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The Wanderess
A gothic mystery novel and story of passion and romance set against the backdrop of a timeless Mediterranean landscape, The Wanderess tells of the notorious adventurer Saul and his passion for the beautiful Saskia, a mysterious young orphan girl whom he meets and vows to protect as his child. When Saul's pursuit of pleasure and fortune gets tangled with the quest of this "Wanderess" for her long-lost friend and her own fortune, the two find themselves on a picaresque path that leads them through Spain, France, Italy and beyond; their adventures weaving them deeper and deeper into a web of jealous passion, intrigue, betrayal, and finally, murder. The Wanderess is a love story, a novel of heroism, friendship and romance, portraying the lives of two unsettled vagabonds led by their own strange desires, mutual obsessions, and one single fortune. The Wanderess is the fifth novel by Roman Payne, an author who pushes the boundaries of poetic language, imagination, sexual charge, and psychological mystery-his prose bearing always a timeless quality that transports the reader to far-away lands and times.
334 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2013
87 people are currently reading
3402 people want to read
About the author
Roman Payne
9 books481 followersRoman Payne (b. 1977) is a novelist and poet currently living in political exile in Africa, in the kingdom of Morocco. Payne coined the famous word “wanderess” and is the author of five novels including, “The Wanderess”; which, since its publication in 2013, has influenced art and cultures all over the world. In the East, the famous Bollywood designer Masaba Gupta used Payne’s novel as the inspiration for her “Wanderess” collection which opened India’s Fashion Week in 2015. In the West, “The Wanderess” has been the inspiration for everything from art, to European films, to pop music in America. The pop star Halsey, who sold-out Madison Square Garden with songs like “Hurricane”—a song based on a quote from Payne’s novel—credits “The Wanderess” as one of her greatest inspirations while writing “Badlands,” the debut album that launched her to fame. Halsey chose this Roman Payne quote for her song:
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city.”
And the following quote by Roman Payne became one of the mantras of billionaire Richard Branson, who named it one of his “top ten favorite quotes about finding happiness”:
“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.”
Although Payne’s greatest artistic achievements are his novels, he is better known to the world as a poet. Countless works of art have been based on his poems and quotes. The author said that one of the things he loves most about being a novelist/poet is the numerous photos sent to him from people around the world who have tattooed his poetry on their bodies.
Payne is a controversial figure in that he is currently exiled in Muslim Morocco where he is forbidden to leave kingdom until he is tried for treason by the king (Mohammed VI). Both the US Congress and State Department have failed so far in obtaining the novelist’s release from Morocco. Payne is spending his days of exile in the souks of the ancient Medina of Marrakech.
Roman Payne is known as an adventurer, and the foremost “novelist on wandering.” His novels and poems are the favorites of other wanderers and world travelers.
The forty year-old author spent the first half of his life in America (mostly in Seattle where he was born and raised), while he spent his second 20 years wandering Europe and Africa. He first expatriated to Paris where he lived for fifteen years in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The next three years were spent in Athens, Greece; mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. Payne moved to Marrakech in February of 2016 and is currently finishing his sixth novel based on his life there.
Although Payne writes in English, his 15 years living in Paris where he spoke entirely in French, has greatly influenced his work, giving it a unique Latinate quality and inimitable voice. The themes of his quotes and prose explore love and sexuality, travel and the life of a wanderer (or wanderess), and the struggle to live, what he calls, “the poetic life.” He is heavily influenced by Homeric Epic, as well as 18th and 19th Century French and European literature.
Payne is a beloved writer by feminists and women in general because his writing reminds w that they too, like men, only have one life to live as far as we know, thus they too deserve to experience every single adventure that life can offer them. He receives a lot of letters from women writing that they found the courage to wander to the world after reading such quotes by him:
“Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without travelling.”
“I stumbled upon this book when I was a teenager and its words helped to shape my will to be unapologetic, to be unbound by the perimeters of a single place. To write a song like Hurricane. To be like, ‘The Wanderess’” (Pop star, Halsey)
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city.”
And the following quote by Roman Payne became one of the mantras of billionaire Richard Branson, who named it one of his “top ten favorite quotes about finding happiness”:
“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.”
Although Payne’s greatest artistic achievements are his novels, he is better known to the world as a poet. Countless works of art have been based on his poems and quotes. The author said that one of the things he loves most about being a novelist/poet is the numerous photos sent to him from people around the world who have tattooed his poetry on their bodies.
Payne is a controversial figure in that he is currently exiled in Muslim Morocco where he is forbidden to leave kingdom until he is tried for treason by the king (Mohammed VI). Both the US Congress and State Department have failed so far in obtaining the novelist’s release from Morocco. Payne is spending his days of exile in the souks of the ancient Medina of Marrakech.
