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Pearlcasting
In this meditation on Nabokov’s Lolita, author Lynn Matheson updates the famous story to fit the modern-day controversies of female teacher/male student relationships. There have been arrests all over the United States and the United Kingdom, and in this day and age, you can’t turn on the news without seeing a woman arrested for abusing her power over children.
In this daring novel, Matheson examines the mentality of such a woman. What would drive someone to do such a thing?
Orla is a teacher at an English boarding school. She hates her job and often thinks to herself that she, like so many of her ancestors, has just become another servant to the rich and their offspring. When she meets Elijah, a fifteen-year-old student, feelings stir deep inside her. Can she fight these urges, or will Orla begin a series of events that will have devastating consequences for everyone involved?
From cold and dreary England to tropical Jamaica, Orla will run from her demons and try to escape her depression once and for all. This controversial novel will spark discussions about the nature of gender, sexuality, power, and consent.
In this daring novel, Matheson examines the mentality of such a woman. What would drive someone to do such a thing?
Orla is a teacher at an English boarding school. She hates her job and often thinks to herself that she, like so many of her ancestors, has just become another servant to the rich and their offspring. When she meets Elijah, a fifteen-year-old student, feelings stir deep inside her. Can she fight these urges, or will Orla begin a series of events that will have devastating consequences for everyone involved?
From cold and dreary England to tropical Jamaica, Orla will run from her demons and try to escape her depression once and for all. This controversial novel will spark discussions about the nature of gender, sexuality, power, and consent.
ebook
First published January 21, 2014
116 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Matheson
10 books17 followersLynn Matheson lives in rural Norfolk with her husband and pets. She is a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 1, 2022
Don't waste your time.
Sometimes poor writing can be forgiven if a character or plot is compelling enough. In this case Orla, the main character, is compelling in the way a horrific accident might be; painful to view, but difficult to look away from.
I'm not sure which I found most disturbing. Orla's complete lack of self-awareness or her compulsive and merciless condemnation of everyone around her. Hers is not a character who garners sympathy, despite seeing herself as an innocent, misunderstood victim. Other characters in the book remain one dimensional, existing only for their impact on the heroin. Not once does she stop and consider any impact her own actions might have upon them. Indeed, she seems rather proud of not caring.
Rules (and laws) around the age of consent exist for a reason. Were the genders to be reversed in this story it would be very difficult indeed to sell as a "love story". Orla's character is supposed to be in her 30s but her thought process is much more that of a 14 year old.
The book itself is a rambling, repetitive train-wreck of a story. It's a short read (thankfully) but leaves a strong after-taste in the mind not unlike burnt sprouts.
Sometimes poor writing can be forgiven if a character or plot is compelling enough. In this case Orla, the main character, is compelling in the way a horrific accident might be; painful to view, but difficult to look away from.
I'm not sure which I found most disturbing. Orla's complete lack of self-awareness or her compulsive and merciless condemnation of everyone around her. Hers is not a character who garners sympathy, despite seeing herself as an innocent, misunderstood victim. Other characters in the book remain one dimensional, existing only for their impact on the heroin. Not once does she stop and consider any impact her own actions might have upon them. Indeed, she seems rather proud of not caring.
Rules (and laws) around the age of consent exist for a reason. Were the genders to be reversed in this story it would be very difficult indeed to sell as a "love story". Orla's character is supposed to be in her 30s but her thought process is much more that of a 14 year old.
The book itself is a rambling, repetitive train-wreck of a story. It's a short read (thankfully) but leaves a strong after-taste in the mind not unlike burnt sprouts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2021
This was a story about a lonely (in my opinion, messed up) 35 year old woman and how unhappy she is. The sex is secondary and not that hot. This is definitely “chic-lit”. Not what I has hoping for.
Virgin rating:
Innocence of virgin hero: 3/5
Innocence in losing it: 3/5
Build up to losing it: 2/5
Hotness of losing it: 1.5/5
Busted touching himself: no
Virgin rating:
Innocence of virgin hero: 3/5
Innocence in losing it: 3/5
Build up to losing it: 2/5
Hotness of losing it: 1.5/5
Busted touching himself: no
July 22, 2014
A curvaceous 35-year old blond teacher (born in Edinburgh) and a hunky 15-year-old Air Force brat (raised in the Southern states of America) find each other in a third-rate boarding school in rural England. The love between Orla (teacher) and Elijah (boy) is genuine and the sex is hot. The premise may seem unlikely (not to mention unsavory, ill-advised and illegal) but nevertheless, "Pearlcasting" promises a compelling story, and delivers. The pink and glossy candy treats on its cover presage that within lies a story of sweet intoxication. But this novel is not just a hot read. It is also a carefully observed comedy of manners.
What is it about English boarding schools? Why are they such fertile ground for mordant wit? Listen to the dreary life at Northwold school: "The day began with Morning Service in the Hall. It was a non-descript room lined with dark wood which formed part of the 1930s boarding house, with long windows which wouldn't open, leading to a stuffy, overheated atmosphere. Occasionally one of the boys would faint from a combination of high temperature and boredom."
The humdrum existence of Orla, a mid-career female teacher in an all-male school, downtrodden and patronized, is affectingly brought to life. Orla had aspirations of joining management to make a difference, but has been passed over.
Matheson sketches a member of the old boy's network: "He was supposedly named Humphrey Heathcote-Jones but Orla had a suspicion it was an assumed name. The pretension went with everything else about him. Today he was sporting a full tweed suit which he had to get specially made on account of his enormous girth. He was short, balding and wore tiny brown rimmed glasses. He was often to be found wandering around the grounds blowing a hunting horn or mowing down children in his ancient Jaguar."
Matheson's economical sentences are also compassionate: "The boarders were mostly a forlorn little bunch. They stuck closely to each other, huddling together as if a bitter wind was blowing them over."
Yet one of these boarders is Elijah, who may have been forlorn his first day at this strange new school, but soon adapted. He lets his close-cropped hair grow out and becomes a star on the rugby field. He brings much into Orla's life: a troubled past, a sweet nature, and an enormous amount of trouble. Suffice it to say that Orla, previously headed straight for spinsterhood, takes a sharp left turn and goes on a wild ride. I enjoyed the ride.
What is it about English boarding schools? Why are they such fertile ground for mordant wit? Listen to the dreary life at Northwold school: "The day began with Morning Service in the Hall. It was a non-descript room lined with dark wood which formed part of the 1930s boarding house, with long windows which wouldn't open, leading to a stuffy, overheated atmosphere. Occasionally one of the boys would faint from a combination of high temperature and boredom."
The humdrum existence of Orla, a mid-career female teacher in an all-male school, downtrodden and patronized, is affectingly brought to life. Orla had aspirations of joining management to make a difference, but has been passed over.
Matheson sketches a member of the old boy's network: "He was supposedly named Humphrey Heathcote-Jones but Orla had a suspicion it was an assumed name. The pretension went with everything else about him. Today he was sporting a full tweed suit which he had to get specially made on account of his enormous girth. He was short, balding and wore tiny brown rimmed glasses. He was often to be found wandering around the grounds blowing a hunting horn or mowing down children in his ancient Jaguar."
Matheson's economical sentences are also compassionate: "The boarders were mostly a forlorn little bunch. They stuck closely to each other, huddling together as if a bitter wind was blowing them over."
Yet one of these boarders is Elijah, who may have been forlorn his first day at this strange new school, but soon adapted. He lets his close-cropped hair grow out and becomes a star on the rugby field. He brings much into Orla's life: a troubled past, a sweet nature, and an enormous amount of trouble. Suffice it to say that Orla, previously headed straight for spinsterhood, takes a sharp left turn and goes on a wild ride. I enjoyed the ride.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews