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Melmoth the Wanderer 1820
Melmoth the Wanderer 1820: with an introduction by Sarah Perry | Charles Robert Maturin
When a young Dublin student goes to pay his last respects to his dying uncle, he never imagines that he might chance upon a terrifying family secret. Who is the sinister old man in the portrait and why is his uncle so anxious for him to burn it? Why is the Spanish man who saves him from drowning so frightened when he hears the name Melmoth? As he digs deeper into the mystery, an intricate and blood-chilling story begins to unfold. For the past two hundred years, the accursed Melmoth has been searching desperately for an escape from the infernal bargain he once made. Melmoth has traversed the globe leaving destruction and misery in his wake, from Inquisition-era Spain to a remote island in the Indian Ocean - and there have been recent sightings of him in County Wicklow, where our narrator is still piecing the story together. This Victorian classic has captured the imaginations of readers since 1820 and inspired numerous other gothic masterpieces, including Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Sarah Perry's novel Melmoth.
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review
Emilymdxn
Melmoth the Wanderer | Charles Maturin
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Pickpick

A weird book! In structure, in tone, in plot. I can see why people might not like it, the story is all over the place and Melmoth the Wanderer himself doesn‘t appear loads, but the delicious gothic weirdness carried me through all that. Proper nineteenth century grisly melodrama which I can just eat with a spoon.

#wintergames2020 #merryreaders #tbrread @Clwojick +16

vivastory Delicious gothic weirdness? Yes, please! 4y
veritysalter Stacking, I read Sarah Perry‘s ‘Melmoth‘ and would love to know more about the legend. 4y
Clwojick 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y
64 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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MrBook
Melmoth the Wanderer | Charles Maturin
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#BookNDessert! It‘s a perfect night for a classic Gothic horror 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻: damp, chilly, fallen leaves everywhere, and a moon trying to breach the gray clouds! Just me, my hot cocoa, my vanilla cupcake with buttercream icing & sprinkles, and poor Melmoth.

ValerieAndBooks A perfect night indeed 💖 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sounds perfect! I think I‘ll go make some hot cocoa!!! @bookgoil 😋 (edited) 4y
Gissy Enjoy! 4y
TracyReadsBooks I love Melmoth the Wanderer. Such a good book! 4y
86 likes1 stack add4 comments
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MrBook
Melmoth the Wanderer | Charles Maturin
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#BookNDinner! Accompaniment this chilly and wet evening was: crab-fried rice and Thai iced tea. MMMmmmm 😋! This has been another presentation of: #MrBookKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

Prairiegirl_reading Mmmm now I want Thai food! 4y
74 likes1 comment
review
nanuska_153
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Panpan

The first 70 pages were very good with a great Gothic atmosphere. The author uses the next 500 pages to tell stories in which Melmoth is barely present about how Catholics are evil and treat Protestants badly. The author has to move that part of the story from his country to Spain durning the Inquisition. The irony is obvious to anyone who knows a bit of Irish history. Of course he makes no comment about the Irish Protestant/Catholic situation.

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nanuska_153

Not in general a fan of books where there's a story within the story, because not many authors do it properly. Here the main story gets interrupted by a character telling a story, where at some point he reads a story; and even that story gets interrupted by someone telling a story xD The author is wandering more than Melmoth the Wanderer does, since Melmoth rarely leaves Spain...100 pages to finish... never 100 pages felt so much as they do now...

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nanuska_153

This book would benefit of a good editor,young Melmoth and the Spaniard,both at the same time hunting and hunted by Melmoth the wanderer meet,the Spaniard is going to explain what he knows about Melmoth but decides to first talk for hundreds of pages about his childhood, monastic life and views about religion, all largely irrelevant to the story. If it doesn't get back on track soon might be my first bail of the year.

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nanuska_153
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Didn't even know this book existed, the cover cought my attention in a book shop. The portrait of Dorian Gray has been on my to be read list for years but now I know this book exists makes more sense to read the book that inspired it. Let's see what Oscar Wilde's great uncle has to tell us

3 likes1 stack add
review
thebeercolonel
Melmoth the Wanderer | Charles Maturin
Mehso-so

Lovely gothic atmosphere dropping off of the pages in places but my hat it drags on and on in places and well there we are then .

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TracyReadsBooks
Melmoth the Wanderer | Charles Maturin
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Straight from the “it‘s sometimes a small and often very interesting world” files—when he was released from prison Oscar Wilde took the name Sebastian Melmoth. Melmoth is the name of the titular character in Melmoth the Wanderer a Gothic novel (1820) written by Charles Maturin who, it turns out, was Wilde‘s great-uncle. I read Melmoth the Wanderer—about a man who makes a Faustian bargain—years ago & loved it. Might be time for a reread...

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NyxErinys
Melmoth the Wanderer | Charles Maturin

While I would not recommend this book for light or easy reading, I can honestly say this is the only book that has moved me to tears in a long time. If you decide to read it, take your time. It gets complicated.

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DGRachel
Melmoth the Wanderer | Charles Maturin
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#uglycover. I have several of these Classics with creepy covers - just in case you thought you were reading a comedy, here's a cover to give you nightmares. 😂 #somethingforsept #septphotochallenge

LeahBergen Did something just fly out of his mouth when he belched?! 8y
DGRachel To clarify-I know it's not a comedy-these creepy covers crack me up because it feels like they are trying too hard to make you know the book is supposed to be scary, as though you won't read the synopsis first. 😉 8y
DGRachel @LeahBergen 😂😂😂😂 8y
the.bookish.valkyrie 😂Fantastic!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼That is truly ugly! I love it! 8y
42 likes1 stack add5 comments