Roman Payne is known as an adventurer, and the foremost “novelist on wandering.” His novels and poems are the favorites of other wanderers and world travelers.
The forty year-old author spent the first half of his life in America (mostly in Seattle where he was born and raised), while he spent his second 20 years wandering Europe and Africa. He first expatriated to Paris where he lived for fifteen years in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The next three years were spent in Athens, Greece; mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. Payne moved to Marrakech in February of 2016 and is currently finishing his sixth novel based on his life there.
Although Payne writes in English, his 15 years living in Paris where he spoke entirely in French, has greatly influenced his work, giving it a unique Latinate quality and inimitable voice. The themes of his quotes and prose explore love and sexuality, travel and the life of a wanderer (or wanderess), and the struggle to live, what he calls, “the poetic life.” He is heavily influenced by Homeric Epic, as well as 18th and 19th Century French and European literature.
Payne is a beloved writer by feminists and women in general because his writing reminds w that they too, like men, only have one life to live as far as we know, thus they too deserve to experience every single adventure that life can offer them. He receives a lot of letters from women writing that they found the courage to wander to the world after reading such quotes by him:
“Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without travelling.”
“I stumbled upon this book when I was a teenager and its words helped to shape my will to be unapologetic, to be unbound by the perimeters of a single place. To write a song like Hurricane. To be like, ‘The Wanderess’” (Pop star, Halsey)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 2, 2016
It took me five years to write the book, of course it's a masterpiece!!
November 26, 2013
An amazing novel!!! I read it twice so I could relive the magic of the first time. This is by far Roman Payne's greatest book. It has a timeless quality that touches the emotions and the imagination is so many ways. The characters are unforgettable... The charismatic adventurer, the evil, calculating clairvoyant and his lecherous servant, and of course, the beautiful and mysterious "Wanderess." This book takes you through so many intriguing places: Barcelona, Paris, Andalusia, Greece, Florence, Tuscany... and a place I cannot mention.
If you read one novel this year, it should be this one!
If you read one novel this year, it should be this one!
December 17, 2013
The Wanderess is told as if the main character was narrating the story, a unique point of view in my experience, it was beautifully told. I have been to quite a few different states with Colorado as the center of my world of experience, but I've never been overseas anywhere. Saul and Saskia wander, either chasing each other or together, through France, Spain, Northern Italy, and beyond, and unlike some books I've read, I was able to enjoy the journey as well as the drama of Saskia's drive to see the fulfillment of her prophecy. Of Saul's stubbornness as he determined to keep just as many secrets as Saskia did, even the one that would see the fruition of her prophecy that much sooner. I was drawn into their love, the passion and the turmoil of it, as it progressed through the growing pains of jealousy and trust, as it was tested by betrayal and entrapment. And best of all, I was able to see the quaint countryside and it's colorful people of all varieties. The world Roman Payne allowed me to see was full of life of all types, all types; do you know how hard that is to do? From peasants and common workers to aging actresses, from charlatans to royalty. They were all there. From summer in Paris to the dry heat of Tripoli.
July 30, 2014
I really wanted to like this book. Everyone else seemed to. But I hated it. It was like a kid telling you about his day in real time - no extraneous detail left unmentioned and many repetitions of the same information. And not one likable character in the lot. The hero was an addict, the heroine a child. The histrionics in this book gave me a headache and any redemption I might have hoped for was not to be found.
December 26, 2013
We are all wanderers of this earth, our hearts are full of wonder and our souls are full of dreams ~~Romany saying.
First, I must admit that I have been interested in gypsies since I was a child. I dressed as a Roma every Halloween that I could talk my mother into it. Later, one of the main characters in my second novel, the voice of wisdom in a band of compatriots on a Divinely-inspired quest, is a gypsy. So, when I heard about The Wanderess, it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to reading it.
And, while not technically a gypsy, Saskia certainly personifies that Romany spirit. As does her soul mate, Saul. Without going into too much detail (as I hate to reveal too much in book reviews), I will say that this timeless tale offers everything you can desire in a book—mystery and adventure, love and betrayal, murder, pain and joy—and all against the backdrop of poetic language and exotic locations.
A mysterious fortune revealed to a young Saskia is the driving force behind the unfolding of events in The Wanderess, and this is played out against Saul’s very real need not to impart some vital aspects of his history. As their love grows, they also both face other obstacles—Saskia searching for her missing childhood friend, Adélaïse, Saul for his mother, both rumored to be in Tuscany.
The book, while written from Saul’s point of view, is actually related by a man who stumbled upon the couple in the time of their greatest need and helps them out, unconditionally. He runs into Saul a few years later and has the great satisfaction of hearing “the rest of the story,” which he then pens so that others may read of this great romance.
