Nina

by Susan Ertz

The story of a woman's hopeless infatuation for her unfaithful husband.

326 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1924

About the author

British fiction writer and novelist known for her "sentimental tales of genteel life in the country." She was born in England to American parents and moved back and forth between both countries during her childhood. At 18, she chose to live in the UK. In 1932 she married British Army officer Major John Ronald McCrindle, British barrister.

One of her most highly praised books was The Porcelain, the story of a London woman who marries a Mormon missionary and moves with him to Utah.
One of her later works, "In the Cool of the Day" was made into a movie in 1963 starring Jane Fonda, Peter Finch, and Angela Lansbury.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting but rather frustrating book to read. The idea that so many different women (young, old, intelligent, silly) could be so hopelessly in love with a man that they'd do anything for him—make any sacrifice for him, give all their money to him, attempt suicide over him—is a tough sell under any fictional circumstance. But when the story shows him to be shallow, selfish and weak, it's a really tough sell. Apparently, we are meant to accept one character's assessment that Morton's essential emptiness is what attracts these women (...was it that Morton was like an empty and beautiful shell, into which women put that which they could most admire and worship? Was there, perhaps, nothing there . . .?) Yeah, OK, maybe. Plausible if you believe women have an endless capacity for deluding themselves. Happily, the ending was more satisfactory than most of the narrative.