Dragonwyck

by Anya Seton

Book by Anya Seton

Genres: Historical Fiction, Gothic, Fiction, Romance, Classics, Historical, Historical Romance

373 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 (although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916) - November 8, 1990) was the pen name of the American author of historical romances, Ann Seton.

Ann Seton was born in New York, and died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of English-born naturalist and pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Ernest Thompson Seton and Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson. She is interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich.

Her historical novels were noted for how extensively she researched the historical facts, and some of them were best-sellers.[citation needed] Dragonwyck (1941) and Foxfire (1950) were both made into Hollywood films. Two of her books are classics in their genre and continue in their popularity to the present; Katherine, the story of Katherine Swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt, and their children, who eventually became the basis for the Tudor and Stuart families of England, and Green Darkness, the story of a modern couple plagued by their past life incarnations. Most of her novels have been recently republished, several with forewords by Philippa Gregory.

Her novel Devil Water concerns James, the luckless Earl of Derwentwater and his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1715. She also narrates the story of his brother Charles, beheaded after the 1745 rebellion, the last man to die for the cause. The action of the novel moves back and forth between Northumberland, Tyneside, London and America.

Anya Seton stated that the book developed out of her love for Northumberland. Anya certainly visited her Snowdon cousins at Felton. Billy Pigg, the celebrated Northumbrian piper played 'Derwentwater's Farewell' especially for her. The novel shows her typical thorough research of events and places, though the accents are a little wayward. Anya Seton said that her greatest debt of all was to Miss Amy Flagg of Westoe Village in South Shields, her father's birthplace.

Reviews

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Semi -Gothic book set in the Hudson River Valley of upstate New York during the 1840's is a combination Cinderella and Jane Eyre, a poor girl reaching for the brass ring , somehow grasping it in her hand and a mysterious, frightening master ... married yet she falls madly in love, transported from Europe to America by a clever writer Anya Seton. Our story begins as all good fairy tales do... a pretty young woman more girl than the former through a distant connection a cousin she has never met is invited to live for a while as an unofficial governess to the illustrious Nicolas Van Ryn's daughter Katrine age six, Mr. Van Ryn dominates the novel his so evil nature brings life to an ordinary yarn, the delicious , well -described man, now the term anti-hero gives him the proper alias, the book is fun when he is on the page, so smooth, elegant he drips wickedness but always remains the suave gentleman we love to hate, nevertheless
his wife is the obese lady Johanna, she loves to eat. The grand estate Dragonwyck is two -hundred- years- old, the ancient Dutch family owns a large section of the valley, and Mr Van Ryn rules like a medieval prince not a charming prince, The Patroon, his tenant farmers are resentful this a republic after all. Miranda Wells at 18 still has plenty of growing up though, the family, potato farmers barely surviving yet they will never starve unlike city folks. Miranda is dominated by her hard- working mother with five other children Abigail, the father Ephrain mostly ignores the daughter, she neglects the chores daydreaming, reading novels that transport the girl to exciting adventures not this dull land of Connecticut. Arriving finally she inevitably and immediately is enamored by the handsome aristocratic Mr. Van Ryn, a longing impossible, she knows but cannot stop from thinking about day or night, and this new existence seeing the rich and famous, meeting great writers , politicians including a former president and wealthy businessmen. Feeling uncomfortable, is she a relative of the aristocrats or just a poor servant. Being a certain kind of genre, spirits inhabit the palatial manor... but only in one room, voices and images seen. Naturally murders, revenge, accidents, passions flow, hate, revolts and even for further excitement a couple of riverboat races engulf the narrative. This may not be taken quite seriously still a fascinating ( I know an overused word but what else fits here) look at a never -never land we wished was real. For anyone with a smile on their face, I am searching for a mirror.

[Dolors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books have a magnetism that prevails over style, consistency in plot or used-to- death narrative formulas. Dragonwyck is one of them.
A mix between the Gothic ambiance of Du Maurier’s famous Manderley and Brönte’s Byronic Mr. Rochester that works phenomenally for fans of Victorian fiction.

Seyton knows perfectly well what her readers expect when they enter the sinuous darkness of her novels. A fair, gullible farmgirl; a seductive, mysterious nobleman and an impressive mansion, quaint during the day, but gloomy and full of mysterious secrets in the nighttime when ghosts fill the hush of the damp hallways with premonitory whispers of the past.

Even though the outcome of the story is predictable, I basked in the female protagonist’s development towards adulthood and the blossoming of her own will. Also, the escalating sense of foreboding was masterly exploited to provide context to the underlying sub-plots: the questioning of the feudal system, the difference between passion and obsession, lust and love, and the psychological dive into the convoluted working of irrational attraction towards dominant individuals who distort reality and manipulate feelings for their selfish purposes.
I won’t deny that the brief appearance of Melville and Poe was a guilty pleasure, even though the scenes where they appear might easily be described as more far-fetched than necessary.

All in all, this is the kind of novel that will provide delightful entertainment and have you turning pages till the wee hours of the night. Perfect choice for a light, charming read that will leave you with the sweet taste of reading hours well spent, and wanting for more!