First, I must admit that I have been interested in gypsies since I was a child. I dressed as a Roma every Halloween that I could talk my mother into it. Later, one of the main characters in my second novel, the voice of wisdom in a band of compatriots on a Divinely-inspired quest, is a gypsy. So, when I heard about The Wanderess, it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to reading it.
And, while not technically a gypsy, Saskia certainly personifies that Romany spirit. As does her soul mate, Saul. Without going into too much detail (as I hate to reveal too much in book reviews), I will say that this timeless tale offers everything you can desire in a book—mystery and adventure, love and betrayal, murder, pain and joy—and all against the backdrop of poetic language and exotic locations.
A mysterious fortune revealed to a young Saskia is the driving force behind the unfolding of events in The Wanderess, and this is played out against Saul’s very real need not to impart some vital aspects of his history. As their love grows, they also both face other obstacles—Saskia searching for her missing childhood friend, Adélaïse, Saul for his mother, both rumored to be in Tuscany.
The book, while written from Saul’s point of view, is actually related by a man who stumbled upon the couple in the time of their greatest need and helps them out, unconditionally. He runs into Saul a few years later and has the great satisfaction of hearing “the rest of the story,” which he then pens so that others may read of this great romance.
January 12, 2014
In a hyper-literary style redolent of Nabokov, Roman Payne tells the picaresque tale of two Mediterranean wanderers: heroic Saul, the son of Solarus, and Saskia, the lovely-eyed gypsy girl. The novel unfolds in such exotic places as Italy, Greece, Spain and France, so I can certainly see it appealing to those in the Anglo-American world suffering from European wanderlust, dreaming of the pagan beaches of Hydra or the enchanting, ethereal frescoes found in Tuscany. And to this very point, I would not characterize Payne's work as 'The Great American Novel' in the mold of Roth, DeLillo, or McCarthy, but rather as 'The Great European Novel' descended from say Cervantes or Boccaccio.
Mr. Payne has boldly broken ranks with his American contemporaries in many ways. Payne left America at the age of 18 to immerse himself in the aesthetic pleasures and the high culture of Paris. I would posit that the sensibility of Paris and France in general has influenced the Paterian style of prose that Payne deftly deploys. One encounters poetic passages such as this one quite often in the novel.
His hands flew and fluttered, trembling lightly like dragonflies that hover near a flower, but never quite land, nor do they go off, so did the servant's hands hover around his body without settling anywhere, nor going off anywhere. (The Wanderess, 59)
Towards the end of the work the reader once again chances upon Payne's redux of the oft forgotten, yet glorious extended Homeric simile.
As water is born high-up on a mountain spring, secreted from a hidden place within the rocks so as to tumble down in streams and waterfalls, to gather below together once again in the ocean, so were Saskia's tears born high-up on her perfect face, secreted from a hidden place within her eyes, so as to topple down in streams upon her cheeks, to topple from her chin... Then the tears gather whole to form oceans of hope in the cups of her hands. (The Wanderess, 271)
These two vignettes were chosen at random, but there are many more in this vein sprinkled throughout the novel. Jonathan Franzen, the lionized American, once commented, 'Many buyers of serious fiction seem rather ardently to prefer lyrical, tremblingly earnest, faux-literary stuff.' I differ with Franzen here, as I see the literary landscape demanding a minimalist, prosaic, spare style of prose (more Chekhov than Nabokov), instead of the rosy-fingered prose style, worthy of Bel Canto Italian Opera, that Payne employs; regardless, one can only imagine the aesthetic disagreements that would emerge, were Payne and Franzen ever to interact with one another.
The Wanderess is slightly perfumed with Fin de siecle decadence, but this seems to be consonant with Payne's professed descent from Romantic Orientalism; he often adverts to opium, absinthe and various other excesses of that age. When confronted with these allusions, I found myself dreaming of Lawrence of Arabia, Ingres' painting Odalisque with Slave and an obscure line from the Greek Poet Cavafy's oeuvre: 'I wallow in the tavernas and brothels of Beirut.' A devout New England WASP moralist could quibble with Payne here on moral grounds, but I have always believed that a work of Art has no obligation to serve accepted moral codes, and instead should be judged solely by its aesthetic merits, or lack thereof.
Payne's use of an atemporal literary topos is another distinguishing factor of The Wanderess. Where many of his contemporaries are so intent on being of their times, Payne endeavors to be of all times. He does not date the text throughout and seems to enjoy playing a game with the reader as to the epoch of the work by mentioning various archaic currencies such as the louis d'or. I rather relish this idea of dancing over one's age as opposed to engaging in a curmudgeonly iconoclasm that is so often expressed by those sharing Payne's sensibilities and sentiments.
