The Duchess

by Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, Mrs. Hungerford

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320 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1887

About the author

She was born in County Cork, Ireland. As a child she enjoyed making up stories, and won prizes for her writing at school. She was educated at Portarlington College.

Her books were first published anonymously, and later as by "Mrs. Hungerford." In the United States, her books were mostly published under the pen name "The Duchess." Some of her early books were published by William Tinsley, a major publisher at the time.

She died at Bandon of typhoid fever.

Reviews

[Dominic Conover · Rating 4 out of 5]

[SYNOPSIS] A true Victorian romance, “The Duchess” follows Norah Delaney, a young, tender soul who travels away from her beloved father and home to visit her cousin’s Irish estate — a castle and all. She quickly finds herself exposed to the boundarylessness and drama of high society and despite her innocence and kind disposition she is thrust into the harsh spotlight of courtier gossip as she falls in love with an engaged man, her cousin Denis.

[REVIEW] Published in 1887, Hungerford’s novel was written mid-career, allowing us to see her developed style filled with intense emotion and Hallmark-esque love scenes. While some say her novels lack depth, I find her characters and settings to be vivid, complex and thoroughly interesting. Finally, I enjoyed the quotes to begin each chapter. It shows a methodical style, a skill for foreshadowing and a literary complexity.

[QUESTION] Hungerford often wrote under the pen name “The Duchess”. I end with a question for any others who stumble across this book in the future: Do you think the duchess found true happiness in the end?

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting dialogue and storyline for a book written in 1887.