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I plucked this off my mother's shelf in, oh let's say 1973-ish (before reading Green Darkness, anyway). She quirked an eyebrow at the choice, but (as was her habit) made no demur to the borrowing. I'd had some, well, sulphrous things to say about Taylor Caldwell. The term "snoozer biddy" might have been bandied about. However much I was unimpressed by later forays into these 40s icons of sudsy historical (loosely) fiction, I was captivated by this read.

Miranda the Plucky Lass is very clear-sighted (look at the name, no one said Ma Seton was subtle) which makes her a lovely change to the dimwitted, slow-moving Johanna in the eyes of her husband Nicholas, the cold and calculating Master of Dragonwyck. The absolutely bog-standard plot of Wicked Man does Bad Things to get his filthy, lustful paws on Innocent Maiden, succeeds but not for long, and Kind, Decent Man (whose presence isn't subtly heralded, let me just say) Rrrescues Herrr from A Fate Worse Than DEATH!! (Being married to a Bad Man is worse than death. *sigh*)

I lapped it up. Seton's strength as a writer is the facility with which she wraps her ordinary stories in well-chosen words and richly textured imagery. Would I love it again, forty-five years on? Probably not anywhere near as much...but I'd give it a go which is a lot more than I'd do for most stuff I read in 1973. (-ish)

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book the first time so many years ago I really had forgotten every word of it. I was pleased though that I still enjoyed it as I recall that Anya Seton was one of my favourite authors way back when.

Dragonwyck is a Gothic romance set in Connecticut in a magnificent house on the banks of the Hudson. I very much enjoyed the historical facts including the steam boats on the river, anti rent riots and the Astor Place massacre. That last item I had never heard of before and it made interesting reading.

Of course being a Gothic tale there is a beautiful but naïve young girl and a handsome but morally bereft older man - oh and of course another slightly less handsome but much nicer young man to save the day. All so predictable but also very nicely written and pleasurable to read. I never saw the movie that was made but I can imagine a young Vincent Price playing the role of Nicholas, especially when the ghostly voices appear in the creepy Red Room.

I enjoyed it all very much and have made a note to reread a few more of this author's books.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a Gothic romance novel. This is a handbook concerning A) a sociopathic* personality, how its psychosis manifests in actions, words, and thoughts, and how with the smallest trigger, it spirals down into further depths of depravity and horror, and B) the warning signs of an abusive relationship, wherein a husband/boyfriend/lover mocks the low intelligence of his partner, disparages any independent thought, isolates his partner from outside influences, including friends and family, before finally resorting to physical violence to exert control over his partner. Is any of this really romantic? I gave the book three stars for the writing, which, considering it was Seton's second novel, is remarkably mature and well-paced; the tension is palpable, the atmosphere evocatively limned on every page, and the chill of horror and suspicion is felt even in the happiest moments of the novel. First-rate writing. The storyline, however, is not my cup of tea. I will never be a victim and to read of someone willingly, and blindly, overlooking the warning signs from their partner, thus remaining a victim to that partner's whims, is absolutely abhorrent to me.

*People tend to mix up psychopaths and sociopaths, for some odd reason, and I've seen it mentioned that, were Nicholas Van Ryn to be categorized today, he'd be diagnosed as a psychopath. That is incorrect. A psychopath has no conscience yet he also has no control; he doesn't care how he appears to the larger world and has no desire to fit in. Rather his psychosis manifests in ever-increasing bouts of violence with no sense of planning or logic, however twisted that logic might be. A sociopath, however, while still lacking a conscience, looks, acts, and seems like any other person. He is a chameleon. Just look at Ted Bundy, the most famous of sociopaths. It's only when his twisted desires, his super-sized ego is thwarted that the mask of humanity comes off and his inner demon is revealed. Nicholas Van Ryn, though a fictional character, is a perfect example of this mental disorder.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly loved Katherine by Anya Seton. I couldn’t wait to read another of her novels.
Dragonwyck is a Gothic romance with a feel of Jane Eyre and Rebecca.
It is set in the Hudson Valley in the 1800’s.

Miranda is a distant cousin of Nicholas proprietor of Dragonwyck. She is given the opportunity to be a governess to Nicholas’s daughter and to reside at Dragonwyck with all its glitz and glamor. Miranda is a mere farm girl and jumps at the chance. But all is not what it seems. Strange things are happening. Ghosts appear out of nowhere. Nicholas is not the debonair gentleman that Miranda thought. Nicholas’s wife dies suddenly, while he aspires to marry Miranda.

This book is beautifully written and researched. Seton weaves many historical facts about the time and many characters appear such as Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville and the Astor’s.

Highly recommend if you love Gothic stories.

[Nastja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Одна женщина мудака не разглядела издалека.

На самом деле, это удивительно уютная и во многом правильно сделанная околосказочная история о том, как одна девочка захотела стать героиней романа, но забыла попросить у феи-крестной, чтобы только не готического.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m guessing this will be my last Anya Seton novel. I keep expecting to find another Katherine, but the three others of her novels I have read have not lived up to that expectation. I have enjoyed reading her, but, for the most part, I think she is the kind of writer I would have loved for escapism when I was in my teens or twenties. I think I have simply outgrown her.