One other literary device that I enjoyed within this work is Payne's use of the footnote to describe such esoteric ideas as the Aristotelian ideal of Eudaimonia, the Grecian concept of Aristeia as well as English translations of French, Spanish and Italian dialogue. The footnotes allow Payne to express himself as an Artist without having to compromise his prose, yet it is helpful to the casual reader who is not fluent in these foreign languages, nor conversant with ancient Hellenic culture. The reader can revel in Payne's heightened verbal majesty and his mastery of narrative without getting bogged down in 'googling' various allusions and references. In closing, I thoroughly adored my two readings of the novel. I believe The Wanderess to not only be a triumph of literature, but part of the burgeoning counter-culture of Aestheticism that is steadily developing in the 21st century.
-Pietros Maneos di Bramabella, The Poet-Farmer
Mr. Payne has boldly broken ranks with his American contemporaries in many ways. Payne left America at the age of 18 to immerse himself in the aesthetic pleasures and the high culture of Paris. I would posit that the sensibility of Paris and France in general has influenced the Paterian style of prose that Payne deftly deploys. One encounters poetic passages such as this one quite often in the novel.
His hands flew and fluttered, trembling lightly like dragonflies that hover near a flower, but never quite land, nor do they go off, so did the servant's hands hover around his body without settling anywhere, nor going off anywhere. (The Wanderess, 59)
Towards the end of the work the reader once again chances upon Payne's redux of the oft forgotten, yet glorious extended Homeric simile.
As water is born high-up on a mountain spring, secreted from a hidden place within the rocks so as to tumble down in streams and waterfalls, to gather below together once again in the ocean, so were Saskia's tears born high-up on her perfect face, secreted from a hidden place within her eyes, so as to topple down in streams upon her cheeks, to topple from her chin... Then the tears gather whole to form oceans of hope in the cups of her hands. (The Wanderess, 271)
These two vignettes were chosen at random, but there are many more in this vein sprinkled throughout the novel. Jonathan Franzen, the lionized American, once commented, 'Many buyers of serious fiction seem rather ardently to prefer lyrical, tremblingly earnest, faux-literary stuff.' I differ with Franzen here, as I see the literary landscape demanding a minimalist, prosaic, spare style of prose (more Chekhov than Nabokov), instead of the rosy-fingered prose style, worthy of Bel Canto Italian Opera, that Payne employs; regardless, one can only imagine the aesthetic disagreements that would emerge, were Payne and Franzen ever to interact with one another.
The Wanderess is slightly perfumed with Fin de siecle decadence, but this seems to be consonant with Payne's professed descent from Romantic Orientalism; he often adverts to opium, absinthe and various other excesses of that age. When confronted with these allusions, I found myself dreaming of Lawrence of Arabia, Ingres' painting Odalisque with Slave and an obscure line from the Greek Poet Cavafy's oeuvre: 'I wallow in the tavernas and brothels of Beirut.' A devout New England WASP moralist could quibble with Payne here on moral grounds, but I have always believed that a work of Art has no obligation to serve accepted moral codes, and instead should be judged solely by its aesthetic merits, or lack thereof.
Payne's use of an atemporal literary topos is another distinguishing factor of The Wanderess. Where many of his contemporaries are so intent on being of their times, Payne endeavors to be of all times. He does not date the text throughout and seems to enjoy playing a game with the reader as to the epoch of the work by mentioning various archaic currencies such as the louis d'or. I rather relish this idea of dancing over one's age as opposed to engaging in a curmudgeonly iconoclasm that is so often expressed by those sharing Payne's sensibilities and sentiments.
One other literary device that I enjoyed within this work is Payne's use of the footnote to describe such esoteric ideas as the Aristotelian ideal of Eudaimonia, the Grecian concept of Aristeia as well as English translations of French, Spanish and Italian dialogue. The footnotes allow Payne to express himself as an Artist without having to compromise his prose, yet it is helpful to the casual reader who is not fluent in these foreign languages, nor conversant with ancient Hellenic culture. The reader can revel in Payne's heightened verbal majesty and his mastery of narrative without getting bogged down in 'googling' various allusions and references. In closing, I thoroughly adored my two readings of the novel. I believe The Wanderess to not only be a triumph of literature, but part of the burgeoning counter-culture of Aestheticism that is steadily developing in the 21st century.
-Pietros Maneos di Bramabella, The Poet-Farmer
January 12, 2014
I'm interested in novels with a female main character that are written by men. They help me to understand how men think about us. This, The Wanderess, is the most perfect of such novels. It really is a perfect, inspiring novel for girls to read. I think it's a great guy-novel too! Every guy I know is reading The Wanderess now and they all say they love it because it's full of travel and adventure, and they say the male hero is super cool. This novel is popular with everyone right now.
