What do you think?
Rate this book
A Lady of Quality #1
Una nobile donna
Consulta la Listopia per la collezione completa.
258 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1896
118 people are currently reading
1072 people want to read
About the author
Frances Hodgson Burnett
1,782 books4,939 followersFrances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
July 9, 2018
Pause for a moment. Note the author.
Now to think to yourself, the author who wrote that sappy Little Lord Fauntleroy novel and brought us the darling but perfect Sara Crew in A Little Princess also wrote this book.
You're shocked, aren't you? I know. Me too. I kept double-checking in case I missed something.
You'd never guess it from her frothy children's novels, but Frances Hodgson Burnett was a badass. (Also, she apparently named some poor son of hers Vivian, but that's something to explore another day.)
Where to start to with A Lady of Quality? It isn't what you expect. Despite the increasingly moralistic tone of the characters as the book progresses, this isn't a moralizing story. People do evil, or at least not-so-nice things, and it kinda gets swept under the rug. Only one truly evil person seems to exist and even he shows as more pathetic than despicable.
Oh, I suppose this story has its share of extreme melodrama and heaving bosoms and and saintly side characters. The important point is that the main character isn't a saint. She's mean and twisted initially. Burnett redeems her, but not by sacrificing her to wasting disease or anything like that, which is what I kept expecting. She gets a romance for the ages.
Though the book builds towards her final, saving romance, it doesn't revolve around it. Different kinds of love push this book along, from a sister's devotion to a Father's self-centeredness. It really is fascinating.
I'm intrigued and will definitely need to find more by Burnett!
Now to think to yourself, the author who wrote that sappy Little Lord Fauntleroy novel and brought us the darling but perfect Sara Crew in A Little Princess also wrote this book.
You're shocked, aren't you? I know. Me too. I kept double-checking in case I missed something.
You'd never guess it from her frothy children's novels, but Frances Hodgson Burnett was a badass. (Also, she apparently named some poor son of hers Vivian, but that's something to explore another day.)
Where to start to with A Lady of Quality? It isn't what you expect. Despite the increasingly moralistic tone of the characters as the book progresses, this isn't a moralizing story. People do evil, or at least not-so-nice things, and it kinda gets swept under the rug. Only one truly evil person seems to exist and even he shows as more pathetic than despicable.
Oh, I suppose this story has its share of extreme melodrama and heaving bosoms and and saintly side characters. The important point is that the main character isn't a saint. She's mean and twisted initially. Burnett redeems her, but not by sacrificing her to wasting disease or anything like that, which is what I kept expecting. She gets a romance for the ages.
Though the book builds towards her final, saving romance, it doesn't revolve around it. Different kinds of love push this book along, from a sister's devotion to a Father's self-centeredness. It really is fascinating.
I'm intrigued and will definitely need to find more by Burnett!
September 22, 2023
Autrice de #Ilgiardinosegreto questa volta la leggo nelle vesti di un classico senza tempo. Non avevo mai letto un classico che affrontasse queste tematiche, proprio perché si pensa sia un classico d’amore ambientato nell’epoca vittoriana ma leggendolo si trova altro.
Lo definirei un romanzo di formazione visto che il libro si apre con la nascita della protagonista e l’abbandono del padre ((considerava la moglie priva di valore visto che non gli diede mai un erede maschio ma solo una sfilza di figlie femmine)) per poi continuare a narrare tutta la sua vita, fino all’età adulta, con avventure amorose, matrimoni e momenti vissuti nel focolare familiare con la sorella Anne.
Clorinda è un’eroina proprio perché questo libro narra la sua storia e la condizione femminile: all’inizio non è accettata dal padre perché ancora una volta si ritrova ad avere una figlia femmina, solo pian piano qualcosa cambia; Clorinda non è uguale alle altre sue figlie, è un vero maschiaccio: cavalca i cavalli meglio di un uomo, risponde a tono e non si fa mia mettere i piedi addosso.
Clorinda è una donna ma sostanzialmente si va valere come se fosse un uomo e in una società del 1800 in cui predomina l’uomo, Clorinda risulta una donna fatta di coraggio, determinazione e tanta volontà. Un maschiaccio all’inizio e una donna vera e propria alla fine… un classico fatto di momenti interessanti e momento noiosi.
January 21, 2016
Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
A Lady of Quality is a romance by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1896. If the name rings a bell, it’s because Burnett also wrote Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden. Today Burnett is remembered for her children’s books, but she also wrote a lot of romantic novels for adults, one of which is A Lady of Quality.