Our story opens in 1854 with Miranda Wells, a farm girl, receiving an invitation from her mother’s wealthy cousin to come to the estate of Dragonwyck to be a sort of governess to his child. Miranda is transported from her simple, work-a-day life to glamour, luxury and the charms of a cousin that she could little have imagined existing. Where the plot goes from here is fairly predictable. At no juncture did I feel there was really any mystery to unravel or any surprise plot twist, and Miranda behaved just as you would expect a gothic heroine to do, she fell for the charm and missed the obvious clues that all was not well at Dragonwyck.

What I do love about Seton is her ability to describe her settings and re-create a time period to perfection. I could picture upstate New York in the 1850s, and the historical research that was needed to make the story true to its time. As a bit of interest, Seton includes Edgar Allen Poe as one of her characters, and I can attest that the vignette that includes him is very accurate, knowing a bit about his life myself.

If you enjoy gothic romances, you might want to give Anya Seton a try.

[Chari · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Siempre me gustó una película de Vincent Price titulada Dragonwyck, una producción del año 1946. Soy muy fan del cine clásico y de las historias con un toque gótico en particular, tipo Mi prima Rachel, Rebeca o Jane Eyre. Donde existan relatos relacionado con mansiones embrujadas, castillos, internados o institutrices allá que voy yo. Y si hay algo que me gusta mucho es leer los libros en los que se basan para crear dichas adaptaciones a pantalla.
Llevaba mucho tiempo deseando que editaran Mi prima Rachel de du Maurier y El castillo de Dragonwyck de Anya Seton, con el primero he tenido la suerte que Alba editorial me ha complacido pero con el segundo he tenido que recurrir a una antigua edición de 1967 para leerlo al fin. Y lo he disfrutado.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Every year for the last few years I’ve tried to find a book to read on/around my mother’s birthday. Books that she either read and loved (‘Gone With the Wind, her favourite), or one of her favourite authors, Daphne du Maurier, but this year was going through books and came across this one Dragonwyck’ which I chose because of her connection to the movie, although I don’t know if she ever read the book. I actually can’t remember if she even saw the movie. Her connection was that she became a ‘stand in’ for Gene Tierney for the premiere of the movie when it was first shown in Albany, NY, when Tierney was in the hospital (following a nervous breakdown, was what I was told). I have a copy of the original photos in a very old magazine, which shares pictures of my mother posing in the dress that Tierney wore in the film, and know that when she appeared at the premier that they intentionally did not reveal that she was a 'stand in' for Gene Tierney, although it was revealed not all that later in a magazine.

Dragonwyck is a story of a young girl approaching adulthood, whose family managed to get by, although they were not by any means wealthy. When she is ‘invited’ to essentially become a nanny / companion to a child whose father, Nicholas Van Ryn, is a wealthy relative of her family, and well regarded by others as a well respected man. Johanna, is the woman who he has the displeasure to be married to as this story begins. She is, in his eyes, ungrateful, lazy and no longer physically appealing. Once there, Miranda is smitten by how elegant Dragonwyck is, and how caring Nicholas appears to be. It isn’t long before he makes sure that Miranda has a new wardrobe, with fine, elegant clothes, since nothing less will do. She is worlds away from the life she had before.

Soon after, Johanna dies, and not long after that Nicholas makes his intentions known that he wishes for Miranda to be his wife. However, first she must return to the home of her parents for one year, in order to avoid gossip.

Once married, her life changes, Nicholas changes - or reveals himself in a way that she has not seen before. He is impatient, and as time passes his moodiness has him avoiding her, or worse, as well as others. Initially Miranda tries harder to please him, but her life in Dragonwyck becomes darker as do his moods.

This does have *some* lighter moments, but this gothic novel is decidedly darker as the story continues. It does include some political issues as the rule of only the ‘elite’ is nearing its end. There are many dramatic moments as the story nears its conclusion, tension builds until the fitting and almost necessary end.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I opened Dragonwyck was incidentally the first time I was exposed to Edgar Allan Poe. The novel opens with the poem "Alone," and Poe is one of the characters in this quintessential gothic tale. I first found this in a used book store when I was about 10 or 11, and every few years I am compelled to pick it up again, even though I know it through and through.

Dragonwyck is the story of Miranda Wells, a farm girl in upstate New York with dreams of a luxurious life she can never hope to attain. Her days are spent reading torrid novels, avoiding the advances of the village yokels, and trying her best to keep up appearances as she helps her family toil on their land. Her father is a good if overly religious and stern man, her mother perpetually weary, and her siblings see nothing wrong with the drudgery of farm life.

Miranda's dream is unexpectedly realized when the Wells family receives a letter from their wealthy and distant relative, Nicholas Van Ryn, offering to take in one of the Wells girls as a companion for his daughter, Katrine. Miranda leaves for Dragonwyck bursting with hope, a naïve and vain girl who is about to undertake a perilous journey.

At Dragonwyck, Miranda is enchanted by her distant cousin, the handsome (and of course brooding) Nicholas. She is exposed to many luminaries of the age at the mansion on the Hudson, including Van Buren, and finds herself embroiled in the bitter wars between tenant farmers and manor lords. Being a gothic novel, of course sinister events which will change her completely begin to unfold.

I would venture to say that this book is not only a shining example of gothic literature: the haunted mansion, the brooding hero, etc.; it also delves into many important issues of the mid-19th century which shaped the future of America. More interestingly, it captures without sentimentality the loss of innocence and the nature of evil. It's a quick read, and it's back in print...so read it already!