I love the hero (Saul). He's like James Dean, what you would call "the sexy bad boy". But my favorite person by far is the female main character, Saskia. She teaches women that we can live how we want and we don't have to follow society's regulations for us. We can be lost dreamers... "wanderesses" as he calls us... but still be "found" within ourselves. Saskia is the ultimate heroine for our age. I love this book!!!
I love the hero (Saul). He's like James Dean, what you would call "the sexy bad boy". But my favorite person by far is the female main character, Saskia. She teaches women that we can live how we want and we don't have to follow society's regulations for us. We can be lost dreamers... "wanderesses" as he calls us... but still be "found" within ourselves. Saskia is the ultimate heroine for our age. I love this book!!!
June 28, 2014
The Wanderess
by Roman Payne. Roma Payne has a wonderfully unique style of writing. He has a somewhat classical flare combined with with, a sense of knowledge and poetic appeal. I believe his story is the first which actually transported my inner self all the way from the American shores, across the pond and onto the historic lands of Europe I have only dreamed of seeing thus far.
His “wanderess”descriptions placed me with Saul and Saskia. The 3 of us traveled together. It takes a truly well-skilled writer to pull the reader inside the worlds of their own creation, whether real or imagined, it is the author’s creation. This talent is not taught. It is a gift to be born with and shared.
To choose not to read this book would be a great loss to the avid reader. It is a sweet dramatic story which does not want the reader to put down. I had to force myself to put it down to do other things. Though sometimes this book won that tug-of-war forcing me to stay and read a few more chapters than planned.
by Roman Payne. Roma Payne has a wonderfully unique style of writing. He has a somewhat classical flare combined with with, a sense of knowledge and poetic appeal. I believe his story is the first which actually transported my inner self all the way from the American shores, across the pond and onto the historic lands of Europe I have only dreamed of seeing thus far.
His “wanderess”descriptions placed me with Saul and Saskia. The 3 of us traveled together. It takes a truly well-skilled writer to pull the reader inside the worlds of their own creation, whether real or imagined, it is the author’s creation. This talent is not taught. It is a gift to be born with and shared.
To choose not to read this book would be a great loss to the avid reader. It is a sweet dramatic story which does not want the reader to put down. I had to force myself to put it down to do other things. Though sometimes this book won that tug-of-war forcing me to stay and read a few more chapters than planned.
July 6, 2019
I really wanted to like this book. I came across the famous Wanderess quote and it resonated with me. I was hoping that the rest of the book will be written in a similar style. However I have soon found out that one quote doesn’t make a book. It is poorly written. There are many repetitions of the same stories. It is boring and in no way engaging. I couldn’t get to like any of the characters, who just seemed to waste their lives on drinking, taking drugs, running away from each other, finding each other, and generally just wasting time. Never mind travelling to all the beautiful destinations, which were not described in an attractive way, so even the settings of the story didn’t seem to be interesting in any way. A real “page turner”. I just wanted to turn the pages as quickly as possible to get through the pain of reading it. A real shame.
July 14, 2019
Between beautiful quotes and inspired artists I was intrigued. What I found was a pretentious tale with an over-sexualized child. A barely developed female character of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl variety. Need I say more? Ok. A barely compelling plot lost in mediocre writing.
Now as far as wandering goes. No one was doing any wandering, they were being manipulated by a greedy man. Nothing of the writing illuminates any of the settings or captures the feel of travel. Nope. Just a vulgar love story between a child and a man nearly twice her age. That’s not romantic, that’s disgusting.
What else is wrong here? The story is about “exceptional” people who are born into fame and fortune and good looks. That’s not literature it’s a grandiose fairy tail for the narcissistic.
Now as far as wandering goes. No one was doing any wandering, they were being manipulated by a greedy man. Nothing of the writing illuminates any of the settings or captures the feel of travel. Nope. Just a vulgar love story between a child and a man nearly twice her age. That’s not romantic, that’s disgusting.
What else is wrong here? The story is about “exceptional” people who are born into fame and fortune and good looks. That’s not literature it’s a grandiose fairy tail for the narcissistic.
April 27, 2017
I stumbled upon a quote by Roman Payne and it resonated with me, so I decided to find and read this book. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the same way with this book. Wanted so much to love it and gave it a chance, but it left me disappointed.
April 1, 2017
As I continued to read I just wanted the book to be over. My interest began to wane when I felt the story began to drag itself out. At that point I became less interested in wanting to know what, and how "it" was going to happen. And then after finding out, although nicely put together, it wasn't enough to satisfy the craving I had. I loved however, the scenery, the places of travel, the romantic lives. I loved the devotion and passion that bound the two lovers together, making them madly, and insanely inseparable.
