06-30-2007, 08:56 PM
This was a poor attempt at a novel much less a Gothic. First of all, it was excessively boring and was so appallingly slow that tension could not build up. She took suspense completely out by having the heroine tell the story first person and she had a tendency to go on and on with her own thoughts. The heroine was so insipid, stupid and irrational while trying to literally tell the reader that she was not. Her behavior and reactions were outrageously illogical yet if it wasn't for her actions and reactions, the story would not move at all. The addition of Chinese poetry did nothing to enhance the story except to try to prove that the heroine was literate. Far East culture and island superstitions were barely touched on. The author also had an annoying habit of repeating words, such as, "wondering, wondering" or "crying, crying". And where was the romance? It was completely contrived and our hero barely made an appearance.