I finally caved and bought myself a (used) copy that I don’t actually have room on my shelves for, but… here’s hoping it arrives soon! USPS tracking isn’t really working right now, apparently, so I can’t be sure when it will arrive. But I’m looking forward to joining in.

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    • Yay, Amanda! It sounds like it will be easy to get into and therefore easy to catch up. Can’t wait to start reading!

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    • Aw, thanks Jean! Feel free to use whichever you like. The thumbnail badge is slightly different too. It will be good to have a couple of images especially for updates. Thanks so much for creating yours! 🙏🏻

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  14. I read this a few years ago. It is utterly ridiculous and if taken in the right spirit, can be a lot of fun. Count how many times our heroine is inspired to create a sonnet, right there on the spot (psst…you will loose count). 😀

    I wish I had read Northanger Abbey after I read The Mysteries of Udolfo for context. It certainly would have given me a better understanding for what Austen was spoofing.

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    • Thanks for the input; I will count the sonnets if I can, and I believe there’s alot of fainting as well???? I will try to count the faints too! 😂

      I might read Northanger after this one even though I’ve read it already. I’m due for another Austen marathon!

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  16. I love the picture and the badge; very appropriate! I really enjoyed reading The Mysteries, but like Jillian I found it kind of funny, because I was reading it under the shadow of Northanger Abbey – something Ms. Radcliff never intended. But it’s good read, high drama and some chills! I hope you guys have fun!

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    • Dear Sister, it’s so good to see you pop up here but I think by your absence that you’ve been working too hard. I hope you’ll come back when the read is all over and add your further opinion. Take care of yourself!

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  18. I agree with you, Cleo, that’s an ideal photo! I’m trying to read dome books I already have – mind you I just received a couple of books in the mail today. ‘Homeschooling necessities’, of course!

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  20. I have never heard of this book but it sounds like a fun read? Fun and scary mixed? I don’t do scary but if it’s silly scary then I would be willing to try it. Obviously, I can’t read join the read-along since that would only give me about two weeks to read it and I’ve got other books going right now. But do let me know more about this book. I will also look it up. 🙂

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    • It hasn’t been scary so far. Jillian read it in a weekend for a read-a-thon and two weeks for this book isn’t unrealistic but you’d really have to read. In any case, maybe one day; it is worth reading!

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  21. I realized I better clarify what I mean when I said I don’t do scary. I mean I don’t like to read horror books, probably mainly modern horror because I’ve read Dracula and really liked it and it was probably considered horror in its time. I’ve also read Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Rebecca – all I wouldn’t consider horror but some could have been considered classic horror maybe. Rebecca I think would be more considered a psychological thriller in its time. And I typically don’t read modern thrillers either. But I think I equate thrillers with horror and you know, I guess that’s probably not necessarily the case. Anyway, I guess I’m rambling. Let me know if this book falls more along the lines of scary like Dracula or horror like modern lit. 🙂

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    • It’s not a horror book like the ones you mentioned but I might say it’s a mild thriller. But perhaps I’m not the best one to ask since I still have lots to go. Yipes, I better get going! 😳

      I couldn’t stand Rebecca; I found it mind-numbing. It’s made me hesitant to read another duMaurier novel but I should try again.

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      • I’m intrigued by this book and want to read it! Interestingly enough, last night I was looking up titles of classic gothic novels and this title came up! I don’t think I can attempt to get this read by the 31st. But it’s going on my TBR!

        Regarding Rebecca, I thought du Maurier did a pretty good job crafting a suspense novel up to a point. I was very disappointed in the ending. I like the Alfred Hitchcock movie adaptation of the novel much better! Have you seen that movie version? Interesting to note, they made a new movie based on the novel that’s to be released on Netflix I think in October. I’m looking forward to watching it to see how it compares to the Hitchcock production.

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        • I won’t finish it by the 31st either, lol! I do hope you give it a try!

          Mrs. Max (his second wife)’s dialogue was mind-numbing. I think I was scarred by that book, lol! I did see the movie version eons ago. I should try watching it again. Thanks for the reminder.

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  22. Cleo! Guess what? I was reading in The Brothers Karamazov tonight and it mentions Udolfo! In Book 3, Chapter 11, it references Udolfo twice with a footnote that says “The Mysteries of Udolfo (1794), a gothic novel by English author Ann Radcliffe, was popular in early-nineteenth-century Russia.” How cool is that! “Udolfo” is how it is spelled in the book.

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    • That is bizarre! Thanks for much for letting me know. I never would have guessed. Radcliffe had such an impact with her novel. I can’t imagine why, but there you go! Surprises all around! 😀

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  23. Cleo, I’m a bit confused. I downloaded the book and one place said it’s 300-something pages. But then when I went to add it to my currently reading shelf on Goodreads, it said around 700 pgs. Which is it, do you know?

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  25. BTW, I got my post up for The Brothers Karamazov. I also put a post up this evening to see if anyone wants to join a read-along for Great Expectations in September. If there is interest, I’ll host it. Just letting you know in case you’re interested in joining in. 🙂

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    • Oh no! I would LOVE to join a Great Expectations read-along but I promised Reese to read The Decameron with him, something I’ve been looking forward to for awhile. I did start Great Expectations about 6 months ago and was really enjoying it but got sidetracked with life stuff. If it gets delayed, please let me know. Sadly because of school and more interesting things going on in life, I can only handle one commitment at a time. In any case, whatever you choose, I hope you have a marvellous read of Dickens great novel!

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      • If you want to join in, I could do it in November. Is November a better month for you? I have an idea for a read-along for October or else I’d do in then (gothic literature!).

        BTW, I am really liking The Mysteries of Udolpho!

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        • We were planning to take until the end of the year to read The Decameron unfortunately. I would say I’d **try** but when I’ve said that lately I’ve always fallen off the wagon ….. school is taking up so much of my time. I will follow along though and wish I was reading along with you!

          That’s great! Me too!

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          • Totally understand! It’s going to be scheduled for November, so definitely pop by and visit when you can! 🙂

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  28. Hi Cleo! Just wanted to hop over here to see if you’ve finished The Mysteries of Udolpho yet. I am almost done! I have just a handful of chapters left to read. I really like this book!

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    • Hi Karen, I’m still plugging away and almost halfway through. I’ve been enjoying it too, just wish I had more time to read and to visit friend’s blogs. Hope you’re doing well!

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