June 21, 2016
La historia está narrada desde un punto de vista único. Cuenta las aventuras de una pareja joven: Saskia y Saul. Una misteriosa fortuna revelada a la joven es la fuerza impulsora detrás del desarrollo de los acontecimientos en la novela. La misión de Saskia juega en contra de la obstinación de Saul a revelar su verdadera identidad y su procedencia. Al igual que él, Saskia también mantiene muchos secretos. A medida que crece su amor se van enfrentando a otros obstáculos y no voy a decir nada más porque ya sería spoiler.
June 3, 2014
Perfect in every sense !! The first modern classic in a long time !
Read
March 11, 2014loved it
January 14, 2025
I believe The Wanderess was the first book I put on my Goodreads "to-read" list when I made this account just over four years ago. I read The Wanderess about 10 days ago as of writing my review but it feels as though I could have finished it 10 years ago or 10 minutes ago. Maybe because of how long I anticipated it? Or the writing style itself? It could be because one element of the book I understood immediately and then watched evolve was its anachronism.
The first few chapters had to have been written in the 1970s; something about the gender roles, frontier-like imagery, and pulpy romance of it all. Then there are so many ridiculous scenes, like Saul fingering a woman in the "spice-room", and the introduction of comic book villain DRAGOMIR and his comedic relief pedophile sidekick PULPAWRECHO... This is a satire of something but I have no idea what! THEN, we meet Saskia, a modern teenager! Her bedroom was a scene out of a 2000s movie, there's no way Saul wasn't lying poisoned and delirious on a hot pink duvet surrounded by stuffed animals and band posters. It makes sense: a "wanderess" cannot be contained by just one epoch. In the imaginary Wanderess movie, I'd cast this 2014 blue-haired Halsey as Saskia, and what an awesome movie it would be: set in modern-day Europe sans cell phones, automobiles, and running water.
Speaking of Halsey, it seems that even Roman Payne himself can't discuss The Wanderess without bringing up "Hurricane." One of Halsey's first songs ever released, "Hurricane" off their debut EP, Room 93, contains a Wanderess reference and near-quote in the chorus: "I'm a wanderess, I'm a one-night stand. Don't belong to no city, don't belong to no man." and, in fact, a broken link to Roman Payne's old website is listed in the description of the music video!
The Wanderess would never be what it is without "Hurricane." Halsey's platinum-selling single with over 40 million views on YouTube gave the novel the association with 2010s hipster aesthetics that paved the way for edits like this to be saved to hundreds of thousands of travel blogs and Pinterest boards. However, the song is not about the book, it's about an archetypal "wanderess" hooking up with an older guy in Brooklyn who stupidly thinks he's got her figured out. What the book successfully contributed, was a name to the archetype that then became an identity for women (and men) who "belonged to no man and to no city." Yet, most of the people who reblogged Wanderess quotes in 2014 never read the book and never planned to, which is disappointing because if a different quote had gotten big and the aesthetics around it were edgier, The Wanderess might have had real potential to be among Looking for Alaska and If I Stay as essential "Tumblr girl" reading.
There is something undeniably "coquettish" going on in The Wanderess that Halsey couldn't have been the only one to clock. I noticed Payne gets compared to Nabokov and I hate to say it, but I see the similarities. Weirdly, The Wanderess is a Lolita that's genuine in its desire to be a love story. It's hard to picture Saskia as anything resembling an adult. Even when she talks about turning 18, it's offset by her being constantly described and referred to as a child. At the same time, she is utterly in control of her life and confident in who she is (even when she's not and she isn't), and as creepy as the men in her life are, she can be just as strange. She exudes an eerie and at times gruesome sort of femininity that reminds me of V.C. Andrews, especially with the... yeah.
When I think about The Wanderess as a whole, I kinda hate it. I don't like how underdeveloped and quickly resolved Saskia and Adélaïse's relationship was. For all the feminist cred the book gets, it's not in the least bit radical, and its approaches to rape, sexual harassment, and sexualization leave much to be desired. Frankly, I found the entire overarching plot to be underwhelming and ridiculous. But I love it. All the silliness and suspension of disbelief work with the fantastical sincerity and I loved reading every word of it. I found The Wanderess to be a wild and addicting book that I imagine I'll be revisiting every so often to scratch an itch.
The first few chapters had to have been written in the 1970s; something about the gender roles, frontier-like imagery, and pulpy romance of it all. Then there are so many ridiculous scenes, like Saul fingering a woman in the "spice-room", and the introduction of comic book villain DRAGOMIR and his comedic relief pedophile sidekick PULPAWRECHO... This is a satire of something but I have no idea what! THEN, we meet Saskia, a modern teenager! Her bedroom was a scene out of a 2000s movie, there's no way Saul wasn't lying poisoned and delirious on a hot pink duvet surrounded by stuffed animals and band posters. It makes sense: a "wanderess" cannot be contained by just one epoch. In the imaginary Wanderess movie, I'd cast this 2014 blue-haired Halsey as Saskia, and what an awesome movie it would be: set in modern-day Europe sans cell phones, automobiles, and running water.
