Lucy

by Eliza Parsons

839 pages, Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 1794

About the author

Eliza Parsons (née Phelp) (1739 – 5 February 1811) was an English gothic novelist. Her most famous novels in this genre are The Castle of Wolfenbach (1793) and The Mysterious Warning (1796) - two of the seven gothic titles recommended as reading by a character in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey.

Reviews

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps this reveals me as a less-critical reader, but I genuinely enjoy Eliza Parsons' novels. If they seem predictable, they're also fast-paced, dramatic, and often highly entertaining. Lucy is certainly a fun read, with a heroine (the eponymous Lucy) who reacts quickly and decisively to the many horrors thrown her way. Abandoned as an infant and adopted by an elderly couple, she is eventually forced to venture out unprotected into a world full of libertines, very creepy older men, financial dependence, and kidnappings. But unlike some heroines, Lucy manages to find protecters without ever relinquishing her independence and clear-thinking.

Indeed, this novel could perhaps be read as a commentary on the risk/value ratio society poses, and what degree of education and independence is required to safely navigate its potential dangers. Lucy's choice to enter the world, despite the treatment she receives, of course ends up working out quite well for her. But Parsons presents her choice as a real one, and argues both sides reasonably eloquently through various characters throughout the novel. So as either a fun, quick read, or as a more critical look at the tropes the pastoral and its associated genres so often uncritically promote, I definitely recommend this novel.