Simonetta Perkins

by L.P. Hartley

Considered by Hartley to be the most accomplished of his works, Simonetta Perkins is a brilliantly observed tale of desire and guilt. Set against a glorious Venetian backdrop, it explores the nature of physical temptation, creating a complex psychological work deeply reminiscent of Henry James. With a Foreword by Margaret Drabble. Visiting Venice with her mother, Bostonian ingénue Lavinia Johnstone soon tires of their fellow American tourists and her mother’s unstinting attempts to find her a husband. Increasingly, she withdraws into herself, her diary being the only outlet for her deep–seated frustrations. And it is in her diary that she begins to explore the extraordinary sensations that she experiences when her gaze falls on an extremely attractive Venetian gondolier. L.P. Hartley (1895­1972), a prolific story writer and novelist, is best remembered for his masterpiece The Go–Between.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, 20th Century, Novels, Italy, Novella, British Literature

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1925

About the author

Leslie Poles Hartley (1895-1972) was born in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, and educated at Harrow and Balliol College, Oxford. For more than thirty years from 1923 he was an indefatigable fiction reviewer for periodicals including the Spectator and Saturday Review. His first book, Night Fears (1924) was a collection of short stories; but it was not until the publication of Eustace and Hilda (1947), which won the James Tait Black prize, that Hartley gained widespread recognition as an author. His other novels include The Go-Between (1953), which was adapted into an internationally-successful film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates, and The Hireling (1957), the film version of which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Reviews

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could find the 1957 orange, white and black cover art (uncredited) for this edition, which features the protagonist, Lavinia Johnstone, looking a little like Liza Minnelli as she glances askance at hunky gondolier Emilio with the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute behind him. Some say Hartley was writing a homosexual love story, and Lavinia is a stand-in for Hartley. There's a scene where Lavinia goes to the hairdresser that is reminiscent of Aschenbach's trip to the barber in Death in Venice; perhaps this is just one of many clues which tell us this story of illicit heterosexual desire is something a little more. Interestingly, Simonetta Perkins isn't a real person, but an alias Lavinia uses in order to discuss Emilio.

[Eddie Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simonetta Perkins is doubly fictional; in this story she is the friend as in “asking for a friend”.

Sexual obsession and self-thwarted desire whilst holidaying in Venice are the themes here, as in Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice. One may assume Hartley disguises himself as his heroine Lavinia Johnstone and Death in Venice’s homosexual obsession becomes transmuted into Hartley’s characteristic sex-across-social-classes theme. American aristocrat Lavinia has the hots for a hunky gondolier.

Unlike DiV, the upshot is comical rather than tragic. I loved Hartley’s indirect characterisation - Lavinia’s naive longings are noticed and reflected back at her by others - and her ’Simonetta Perkins’ ploy is rumbled by her best friend, who writes a highly amusing reply to her request for assistance. There’s lots to enjoy here but I found the ending a little too abrupt and a little too quickly deflating of the sexual tension. A far too easy escape for both character Lavinia and her author Lesley Poles Hartley. He sets up the tension really well though.

This is his first novel - his last, The Harness Room, published just before he died, reprises the sexual longings theme in an authentically homosexual form. The Lavinia character there is sexually fulfilled - yay! - but the book ends tragically.

[Priyadarshni Palanikumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 'rough' review, if that's even legit. I read this book in two sittings, both during train journeys. So, I was very fascinated, but, I did not absorb the content very well to write a full-fledged review.

I loved the language! The writer is so very talented with his words. And the settings and characters were very eloquent. It is stubbornly set to a single POV. I did not appreciate that very much, but then again, I'm sure it was meant for a novella to that extent only.

I did not like two things about it.

1. That the love interest of the protagonist is not very forthcoming or present. It confused me a lot. I did not 'see' what is to love about that person.
2. That the book is filled with a lot of assumed references. The edition had an appendix at the end for these references, thankfully.

As for my last word, I read up about the author and found out that the book was a homosexual love story written as a heterosexual one in order to ward off the controversies of the time. This interested me in the book. Again, it needs a re-read to be fully reviewed.

[Sathya Sekar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful novelette recounting the inner conflicts of a young lady who discovers herself falling in love with a gondolier in Venice.

Through most of the book, the author lets us explore the lead character through her thoughts and emotions as she chooses to divulge them to herself. The prose is outstanding. I have much admired Mr Hartley in my earlier readings - Go Between, the Eustace and Hilda trilogy, The Hireling.. All brilliant. But it has been a while since I read him and this book brought back to mind why I so admired him. The way he seems to pluck the innermost thoughts and then dress them up in beautiful words is sheer genius. Human mind and human emotions are rather complex things and Hartley appears to be on a journey to unravel their mysteries.

I think this deserved a bigger canvas. I felt it too short and was disappointed when it ended in a most understated way, quite typically.

[Bree (AnotherLookBook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to it because of the story, and the setting was reminiscent of A Room with a View (the phrase was even in there) as well as the work of Henry James. But the style was too obscure, muddled, attempting to be "deep"...in that way, I'm sorry to say, it reminded me of Henry James' later style, which I find impossible to read. The main character was always languid and depressed, though we were never given a reason behind it. All the same, I sympathized with her for lusting after an attractive, inaccessible stranger. I think we've all been there before.

Three stars for the story and flavor. I could tell the writing was good, even beneath all the murky bits. Think I'll give Hartley another try.

For reviews of awesome but forgotten books: www.AnotherLookBook.com

[Brian SIdlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant 1925 novella that looks at questions of personal identity and personal fictions.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novella (written by the author of one of my all-time faves, "The Go-Between") draws inspiration--as others have noted from Henry James, who believed that Europe had a transforming effect on Americans. Here, a young American falls for a gondolier in Venice when she has been unable to feel any attraction to several wealthy suitors in the U.S. It ends on a somewhat hopeful note as she realizes that romance is likely to be in her future, whether it's in Venice or her home of Boston.

[Sarah Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I think we give marks for enjoyment, I could not give this novella a high mark. It is a clever book but without much storyline or tension. Here L.P. Hartley goes for a minute examination of feelings some of which I recognised ,but many described were too convoluted for my understanding. I did however recognise his description of the American aristocracy at the end and enjoyed the last few pages.

[Wilsonn]

Beautiful.

[Shova Bhujel · Rating 3 out of 5]

while reading romantic books ,we all scrutinize it and at some point of life, think that love has no meaning. However, at later phase , when we experience that thing, we are at denial. When we accept the feeling,we're evaluating the pros and cons..the consequence of action. We try to collect suggestions and views of other people ,but at the end, we follow our mind. Simonetta Perkins shows the psychological transformation of a woman who falls in love with a boy in Venice but is at denial due to her mother and the social standards.later admits to that feeling and confesses her love but she chooses not to stay in Venice and till the end remembers the boy Emilio for whom she had feelings.