Speaking of Halsey, it seems that even Roman Payne himself can't discuss The Wanderess without bringing up "Hurricane." One of Halsey's first songs ever released, "Hurricane" off their debut EP, Room 93, contains a Wanderess reference and near-quote in the chorus: "I'm a wanderess, I'm a one-night stand. Don't belong to no city, don't belong to no man." and, in fact, a broken link to Roman Payne's old website is listed in the description of the music video!
The Wanderess would never be what it is without "Hurricane." Halsey's platinum-selling single with over 40 million views on YouTube gave the novel the association with 2010s hipster aesthetics that paved the way for edits like this to be saved to hundreds of thousands of travel blogs and Pinterest boards. However, the song is not about the book, it's about an archetypal "wanderess" hooking up with an older guy in Brooklyn who stupidly thinks he's got her figured out. What the book successfully contributed, was a name to the archetype that then became an identity for women (and men) who "belonged to no man and to no city." Yet, most of the people who reblogged Wanderess quotes in 2014 never read the book and never planned to, which is disappointing because if a different quote had gotten big and the aesthetics around it were edgier, The Wanderess might have had real potential to be among Looking for Alaska and If I Stay as essential "Tumblr girl" reading.
There is something undeniably "coquettish" going on in The Wanderess that Halsey couldn't have been the only one to clock. I noticed Payne gets compared to Nabokov and I hate to say it, but I see the similarities. Weirdly, The Wanderess is a Lolita that's genuine in its desire to be a love story. It's hard to picture Saskia as anything resembling an adult. Even when she talks about turning 18, it's offset by her being constantly described and referred to as a child. At the same time, she is utterly in control of her life and confident in who she is (even when she's not and she isn't), and as creepy as the men in her life are, she can be just as strange. She exudes an eerie and at times gruesome sort of femininity that reminds me of V.C. Andrews, especially with the... yeah.
When I think about The Wanderess as a whole, I kinda hate it. I don't like how underdeveloped and quickly resolved Saskia and Adélaïse's relationship was. For all the feminist cred the book gets, it's not in the least bit radical, and its approaches to rape, sexual harassment, and sexualization leave much to be desired. Frankly, I found the entire overarching plot to be underwhelming and ridiculous. But I love it. All the silliness and suspension of disbelief work with the fantastical sincerity and I loved reading every word of it. I found The Wanderess to be a wild and addicting book that I imagine I'll be revisiting every so often to scratch an itch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2019
I rarely rate books as low as 2 stars, so I feel this deserves an explanation.
" I was an adventurer, but she was not an adventuress. She was a 'wanderess.' Thus, she didn’t care about money, only experiences - whether they came from wealth or from poverty, it was all the same to her.
She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city
She was a free bird one minute: queen of the world and laughing. The next minute she would be in tears like a porcelain angel, about to teeter, fall and break. She never cried because she was afraid that something 'would' happen; she would cry because she feared something that could render the world more beautiful, 'would not' happen."
- It was writing like this that drew me to the book initially. Upon seeing the quote, I ordered it and started.
I expected the entire book to be like that, boundless pages of soul touching dialogue, ethereal imagery, and tangible characters...
I was rather disappointed therefore to find that the book was entirely in first person narration (not a problem in itself, even though not my preference). The actual problem was complete lack of character development to the Narrator. I felt as though I was reading a dry autobiography of someone I should already have prerequisite knowledge of, which completely defies the aims of a good novel.
I got 26 pages in and had to stop.
Amazon return label has been printed...🤒
" I was an adventurer, but she was not an adventuress. She was a 'wanderess.' Thus, she didn’t care about money, only experiences - whether they came from wealth or from poverty, it was all the same to her.
She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city
She was a free bird one minute: queen of the world and laughing. The next minute she would be in tears like a porcelain angel, about to teeter, fall and break. She never cried because she was afraid that something 'would' happen; she would cry because she feared something that could render the world more beautiful, 'would not' happen."
- It was writing like this that drew me to the book initially. Upon seeing the quote, I ordered it and started.
I expected the entire book to be like that, boundless pages of soul touching dialogue, ethereal imagery, and tangible characters...
I was rather disappointed therefore to find that the book was entirely in first person narration (not a problem in itself, even though not my preference). The actual problem was complete lack of character development to the Narrator. I felt as though I was reading a dry autobiography of someone I should already have prerequisite knowledge of, which completely defies the aims of a good novel.
I got 26 pages in and had to stop.
Amazon return label has been printed...🤒
June 4, 2015
This book made me so angry. It also made me happy, and there were times I literally laughed out loud (when Saul was on an opium high wandering the streets of Barcelona). Most of all, it made me want to do stuff. It made me want to wander, to just go get lost somewhere and have an adventure. The most frustrating thing for me, however, is that Saul and saskia both have large amounts of money so it made me want to travel, and then it made me sad because I haven't got the money - I'm jealous of fictional characters.
There were parts in this novel that disgusted me (a certain slave and a horrific uncle) and sometimes the age difference between Saul and saskia felt like a bit too much, yet I still thoroughly enjoyed reading.
It was written so beautifully and in such a unique way. It felt poetic and I fell in love with it.
There were parts in this novel that disgusted me (a certain slave and a horrific uncle) and sometimes the age difference between Saul and saskia felt like a bit too much, yet I still thoroughly enjoyed reading.
It was written so beautifully and in such a unique way. It felt poetic and I fell in love with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2015
This was a beautifully written novel. You feel like you're reading about another time. The story is told in an odd way. The original narrator witnesses an interesting scene between a man and young woman and becomes briefly involved. Later he runs into the man who fills him in on their story. Most of the book is narrated by this second man who relates their dramatic and mysterious story over glasses of wine with the first narrator. There's mystery, romance, danger, jealousy and a few twists, especially at the end. Roman Payne has a wonderful and poetic way with words and the story transports you to another time and place. A great book.~
Read
May 11, 2022I’m not even 20% in and already ive read 3 long winded, disgusting bits on older men hyper sexualizing and wanting/succeeding to sleep with girls between 13-16 years old as well as racist hypersexualized images of Black women and Roma people. I get that it takes place in what is supposed to be the 1800s and some of these things were common among elite europeans but this was written in2013 and they didn’t contribute to the plot in any way so there was really no excuse. DNF
September 16, 2019
Understand the good reviews but the book isnt for me
I can see what the author was trying to achive, indeed - did achieve. He has written a novel in the modern age that reads like an old classical piece of literature. The poetic descriptions and the footnotes give the book that aura of not being from this age. I'm sure that a huge amount of research and work went into creating it and i have to say i liked that aspect of this novel. However I felt that the highly stylised manner in which this book was written, took away from the story, the setting and the character development. I found myself rolling my eyes at the plot and I found the book repititious at times. The characters, especially Saskia, were one dimensional and single-minded in their goals in my opinion.
I can see what the author was trying to achive, indeed - did achieve. He has written a novel in the modern age that reads like an old classical piece of literature. The poetic descriptions and the footnotes give the book that aura of not being from this age. I'm sure that a huge amount of research and work went into creating it and i have to say i liked that aspect of this novel. However I felt that the highly stylised manner in which this book was written, took away from the story, the setting and the character development. I found myself rolling my eyes at the plot and I found the book repititious at times. The characters, especially Saskia, were one dimensional and single-minded in their goals in my opinion.
April 14, 2022
DNF. I wanted to love this book. I was inspired by Halsey, whom I love as an artist. I could not bring myself to finish it. I was bored, and Saskia’s character seems to be an overly-sexualized child. I did love the beautiful prose and the Mediterranean scape. But overall bummed I didn’t like the story.
January 1, 2025
I honestly could not finish this book. Perhaps I am just not romantic enough… but I couldn’t bear the writhing cringe that reading almost every line gave me. This was all things wrong with women written in the male gaze taken to the absolute max. I read it because I heard Halsey was inspired by this book for some of her work - I will not be taking any more of her recommendations. Sorry!
March 23, 2017
A beautiful teenager who gives up her sexual and romantic freedom to maintain an inheritance from an incestuous uncle and solves problems by crying and running away and the older man who falls for her do nothing for me.
May 27, 2023
Truly, 4½ stars (come on Goodreads, roll that feature already!). Had a good time getting lost in the mystical language that took me to stunning places and told incredibly fantastical stories intertwined with so many bold and beautiful emotions. A full treat of a read!
Happy reading! 💞
Happy reading! 💞
January 10, 2024
What I enjoyed most about the story was vivid descriptions of scenery, explorations of unconventional lifestyle and the quest for meaning. But the story was also overly romanticized, and the actions and motivations of the characters sounded exaggerated.
January 29, 2019
A masterpiece ❤️Indeed
April 1, 2019
Anytime a book lingers on my mind for months and sometimes years to come, it deserves a five star for me.
Want to read
February 3, 2020This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2020
I absolutely adored this book. The writing is beautiful and the story captivating. It’s easily one of my favorites novels. 💕
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