The Luck of the Vails by E.F. Benson

Name: The Luck of the Vails
Author: E.F. Benson

The Luck of the Vails is a novel by E.F. Benson that was first published in 1926. It tells the story of a young woman named Diana Vail who inherits a large fortune from her uncle, but soon discovers that she has also inherited his curse - every man she falls in love with dies within a year of their marriage. As Diana struggles to find true love and break the curse, she encounters many obstacles along the way. The novel explores themes such as fate, destiny, and the power of love to overcome even the most difficult challenges.

By E.F. Benson · First published 2023 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Horror · 25 chapters · 134,155 words

First lines

The short winter's day was drawing to its close, and twilight, the steel and silver twilight of a windless frost, falling in throbs of clear dusk over an ice-bound land. The sun, brilliant but cold as an electric lamp, had not in all the hours of its shining been of strength sufficient to melt the rime congealed during the night before, and each blade of grass on the lawns, each spray and sprig on the bare hedgerows, had remained a spear of crystals minute and innumerable. The roofs of house and cottage sparkled and glimmered as with a soft internal lustre in the light of the moon, which had risen an hour before sunset, and the stillness of great cold, a thing more palpably motionless than even the stricken noonday of the south, gripped all in its vice. Silent, steadfast lights had sprung up and multiplied in the many-windowed village, but not a bird chirped nor dog barked. Labourers were home from the iron of the frozen fields, doors were shut, and the huge night was at hand.

What this Textopian page supports

The Luck of the Vails is listed on Textopian as a novel by E.F. Benson, dated 2023 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: E.F. Benson
Date: 2023 CE
Language: English
Genres: Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Horror, Adventure
Length: 134,155 words
Structure: 25 chapters, 2,487 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Gothic Fiction — The book has elements of supernatural and horror often associated with Gothic Fiction. Its setting in a haunted mansion further categorizes it in this genre.
Mystery — The book evolves around the mysterious Vail's Sapphire which adds elements of suspense and investigation often seen in the Mystery genre.
Horror — The presence of a haunting ghost and the suspense and fear it creates pave the path for classification under the Horror genre.
Adventure — The quest for Vail's Sapphire and the challenges faced by the protagonist give the book elements of an Adventure story.