Miss Betty

by Bram Stoker

Miss Betty (1898) is a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Written only a year after the publication of Dracula , Miss Betty helped to establish the Irish master of Gothic horror’s reputation as a leading writer of the early-twentieth century. “Of all the incidents of her early life none had so great or lasting an effect on Betty Pole as those that evening in Cheyne Walk on which she had been accused of breaking the blue china jar.” Following an innocent accident, Betty Pole is berated by her grandfather, who believes she has broken a priceless heirloom. On this day, Betty first learns of her strange ability to sense things before they happen, which proves both a gift and a curse in due time. That night, Betty learns the truth behind her identity and is named the heiress of her grandfather’s fortune. The next morning, he is found dead. As Betty gets older, as England passes from one era into the next, she is forced to hide her ability from the suspicions and intentions of friends and strangers alike. Miss Betty is a gripping work of fantasy and historical romance by Bram Stoker, the secretive and vastly underrated creator of Dracula, one of history’s greatest villains. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Bram Stoker’s Miss Betty is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1898

About the author

Irish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel Dracula (1897).

The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.

Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."

After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."

In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.

In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.

The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.

People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker

Reviews

[blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another day, another Bram Stoker heroine novel.

In this historical romantic adventure, it's 1710, and the wealthy, pure-hearted eponymous Miss Betty falls in love with the strapping (but penniless) Rafe, who is a relative of Walpole (great-uncle of Horace, I think: The Castle of Otranto) and who saves her life, more or less, in a boating outing gone awry. (See Three Men in a Boat.)

The unscrupulous Walpole and the overly scrupulous Rafe end up with Rafe in a bad way indeed, and the true and faithful Miss Betty feels that his sins are hers, and she must atone and he also must atone, etc. etc. etc.

It's good. Rather short. But definitely you get the idea that Bram loved the Romance/Adventure/History/Science more than the horror. This book has a proper ending, as did The Shoulder of Shasta, unlike the abrupt "monster's dead/movie's over" Corman-style endings of The Jewel of the Seven Stars, The Primose Path and even Dracula.

Next up on the docket is a long one: The Mysteries of the Sea. And me suddenly without devices to read it on.

[Anthony Benwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much to say than it’s a classic for a reason.
Perfect telling of a timeless character.

[Jimbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a story that was interesting with the social mores of the time. I like some of the writing. It was a decent story.