[Mbhabibti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong 4 STARS. It was no Katherine, but still possessed that historically-accurate, atmospheric quality that keeps drawing me to Anya Seton's books. This particular story was gothic rather than medieval, and you could feel the dread building page by page. (The cheery, floral cover is misleading.)

Hoping to watch the 1940s film adaptation this week, and fully intend to pick up another of her novels later this summer—all free on Kindle Unlimited, by the way!

[Bree Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow...

So many feels with this book. In this story you follow Miranda Wells. When we first meet her she is an 18 year old farm girl living with her family when one day they receive a letter from a distant relative on her Mother's side inviting one of her family's daughters to come stay with them and assist them with their young daughter Katrine.

Miranda is a young woman who wants more for herself. In a world where at her age she needs to be looking for suitors to settle down, her family mistakes her being bored with the local boys for her not wanting to settle down. She immediately jumps at the opportunity that presents itself in the letter they receive. Once in the walls of the gothic mansion Dragonwyck and upon meeting Cousin Nicholas, his wife Johanne, daughter Katrine and the crew of servants, Miranda finds herself falling for Nicholas.

Again, I had so many feels with this book. Miranda as a character never really fits in anywhere. It starts with her family. Her father feels she's "too flighty, vain, and worries about worldly things," instead of focusing on farm work. Her mother has Miranda's back because she was 'that girl' until she was in a way forced into marriage and started having children. Once at Dragonwyck, Miranda never fits in there. The servants are cold and standoffish towards her. When parties are thrown, the local girls her age don't allow her in their circle because Johanne has made it very well known she is a farm girl and not really 'one of them.' And even for a brief moment when she returns home, once again she doesn't fit in because she has been around wealthy people and has started to change. I think Anya Seton did an excellent job at capturing that phase of being an 18 year old young woman during this crazy time period and not really being able to find your place.

The differences between class systems was shown really well in this book. I felt like the character of Nicholas from the beginning is written as this handsome guy who you are just not meant to like. I really liked really being able to feel engrossed in the story; topics such as slavery, the upcoming President, the annexation of Texas were all topics discussed throughout the book and i just felt like it really added to the experience of plopping myself down in the time period in which this book takes place.

I gave this four stars simply because about 100 pages out from the ending I felt like the book became really slow and the last 40 pages the momentum picked back up for me.

Overall, this is Miranda's story and her journey and her development as a character and woman made the read worth while. This book has excited me to pick up more of Anya Seton's works.

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one ages ago, as a teen. If I ever dreamed of being a damsel in distress and being saved by a handsome lord of the realm, this one knocked some sense back into me!

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had watched the film Dragonwyck on TV sometime in the 70s. The film stars Gene Tierney, and Vincent Price. Two of my favorite actors.

I finally read the novel and the film was actually pretty close to following the authors written work.

It is a historical Gothic story so if that is not a genre to hold your interest, it wont be a favorite.

Dragonwyck is the name of a large, mansion and estate in the Hudson Valley, New York. It is the ancestral home of the wealthy and arrogant Nicholas Van Ryn, a Patroon who owns the large manor and lands with many tenants.

In history, "patroon" refers to a large landowner with manorial rights of New Netherland, now New York and New Jersey.

Granted large estates by the Dutch West India Company, patroons were given extensive privileges.

There is a terrible curse associated with the men of the Van Ryn family.

The curse originated with Nicholas van Ryn's great-grandmother, Azilde. She committed suicide after her husband Pietr's abuse and anger when she failed to produce a surviving son.

With her dying breaths, Azilde cursed the family, swearing she would never leave Dragonwyck and that all future male heirs would suffer a similar fate.

Males heirs would not survive and thrive. The line of Van Ryn would not prosper and eventually .die off.

Nicholas's first wife, Johanna, gives birth to a baby boy who dies shortly after birth, a sign of Alzides presence and curse.

It is an unhappy marraige.
Joanna becomes self centered, and continually unwell.

She shows no interest in her young first born daughter Katrine. Joanna only joy becomes good food.

MIranda Wells is a distant cousin to Nicholas and he invites either her or her sister to come to the estate as a companion to his young daughter Katrine.

Nicholas leaves the choice of which sister to their father. Miranda is delighted to be chosen.

Nicholas intended for Miranda to be a positive influence on Katrine who is a lonely little girl constantly neglected by her mother Joanna.

Nicholas quickly becomes infatuated with Miranda himself.

The story proceeds in a very sinister way with the curse of Azilde that will rise again to effect the line of the Van Ryn.

The rest is in the novel.

Four Stars

[Lavanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I absolutely loved the dark atmosphere of this book! Anya Seton does a fantastic job building tension. The Hudson Valley setting gives off major Rebecca and Jane Eyre vibes.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sensual Gothic set in upstate New York. Magnificent ancestor of modern romance!

There are so many reasons I love this fascinating "missing link" from the romance novel family tree. I love the unique setting, upstate New York in the 1840's. Not an hour from where I grew up! I love the author's voice, so cynical and worldly wise yet full of tender sympathy for innocent Miranda. Most of all, I love the darkness and the sense that a happy ending is *not* guaranteed.

