The Mysteries of Udolpho cover art

The Mysteries of Udolpho

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The Mysteries of Udolpho

By: Ann Ward Radcliffe
Narrated by: Alison Larkin
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £19.78

Buy Now for £19.78

This was the most popular novel of Radcliffe's time; Radcliffe's portrayal of her heroine's inner life raised the Gothic romance to a new level. The atmosphere of fear and the gripping plot continue to thrill today.

This is the story of the orphaned Emily St Aubert, who finds herself separated from the man she loves and confined within the Castle of Udolpho by her aunt's new husband Montoni. Here she must cope with an unwanted suitor, Montoni's threats, and the wild imaginings and terrors which threaten to overwhelm her.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Classics Gothic Horror Mystery Scary Fiction Suspense
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Editor reviews

Ann Radcliffe’s most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho, with its titular enigmatic castle, vivid landscapes, supernatural portents, and brooding characters is considered by many to be the standard by which all Gothic novels are judged. When her father dies, Emily is forced to live at the castle of her aunt’s new husband, the malevolent Count Montoni. The drama unfolds as Emily is treated cruelly by Montoni and alarming events constantly trouble her. Alison Larkin performs the grotesque and the sumptuous elements of the audiobook with equal dexterity, excelling at the villainous men who inhabit the story. If you’re ready to escape into a romantic and chilling world, you won't want to stop listening to this classic tale.
All stars
Most relevant
Great story, suitably spooky and romantic.

It does have that unfortunate habit common to 18th century novels where, at the peak of the action, we pause for 15 pages of scenery. But the scenery was beautifully written...

[slight spoiler alert] The breakup was the best breakup I've ever heard/read/seen and I loved it.

The narrator was very good - amazing facility with accents, and I felt like her accents and tones enhanced the characters.

Fully recommended

Loved this: great story, great narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You have to like gothic fiction to tolerate this book. Luckily I love it, so really enjoyed this reading of a book I already knew. Alison Larkin reads the sections of poetry really nicely, I often don't 'get' poetry but this made the passages enjoyable, rather than a struggle which I normally skip over to return to the narrative.

The characters are French and Italian in this book, but to differentiate between different persons, Ms Larkin uses Scottish, West Country and Yorkshire accents! This however does not spoil the story and makes it easy to tell who is speaking. The heroine Emily St Aubert is a little insipid for modern tastes perhaps, always with unsupportable spirits and fainting away, but remember what kind of novel this is and enjoy the luscious description of the landscape and, once about a quarter of the way in, a really gripping tale of mysteries.

Luscious indulgent listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I was interested in this book as a big Jane Austen fan and it featuring in Northanger Abbey. It's a good story very intriguing with lots of twists and turn and mystery. However it has I feel alot of unnecessary poetry in for a modern reader. It makes me appreciate Austen's writing style and humor all the more.

Good story bit too much poetry for modern tastes?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
She was called the Shakespeare of her time. Her prose is like poetry. Like William Shakespeare, it is a mystery who Ann Radcliff was. The voice for this audio is gusto-enthused and passionate.

Shakespeare's real sister!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the imagery, the chills etc. I found the buckets of tears shed throughout and the many faintings amusing!

Atmosphere

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews