Letty

by Norah Lofts

Originally published as "A Calf for Venus"

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, British Literature, Historical

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Norah Ethel Robinson Lofts Jorisch (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.

Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts.

Reviews

[Kathleen Boston McCune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nora Lofts is an author I have read since I was a child and she is as fresh in my mid life as she was when I was in my 20's...except now I get all the innuendos and every word forms the whole which has more meaning. A Calf for Venus is a play on Roman Mythology when nearing the year of 1800 Lady Venus looked down from Mount Olympus and saw the Century of Reason giving way to the Century of Steel; and was sad.......and Jupiter in empathy sends her down a calf for sacrifice to Bacchus and Mars...thus begins Ms. Lofts story of a young apprenticing intern named Dr.Humphrey Shadbolt and his awakening heart to the 'always present' lady 'in need'.

As we still find today, a man is twice as likely to fall in love with that woman whom he feels can't live without his assistance, nay, even his every thought and motion...and thus, she has him...by heart and rarely by mind. And as today it rarely truly works out to be the proper match, so in the early 1800's there was no difference.

Though Humphrey has his mentor, Dr.Coppard (soon to retire..he hopes and thus twice as interested in Humphrey's future) and the Aunt of his 'intended both working to keep the match hopeless, he nonetheless continues on his hopeless task until......

[Norma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think 2.5 stars would be fair. The main character, Humphrey, was thick headed and annoying, but the way the book ended redeemed it somewhat. The story is of an apprentice doctor (Humphrey) who falls in love and does ridiculously foolish things in the name of that love that jeopardizes his future career and belittles the sacrifices others made for him to become a doctor.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this old, old book on my dad's bookshelf. It was an interesting read that I enjoyed - the story tried to be mysterious / suspenseful, but I didn't find it "thrilling" or particularly substantial. The ending left some to be desired.

[Naksed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of obsession, filled in equal measures with dark humor and real tragedy, with a shocking twist ending that is actually perfect for the satirical tone of this story. The main character, a young, naive, idealistic doctor living in a small English town in the early 1800s, is a Humber Humbert type: his name, Humphrey, is similar-sounding to the protagonist of Lolita, a book that was published several years after A Calf for Venus. Humphrey meets Letty/Lolita, the 16 year old "nymphette" who is destined to become the object of his obsession, quite by chance, when they share a passenger carriage to the town where Humphrey is apprenticing as a doctor. He first looks at her as a doctor, noticing her pallor, sickly complexion, and obvious malnurishment, and passes the time imagining how he would treat her and get her back to health. Then, he chides himself and looks at her with a more personal, humane perspective. Feeling sorry for her, he shares his lunch and makes small talk until they arrive at their destination. This short interaction with her is enough for the seed of an idee fixe to be planted in his mind. The rest of the novel shows the increasingly nefarious and deranged methods he comes up with to "rescue" the poor, young, waif from the clutches of her corrupt aunt, a madam who employs her own two daughters as the main attractions of her brothel and is planning to do the same with her newly arrived niece. This is Norah Lofts at her most cynical and satirical. She is a clever and compelling writer who was very prolific in the mid 20th century and has been unfortunately quite forgotten and underrated since. While this is not one of my favorite books of hers, it is light-years ahead of most of the shlock that passes for "historical fiction" nowadays.

[E Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe I'm giving Norah Lofts a two star rating. I normally love her books and have read
most of the ones I've found, but this one just wasn't as good as what I've come to expect.

Humphrey is an apprentice to a small town doctor. He is returning to town after attending
lectures at Cambridge. On the coach, he encounters Letty, a young girl traveling to the same
town to live with her aunt. Humphrey falls madly in love at first sight. The situation is
complicated because the coffeehouse that Letty's Aunt runs has a reputation of being
a house of ill-repute although no one has ever been able to prove this.

Humphrey behaves more like an adolescent school girl than a young man already practicing in
the medical profession. Love is blind, but he blunders around making ridiculous schemes on
how to accomplish his rescue. Letty is a vapid character and neither returns Humphrey's
fondness nor wants to leave her aunts house.

Humphrey continues to venture into more stupidity and even unlawfulness while assuming that
somehow Letty with come to love him.

The whole ending is rather unbelievable with Humphrey's benefactor putting his neck out
to save Humphrey from his stupidity.

[VerJean Mirrielees · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it in 2011, so my memory at beginning of 2013 is dim...
Read it on recommendation of 80 yr old++ mother of friends.
Set in early 1800's.
Check out descriptions on this site and/or Amazon to decide if it's for you.
I found it an interesting change of pace - about older society and the naivete of the 'un-worldly' main characters - with some intrique and not expected ending.