Haunted Houses
Two Novels from Charlotte Riddell

two very enjoyable novels by charlotte riddell - a more obscure author the kind for which this whole series was created (as also evident by this being the second entry ever in the series). both novels are written with a great sense of humour and wit, striking a good balance between the ordinary and t......more

For the past few years the British Library has been doing a sterling job of rediscovering unjustly forgotten writers and publishing high quality editions of their work. The latest candidate for literary reanimation is Charlotte Riddell, a prominent nineteenth century novelist and magazine editor. He......more

I believe I've only read (and loved) one short story by Riddell, so I really wanted to read some more of her works, having also heard a lot about her (shout out to Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction). This British Library edition contains two novellas that foc......more

Very easy to read and entertaining. For a Victorian writer I think Charlotte Riddell has quite a modern style, it has 'aged' well. Not very scary if you're looking for spooky ghost stories but enjoyable nonetheless. One thing I didn't understand though is why the widow in the first novel is held host......more

Once again the star rating seems inadequate. Fairy Water, like the title, is a rather pusillanimous and feeble tale whilst the Uninhabited House, whilst not a classic certainly merits reading. It is a shame that so many female authors of gothic fiction (Mary Shelley excepted) have been forgotten whi......more