Miranda Wells is a bit clueless at first, knowing and suspecting nothing of Nicholas' darker nature. But that's understandable give the vast gulf in their social backgrounds. He is a New York landowner with untold millions in wealth, while she's a poor farm girl from Connecticut. The fact that they are (very) distantly related is actually a rather thin pretext to have her move into his house at Dragonwyck. But when you meet Nicholas' wife and see how bored he is with his life you can see why luscious, blonde, trusting Miranda is a most pleasurable diversion!

But not everyone is under Nicholas' spell. Anya Seton skilfully works the fascinating real-life history of the Anti-Rent Wars into the story, so you cans see why Dr. Jeff Turner and the poor farmers feel that they can challenge the mighty "Patroon," Nicholas van Ryn. And you can also see why sweet, innocent Miranda is fiercely loyal to Nicholas and his autocratic ways -- at least until rugged, good-looking Dr. Turner gets her to start thinking for herself!

This is such a satisfying book, even when its darkest you are captivated by the characters and cheering for Miranda. Nicholas, I admit, can be hard to take at times -- like Bela Lugosi playing Dracula, he makes you giggle when he's really trying to creep you out! But overall this is a thrilling book that you can return to again and again. I own it on Kindle but I also have a wonderfully worn copy that sat on a high school bookshelf for thirty years.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, Dragonwyck reminded me of Mansfield Park: the young girl summoned to live with her aristocratic relations--although in this case, it's American rather than English aristocracy--who trades poverty for their luxurious lifestyle. But that resemblance was shattered as soon as Nicholas Van Ryn appeared. He is no Sir Thomas, and certainly no Edmund Bertram. Nicholas is more like Maxim de Winter: glamorous, unapproachable, even unfathomable to Miranda. And when Miranda is introduced to Dragonwyck and the life the Van Ryn's lead, the reader is also introduced to a feudal system that seems unlikely in American history. Nicholas Van Ryn presides over his tenants like a European aristocrat, and the tenants are expected to appear before him twice a year to pay rent for the farms their families have been working for generations. That the system is crumbling around him is an example of the pressure Van Ryn feels to maintain his (to him) rightful place in the world. And really, Dragonwyck is more about him than any other character. Miranda is the heroine of the story, but Nicholas Van Ryn is the hub around which the story orbits. His character is examined most--usually through Miranda's eyes--but also through his own, albeit self-deluding, thoughts and emotions. It is inevitable, of course, that Miranda will fall in love with Nicholas, her glamorous, handsome, rich, all-powerful relative, and that the reader will root for them to get together (especially after we encounter Nicholas' wife Johanna). But what is less understandable is why Nicholas would fall in love with Miranda--the naive, young farm girl who doesn't begin to understand him. Eventually, of course, we realize the truth about Nicholas, their relationship and, as the author puts it, "what incalculable harm to many innocent people could be done by one supreme egotist"--a theme that is illustrated by the river boat races that bracket Miranda's arrival and departure from Dragonwyck. Ultimately, the book was not at all what I expected, and the author broke a lot of rules that romance novelists follow these days, but I enjoyed reading it. I liked the character growth that Miranda shows and I was so impressed with the author's scholarship. She managed to weave in several historical events that I was not familiar with and presented a picture of mid-nineteenth century life that was both believable and surprising. An excellent read.

[Franky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll chalk Dragonwyck up to one of those classic Gothic romance guilty pleasure types, as it seemingly has all the staples in place: the naïve young lady from simple origins out of her element, the dark and mysterious man who captivates said lady, a foreboding and mysterious estate with secrets and superstitions, and a few skeletons in the closet. And did I forget to mention the flair for melodramatics?

Miranda Wells comes from a humble home. She is the daughter of a very religious and upright father who maintains a farm. While she lives the life in the country with her family, she enjoys reading spicy Gothic romance novels. So, it seems that fate intervenes when a letter arrives at Wells’ residence from a certain cousin Nicholas Van Ryn. Living an aristocratic lifestyle, Van Ryn has invited one of the Wells daughters to stay for a time and be a companion to their child.

For Miranda, this is the adventure she has hoped for: “The fantastic name ‘Dragonwyck’ enchanted her. She repeated it over and over to herself and it was as though it pulled her to it, and beckoned." So, of course her father relents, and Miranda is off to visit the Van Ryns.

One of the angles explored in the novel is Miranda being caught between the two societies, one that is the country life with a moral and religious upbringing, and that of the aristocratic, genteel lifestyle under her cousin. She soon comes to realize after arriving at Dragonwyck that there are more questions than answers, but she is enamored with Nicholas. Still, she has an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling sometimes about her stay, but why is that?

As I mentioned earlier, the dramatics are definitely there, and maybe a little over the top at points, but there are definitive moments of intrigue and suspense as Miranda gradually learns more about obscure cousin and his wife and tries to pull back the proverbial curtain to this situation.
I also thought the romantic angle was handled nicely as well. For some reason, I was thinking about several novels that have traits similar to this one: Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights to name a few.

A nice touch also is Seton’s ability to weave in the historical elements and figures of the time and incorporate them into the plot. For example, the Anti-Rent Wars and the steamboat racing become quite essential to several conflict and parts of the plot. Also, there are several cameo appearances by authors of this time, such as Melville, Cooper, and Poe. (At one point, Miranda and Nicholas are at the Poe’s place listening to “Eddie” recite one of his works).

The ending and final resolve was a little clunky, but I suppose it got the job done. Nevertheless, it did not take away from the enjoyment of the novel.

This was my first exposure to reading Anya Seton (I own and have Katherine on my to -read list), and it was a good experience. There is a film adaptation with Gene Tierney available that I watched years ago, so I might go revisit, to see how it compares.

[Barbara VA · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can it possibly be that I have NEVER read this book? I LOVED it! Many people told me that it was in the style of Rebecca and Jane Eyre, so it seemed a natural to me. I loved Katharine and Green Darkness many years ago but somehow this passed me by. I am a Hudson Valley girl and I have devoured gothic mysteries for years. I agree with many of the other posts that speak to the writing style and say that Miranda is not as well drawn a character as Jane Eyre and Nicholas is too evil but I pass on that and give much higher marks to Ms Seton in other areas. She presents historical figures (ie Poe) and places them naturally and correctly in her story giving them more than a cameo appearance. The names such as Rensaleaar, Astor, and Schulyler are essential to the tone and understanding the drive of Nicholas. She addresses actual events that shaped the area (steamboat race disasters and the Patroon system) and the visual descriptions of the Catskill Mountain House (sadly, no longer there), the river and the glamour of New York and the desolation of farming hamlets in the same way. These, more than make up for some of the shortfailings in character. I understand these characters and all of their failings and motivations. Well done!

[LUNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Me ha gustado muchísimo, es una historia con un fondo bastante gótico donde una joven se enamora de su primo casado al cual le sirve como institutriz a su hija, el es un rico conde de los últimos terratenientes de estados unidos, no me acuerdo muy bien de la fecha de la ambientación, pero muestra muy bien la lucha de los granjeros para poder poseer las tierras que trabajan, me ha gustado muchísimo este trasfondo, a la vez tenemos dragonwyck un castillo enorme donde vive Nicolas del cual se enamora Miranda nuestra prota, Miranda es una delicia como va creciendo, cambiando y madurando, y también me gusta mucho todo el ambiente del castillo, sus maldiciones y sus fantasmas.
Refleja muy bien el sentimiento de la época, y de muchas cosas que se hacian, además tiene partes literarias muy frikis como ciertos comentarios de escritores y la aparición de escritor muy conocido estadounidense, que disfrute mucho.

[Chaitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragonwyck is a gothic romance in the vein of Jane Eyre, albeit set in America just before the Civil War. Nicholas Van Ryn is this novel's Rochester. A patroon in the dying days of feudal society, he clings to the trappings of fiefdom even when it becomes increasingly obvious that it is all going to end soon. He is also handsome, brooding, mysterious, and has a fat wife (Johanna) he doesn't care for to boot. So it's no wonder that his poor cousin Miranda falls hard for him when she comes to live with the Van Ryns, even though she's nothing more than a glorified servant. Johanna dies and Nicholas wastes no time in winning Miranda's hand. He doesn't even have to exert himself, she's practically throwing herself at his feet. Everyone else has misgivings, but Miranda is blind to his faults, even when one of his fault leads to a poor tenant's death. Needless to say, a leopard doesn't change its spots, just because, probably especially because, it has now married a beautiful woman with no will power and a talent for making up agreeable fantasies about said leopard's spotty ways.

And this is where Dragonwyck becomes better than normal gothic romances (though Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books ever). Miranda is a fool and is so blinded by wealth and the romance of the manor and her own vanity that she cannot or will not see the fear Nicholas inspires in everyone. Nicholas is tall, dark and handsome, but is a sociopath who will abuse his wife on her wedding night, humiliate and isolate her. There is a paper thin hero who is supposed to save the day, but gets to live because of a lucky co-incidence. He also makes the almost fatal mistake of letting Miranda go off on her own, when her husband just tried to kill him and he made only a half hearted attempt to bind the guy. Suffice to say that Nicholas wasn't in his best mood. Miranda only gets free of Nicholas because Seton changes his spots at the last minute.

Dragonwyck is also worse than normal gothic romances, because Miranda is never someone you root for, and Nicholas is never charming. My copy had an afterword written by Philippa Gregory, where she tries to make the case that the way the book is written, the readers are as repulsed by Johanna as Nicholas and Miranda are and cheer when Johanna dies and Miranda and Nicholas get married. After I read that, I wondered if Gregory and I read the same book. At no point did I feel that Nicholas was anything less than the asshole he was, and at no point did I think that Miranda was anything but a willfully blind and greedy child. Johanna aroused nothing but sympathy in me, because how else was she supposed to treat a vapid airhead trying to steal her husband under her nose? That she's fond of food and consequently is fat is probably only enough to repulse the most shallow of people. Miranda does turn around much later, after a number of years of subjugation under Nicholas. But even when her eyes are fully opened, she still lacks any insight into Nicholas' psyche. Her turning into a democrat and dividing up the estate between tenants came out of nowhere. She never stood up to her husband regarding the tenants, and we don't get any mental chatter from her about that either.

I was also bothered by the number of authors that are trotted out, Fenimore Cooper, Herman Melville, Edgar Allen Poe; for no reason whatsoever. The book would not have been any different had these authors not been characters. As it is, it feels an awful lot like name dropping. Dragonwyck ultimately evens out in terms of quality, but I still think of it as a disappointing book.

[Cassandra Dexter Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anya Seton es una excelente escritora y sabe enganchar con sus historias, ya sean inventadas como ésta o basadas en personajes reales como "La rebelde". El cambio de tercio hacia lo gótico, con "Dragonwyck" es magistral, si bien la veo más de misterio que gótica en sí. Es un claro antecedente de las novelas de Victoria Holt, con ese Nicholas tremendo y odioso que te hace dudar hasta que da la cara y empiezas a tener miedo de él como Miranda, la protagonista, que es una pava durante casi toda la novela hasta que reacciona. Lo que he echado en falta es conocer mejor el porqué de la actitud morbosa de Nicholas, se deja demasiado esbozado. Una buena lectura. Creo que voy a leer lo poco que hay traducido de esta escritora, me parece muy interesante y una gran narradora.

Cosa aparte es la traducción, donde el laísmo está muy presente y eso me molesta mucho.

[Bookish Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve hit the jackpot on good books lately and the reading community on Goodreads gets that credit.

Imagine that you had a book that was a hybrid of Poe, Dumaurier and something earth shatteringly romantic while being unpredictable that all the time you have a terrible dread that something is going to go very wrong.

Dragonwyck was written in the 1940’s and it was positioned as a love story. I’m not one to give spoilers but I found the characters and storyline to be so well developed that I was fascinated by them. I found this book to be of a certain genre, then morphing into another and then entirely another. Of course the movie made from this book starred Vincent Price - are you feeling its atmosphere yet?

Set in the mid 19th century Seton weaves in many historical details that I might otherwise have never known about, together with well known political figures and writers (I shall not say who- you will have to find out for yourself.

5 stars for an addictive read.

[Cynda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of years ago I watched the movie version. While watching the movie, I sensed gaps in the story. This novel fills out all the social history gaps, including what Poe's literature meant to a great dark brooding patroon and what the other ladies thought of the farm girl who became the lady of that great dark brooding patroon.

When I read long gothic novels about wealthy wicked men and the beautiful ingénues they take advantage of, I think of.English or German literary works. This is an American work.

Although I would not wish that such things happen in the US, I know they do. Maybe not on a dramatic literary scale so often, yet often enough men of power do hurt ingénues and other women who have made themselves vulnerable. So I am glad that such a book has been written about the American experience.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was a compelling and, at times, horrifying book that I could not put down! If you like well written historical fiction along with characters and a setting you will not forget, Dragonwyck is the book for you, although it is extravagant in every way. I gather the movie is also quite enjoyable.

https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...

[Mereda Hart Farynyk]

Right! So. Overall, this book was a miss for me, but it’s not that it was bad. It’s of a style that immediately drew me in—both in the writing and in the type of story it is (I really love the dark, mysterious, gothic-style type of story). It effortlessly kept my interest (though I did get impatient with it here and there, but I’ll expound on that later), and it had a general condemning of wickedness and selfishness and immortality and a general praising of goodness. I appreciated the richness of the historical setting, bringing in many actual events and conflicts and differing beliefs and people of the time in a way that was informative and engaging.

Now, for the reasons why this one didn’t quite work for me. I’ll endeavor to explain, but I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to articulate it without giving part of the plot away. The necessary vagueness will perhaps make my points difficult to understand.

First I’ll say that while I’ve seen this book compared to Jane Eyre, I found it much more similar to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. In fact, it was so similar that it was inevitable that I should compare the two, and that was, unfortunately, to this book’s detriment. I’ll do my best not to be too spoilery for either book, but a lot of the things I’ll discuss that are things that are (in my opinion) quite apparent from the outset.

In both books, we have setup of the fairly “innocent young woman” drawn to making similar bad decisions. Right away, I felt a keen distinction in how effective Tenant was in this over Dragonwyck. Part of this divergence lies in how real and nuanced Tenant felt to me over Dragonwyck.

With Helen’s “bad decision” in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, there is such a strong impression of how easily many a young woman could be led to making a similar decision. As the reader, you feel the dread and the desire to say, “No! Don’t do it!” but her doing it, and her reasons for doing it, feel so very honest and real and, as a result, genuinely sobering and thought provoking. With Dragonwyck, there is, in contrast, a strong sense of unreality. There is a strong emphasis placed on how preternatural Nicholas is as a character, for example, and that makes everything connected to him feel preternatural and therefore somewhat irrelevant to real life (Nicholas is one of the two central characters in the story, and nearly everything in the book is connected to him). This general theme carries throughout. Things are done in such a way that they feel so on the nose that they lose their power/effectiveness. This is part of the reason I grew impatient here and there; it felt pretty apparent where certain things were going, so I got impatient for them to just go ahead and happen.

In the same spirit as this general “on the noseness” was the fact of things being put in a very general, rather than personal or nuanced, way. For example, our protagonist, Miranda, starts out being generally bored with the Bible and Christianity and thinking it’s mostly a tool her father uses to get his way (but she still generally believes in its veracity), to then neglecting the idea of God or religion entirely, to then reading the Bible for solace in trouble, but there’s nothing personal in it. There’s nothing real or honest in it in terms of a real encounter with God or any kind of real belief in Christianity or anything of that nature. There is a turning towards repentance in the story, but even in that, it’s not a turning towards God; it has a decidedly more humanist feel of turning towards being generally less selfish and more moral and being a “good person”, rather than submitting to and surrendering one’s life to God.

Similar vagueness lies in many of the ominous hints and forebodings throughout the story that have to do with mysteries and hauntings of Dragonwyck (an old house) and the “evil” that resides there… that end up being quite nothingy and underdeveloped, in the end; quite underutilized.

Ultimately, though this book had a generally “good message,” there was much about it that felt broad and general and shallow and therefore lacking the impact it wanted to have. And even some of the “goodness” presented was still rather immoral in my opinion (one of the most “virtuous/good/noble” characters in the story was rather immoral in one key area of life).

It wasn’t a terrible book; it kept me interested; but it was a book that I found to be lacking. It didn’t say altogether much; what it did say was pretty obvious and general; and the darker (and more basely sensual) aspects of the tale weren’t balanced with a strong payoff of Truth and Beauty (though an attempt at this was made, for me it very much failed).

There are other books out there of a similar style that have far more depth and genuine emotion. And there are other books out there of a similar style that aren’t especially deep but that use the drama and excitement of the mysterious gothic setting in a way that’s SUPER fun and effective. This book, for me, didn’t do either. It kind of failed in delivering on some of the more gothic, brooding elements. And it failed in being as meaningful and profound as it seemed to be trying to be. So… I would recommend any of those other books over this one 🙈

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

The rating, any status updates, and those bookshelves, indicate my feelings for this book.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been ages since I've seen the movie adaptation, but from what I can remember I prefer it to the book. It's tough to go wrong with Gene Tierney and Vincent Price.

[Lady Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.2 / 5

In many ways, Dragonwyck is almost formulaic of a Gothic romance, and I say that mostly because the Gothic novel had already gone out of style by the time Anya Seton wrote this in 1944. I sincerely believe that the last great Gothic novelist was Henry James, and after him everyone who attempted to write a Gothic novel (and in Anya Seton's case, succeeded), did so only whilst standing on the shoulders of giants.

So it is.

The story is about as typical as they come--not that that makes me love it any less. Miranda Wells is living in pastoral bliss, except she's rather too conceited for her own good, and so it's with no little excitement that she seizes upon the chance to leave her life behind. The chance comes in the form of an invitation from her cousin, Nicholas Van Ryn, a rich landowner who's not an aristocrat (since it's America and all), but he certainly acts like it. Nicholas lives up at Dragonwyck, his ancestral home, along with his obese wife, Joanna--and yes, there's is a sexless and lovely marriage--and his daughter, Katrinne.

So begins the Gothic romance, complete with a possible ghost in the house, an eerie cackling servant, and of course the mysteriousness of Nicholas himself.

Now, what I really liked about this was how it remained true to the formula, in that we're never quite sure what to think of Nicholas or of Dragonwyck. They're both enigmas, and in part this is because we're seeing everything through Miranda's eyes--and she's awed by everything--whereas our own readers' intuition is telling us that something is off.

But, nonetheless, that's what keeps the suspense going.

....

For the first half of the novel, at least.

Strange as it may be to say, it's about halfway through that I started to lose interest, in part because I saw that the author was taking exactly the direction I guessed for the story, and so it felt like I already knew everything that was going to happen before it did. Add to that Miranda's change in personality from an excited and giddy girl to a sudden damsel-in-distress (and for no good reason, seeing as she gets just what she wants or at least thinks she wants), and you've got me a bit unsure as to how worthwhile the story is going to be if I already have a sense of what's going to happen.

Really, if I had to sum up my disinterest halfway through, I'd say that it's because Miranda's not a strong character, and ultimately it was her discovery of new things in the first half of the book that drove the plot more than Miranda herself. The "problem" with me is that I like strong heroines, heroines that stand up for themselves regardless of circumstances, like Jane Eyre or Marian Halcombe. And yes, I know that maybe I should give Miranda the benefit of the doubt since Nicholas is older than she is and has a much stronger personality and presence, but so did Mr. Rochester and Count Fosco, and yet both Jane and Marian held their ground against them. (And for those who are wondering, the novels I'm referencing are the Gothic excellences that are Jane Eyre and The Woman in White.)

I guess that, ultimately, with just this shift in Miranda's character, the Gothic genre of this novel turned more into the 1700s genre of Romantic Gothics, like something by Anne Radcliffe, rather than the 1800s Victorian Gothics. Unfortunately, it's the latter ones that I prefer, and I honestly thought in the first half of this novel that that's the direction things were headed in. That wasn't the case.

Still though, I did enjoy the book overall and I was glad to have read it--all the while envisioning Vincent Price as Nicholas, because he's absolutely perfect for the role!

Anyway, all things considered, this book still gets a high rating for staying true to formula, though because it does follow a formula rather than make up its own formula, I'm only awarding it 4 stars out of 5.

Considering that the Gothic genre of novels is my absolute favourite and is therefore the hardest one for me to be impressed by, that's still pretty good.

Now, I'm off to watch the movie.