The Fly on the Wheel

by Katherine Cecil Thurston

When Stephen Carey, a married lawyer, tries to break his brother's engagement to Isabel Costello, he unexpectedly falls in love with her himself

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Irish Literature

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Katherine Cecil Thurston (18 April 1875 - 5 September 1911) was an Irish novelist. Born Katherine Cecil Madden in Cork, Ireland, the only daughter of banker Paul J. Madden (who was Mayor of Cork 1885-1886, and a friend of Charles Stuart Parnell) and Catherine Madden (born Barry), she was privately educated. By the end of the 19th century she was contributing short stories to various British and American publications, such as Pall Mall Magazine, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Harper's Magazine, Windsor Magazine and others. In 1901, she married the writer Ernest Temple Thurston (1879-1933). They separated in 1907 and were divorced in 1910.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Fly on the Wheel’ is set in an Irish country town, at the turn of twentieth century.

Barny Carey was a mason, a common man, but he had great ambitions for his sons, and had been prepared to work to achieve his dreams. The first was to be a lawyer, then there would be a priest, an architect, a civil engineer, a banker, a sailor, and finally, seventh, a doctor. But he had only just begun to set his eldest boys on their paths when first his business failed, and then he died.

Stephen, his eldest son, took up the reins. He became a solicitor; he married well, he married the daughter of the wealthiest man in the town; they had children; he had become a pillar of. And he had sent five of his brothers out into the world, and seen them established in good, steady positions in middle-class Irish society.

Frank, his youngest brother, was coming to the end of his medical studies in Paris when Stephen learned of his engagement to Isabel, a penniless local girl. He was horrified; he knew that Frank needed a wife with money and with a position in society. And so he went to see Isabel, to explain to her why she should break off the engagement.

‘When I was twenty I thought Waterford the narrowest hole on God’s earth, and myself the one man who was going to step outside it. But’ – he gave a quick despondent shrug of the shoulders – ‘I went under like the rest. There’s a big machine called expediency, and we are its slaves. We oil it and polish it and keep it running, every man and woman of us; and if by chance one of us puts his hands behind his back and says he won’t feed the monster any more, what happens? Does the machine stop? Not at all! It’s the deserter who goes under.’

Isabel was lovely, she had spirit, and she had no intention of bowing to social conventions. But she understood Stephen, she did what he asked, she found herself falling in love with him. And she made him question the choices he had made, she made him realise how hollow his life was, as he began to fall in love with her.

Katherine Cecil Thurston catches characters, relationships, and middle-class society beautifully. I never doubted the she knew and understood the people, the time, the place. And the consequences, for Stephen and for Isabel, of any steps they might take …

The central relationship is nicely understated, kept in the background but always kept in mind, as Isabel’s aunt tries to guide her, and as Stephen’s wife is urged by her sister to assert her position. Finally, at a house party, things come to a head.

The story was compelling, and I really didn’t know what was going to happen, or what I wanted to happen, until the very end. Katherine Cecil Thurston pulled so much drama from the situation, without ever compromising the honesty at its centre. I grew to realise that she didn’t just know and understand; she cared, deeply and passionately.

I can understand why she was a very popular author in her day, but I can also understand why her name is little known now. She died young, and so many other women have written so many stories of relationships and of society’s strictures since then. And yet, for all that it is a little dated, this book still speaks so eloquently …

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those interesting but forgotten books that most of us would never come across if not for reprint series/presses like Virago Modern Classics. A tale of desire in a world that doesn't value desire at all, especially not when it occurs outside strictly circumscribed boundaries of convention, duty, and social obligation.

[Marija · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly intriguing turn of the century cautionary tale that in a way reminds me of the tv series Ballykissangel, namely the damning fate of Assumpta Fitzgerald when she falls in love with a Catholic priest. Though here, the main character Isabel falls for a married man.

This isn’t a true love story. It shows how one can romanticize a tale to a point beyond all sense and reason, creating an infatuation that’s based on a bunch of fluff. The resulting obsession negatively affects any potential positive outcomes Isabel could have had with the other men she has met.

The story also reflects upon the sad lack of options available for an educated or “finished” woman with little to no financial backing. The best choices available for such a woman would be an advantageous marriage or the convent; anything else would demean her current position in society. However, the story also cautions what could happen to the current “it” girl in society, if she can’t secure a successful match within a season or two. Beauty and interest can fade fast when a new group of ingenues is being introduced in the new season.

The novel offers an ironic, sensational ending that easily solves the main conflict. The ending does have the potential of reinforcing the idea that life will go on despite any uncomfortable hardships that can momentarily obscure the natural order of things. This ironic turn is reminiscent of the themes you might find in early nineteenth century French novels, especially Balzac’s stories and novellas.

[Mella · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You know very well that a girl must do what other people do — ‘specially if she has no money. Saying queer things is nearly as bad as doing them.”

[Betty-Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1908; new edition by Manderley Press. Beautiful cover. Duty. Obligation. Desire.

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be a 3.5/5 if I could give a half rating!

A romantic Irish novel set in early 20th-century Waterford. I enjoyed the introduction to the characters at the beginning, but the story stalled somewhat for me about two thirds of the way through. While it veered into melodrama at times, I found the characters and setting of this particular Irish provincial merchant class society compelling, as you don't often find novels set in this time period or setting, particularly those written by women (Bowen and O'Brien were the next generation).

Kate O'Brien who is my favourite novelist writing in this vein would have barely been a teenager when this book was published in 1908, before the Thurston's untimely death at the age of 36 (the same age as I am now having read the novel!) in 1911.