The Freres: A Novel

by Mrs. Alexander

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570 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1882

About the author

Mrs Alexander was the pseudonym assumed by Annie Hector (née Annie French) (1825-1902), novelist. Born in Dublin, she moved to Liverpool, then London. In 1845 she became a magazine writer with encouragement from Mrs [Anna Maria] Hall, issuing her first novel, Look Before You Leap, in 1865.

Reviews

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ho impiegato ben dieci mesi, per leggere – naturalmente in inglese – questo 'romanzo in tre volumi' della mia amata Mrs. Alexander, senza poter scaricarlo su Kindle in un formato che ne garantisse la leggibilità, e dovendolo divorare "a pezzi e a bocconi" dallo schermo del mio PC.
La lentezza della lettura mi ha d'altronde garantito un maggiore apprezzamento, mentre mi immergevo per brevi vacanze nella società vittoriana così vividamente evocata da questa elegante scrittrice, ignota ai più... Ignota soprattutto alle moderne autrici di 'romance', che si illudono di avere una buona conoscenza dell'epoca storica solo per aver leggicchiato qualche repertorio seriale, o qualche romanzetto rosa di serie B.
Ecco un esempio della sua capacità di trascinare il lettore in quel mondo perduto:
«Happy is it for the world that the best pleasures are the cheapest. A quick walk, with the delightful sense of independence which personal locomotion bestows, the pleasant association of a sympathetic companion, the exchange of remark and jest, the sense of enjoyment in the light and air. What delight is composed of such simple ingredients! Then to gather round the table after the tea was removed, and talk over common memories, to relate separate experiences, to chaff each other over a game of cards, to try and sketch each other's portraits, or argue over some point on which they differed, while youth and fresh spirits and hearty kindliness turned the little mean parlour, with its horse-hair sofa, its one easy-chair, its rickety cheffonier - that lodging-house amalgamation of side-board and cabinet, into a temple of bright healthy sociability - t h e s e were pleasures the wealth of a millionaire could not purchase, and could scarcely improve».
Ma parte della storia si svolge nella rigida Germania di fine ottocento: e per me, che ho avuto modo di passarci qualche mese un secolo dopo, rilevare le differenze... e soprattutto le persistenze tra i due periodi è stato un ulteriore 'bonus' di divertimento!