It features melodrama – so much melodrama. People just don’t make melodrama like they used to.
The first thing that you need to know about this book is that it starts off with some really depressing shit. At the start of the story, Asshole Dad marries a much younger woman. She will henceforth be known as Martyr Mom, not because I’m victim blaming but because she represents a very specific Victorian type of female character, one who exists to be good, to be miserable, and to die. Martyr Mom gives birth to nine children in nine years. All but two of these babies die in infancy. Giving birth to Baby #10 kills her, but as she lies in her deathbed she tries to suffocate the baby, who is lying next to her, to save the baby from being raised by Asshole Dad. This is some dark shit, but also an interesting subversion of the Martyr Mom Victorian Trope in that instead of praying over the baby for angels in heaven to guide it on the moral path, she just up and tries to kill it. This sets the tone for a book in which people make some hardcore choices.
The book is actually pretty subversive in terms of morals, with almost all of the moral judgment falling on Asshole Dad and on Oxon – there’s no suggestion that the women he knocked up were immoral, only that they were perhaps naïve and that Oxon was a manipulator and a liar. Even Anne, the voice of morality, encourages Clorinda to keep Oxon’s death a secret, and Anne never judges Clorinda for her sexual behavior or for killing Oxon. Clorinda lives with guilt, but the guilt is part of her life, not something that ruins all her happiness.
The attitudes towards agency are fascinating. Anne is celebrated largely for her passivity, yet Clorinda is adored for her ability to take action and for her refusal to be the puppet of the men in her life. Clorinda views her ability to take action as a sign of her masculine self – just as she has ‘masculine’ traits of being tall and strong, she has ‘masculine’ traits of being stubborn and outspoken and rebellious. Every time she cries, or feels very emotional, she berates herself for being ‘womanly’ and ‘weak’. Is the message that women have the capacity to take charge of their lives, and they should do so, like Clorinda? Or is the message that to be truly feminine is to be passive and emotional, like Anne? Or is the message that women are people, and therefore they can have different personalities, and all kinds of personalities have value? I’m not sure.
What I am sure about is that those wacky Victorians had a lot to sort out with regard to gender, and they could have used some lessons about birth control and hand-washing as well.
- Carrie S.
A Lady of Quality is a romance by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1896. If the name rings a bell, it’s because Burnett also wrote Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden. Today Burnett is remembered for her children’s books, but she also wrote a lot of romantic novels for adults, one of which is A Lady of Quality.
It features melodrama – so much melodrama. People just don’t make melodrama like they used to.
The first thing that you need to know about this book is that it starts off with some really depressing shit. At the start of the story, Asshole Dad marries a much younger woman. She will henceforth be known as Martyr Mom, not because I’m victim blaming but because she represents a very specific Victorian type of female character, one who exists to be good, to be miserable, and to die. Martyr Mom gives birth to nine children in nine years. All but two of these babies die in infancy. Giving birth to Baby #10 kills her, but as she lies in her deathbed she tries to suffocate the baby, who is lying next to her, to save the baby from being raised by Asshole Dad. This is some dark shit, but also an interesting subversion of the Martyr Mom Victorian Trope in that instead of praying over the baby for angels in heaven to guide it on the moral path, she just up and tries to kill it. This sets the tone for a book in which people make some hardcore choices.
The book is actually pretty subversive in terms of morals, with almost all of the moral judgment falling on Asshole Dad and on Oxon – there’s no suggestion that the women he knocked up were immoral, only that they were perhaps naïve and that Oxon was a manipulator and a liar. Even Anne, the voice of morality, encourages Clorinda to keep Oxon’s death a secret, and Anne never judges Clorinda for her sexual behavior or for killing Oxon. Clorinda lives with guilt, but the guilt is part of her life, not something that ruins all her happiness.
The attitudes towards agency are fascinating. Anne is celebrated largely for her passivity, yet Clorinda is adored for her ability to take action and for her refusal to be the puppet of the men in her life. Clorinda views her ability to take action as a sign of her masculine self – just as she has ‘masculine’ traits of being tall and strong, she has ‘masculine’ traits of being stubborn and outspoken and rebellious. Every time she cries, or feels very emotional, she berates herself for being ‘womanly’ and ‘weak’. Is the message that women have the capacity to take charge of their lives, and they should do so, like Clorinda? Or is the message that to be truly feminine is to be passive and emotional, like Anne? Or is the message that women are people, and therefore they can have different personalities, and all kinds of personalities have value? I’m not sure.
What I am sure about is that those wacky Victorians had a lot to sort out with regard to gender, and they could have used some lessons about birth control and hand-washing as well.
- Carrie S.
January 1, 2021
Valutazione: quasi 4 stelline
Sinceramente avrei fatto a meno dell'eccessiva enfasi usata dalla Burnett nel caratterizzare la protagonista che, sicuramente, è un personaggio fuori dal comune, forte e tenace sin dalla nascita e di una bellezza impareggiabile, capace di grandi metamorfosi e soprattutto determinata a gestire la sua vita senza vincoli di alcun genere. Tante le tematiche presenti nel romanzo come, per esempio, il rapporto con la religione e la fede, l'indipendenza e l'autodeterminazione della donna in un'epoca, il 700, che le relegava a figure di secondo piano e assolutamente succubi di padri e mariti. Ma Clorinda va oltre, è padrona del suo destino e non si fermerà davanti a nulla se non all'amore, quello vero, puro per il quale è pronta a grandi gesti, spesso estremi, nel bene e nel male...
Sinceramente avrei fatto a meno dell'eccessiva enfasi usata dalla Burnett nel caratterizzare la protagonista che, sicuramente, è un personaggio fuori dal comune, forte e tenace sin dalla nascita e di una bellezza impareggiabile, capace di grandi metamorfosi e soprattutto determinata a gestire la sua vita senza vincoli di alcun genere. Tante le tematiche presenti nel romanzo come, per esempio, il rapporto con la religione e la fede, l'indipendenza e l'autodeterminazione della donna in un'epoca, il 700, che le relegava a figure di secondo piano e assolutamente succubi di padri e mariti. Ma Clorinda va oltre, è padrona del suo destino e non si fermerà davanti a nulla se non all'amore, quello vero, puro per il quale è pronta a grandi gesti, spesso estremi, nel bene e nel male...
July 3, 2021
La Clorinda di questo insolito romanzo della Burnett è un’eroina anticonvenzionale, che differisce dalla consuetudine per la spiccata indipendenza che non contempla l’ipotesi di venire relegata in angolo, oscurata da una qualche figura maschile o vittima delle proprie sfumature emotive.
A tratti l'eccessivo impeto, in questa figura tanto innovativa per il canone vittoriano, l'ho trovato ridondante. Non posso dire di concedergli il podio dei lavori F.H.Burnett che più ho amato.
A tratti l'eccessivo impeto, in questa figura tanto innovativa per il canone vittoriano, l'ho trovato ridondante. Non posso dire di concedergli il podio dei lavori F.H.Burnett che più ho amato.
November 21, 2019
The last thing I expected was for this book to be set in the 1600s, and to basically be a full-on melodrama. Having read Burnett’s kid-centric books multiple times and her contemporary 1901 romance Emily Fox-Seton earlier this year, I guess I figured that A Lady of Quality — especially given the cover of this 2014 edition — would at least take place in relatively modern times, and not be quite so histrionic.
But this story of two very different daughters born to an improvident, uncaring feudal lord, treated shabbily until the youngest of them turns out to be a tomboy beauty, and the assorted beaux who enter their lives — not to mention, MURDER! — surprised me completely, and not in a good way.
To best encapsulate my feelings about this book, let me tell you that I’m not a hundred percent sure it isn’t a parody—and a failed parody, at that.
I… did not care for it.
But this story of two very different daughters born to an improvident, uncaring feudal lord, treated shabbily until the youngest of them turns out to be a tomboy beauty, and the assorted beaux who enter their lives — not to mention, MURDER! — surprised me completely, and not in a good way.
To best encapsulate my feelings about this book, let me tell you that I’m not a hundred percent sure it isn’t a parody—and a failed parody, at that.
I… did not care for it.
October 17, 2012
A little known Gothic romance by the author of The Secret Garden. Many reviews criticize the unlikelihood of this story -- there definitely times where the story or characters seem to good to be true, still I enjoyed this story. I read part of it via a free eBook on Kindle and listened to most of it via free audio-book through Librivox. Once you reach Clorinda's teenage years the story picks up and draws you in. I could hardly put it down until I'd reached the end. It was a compelling read.
I didn't like Clorinda at first, expecting her to be a "Rebecca" or "Scarlet" type character, but she chooses to help those around her and in doing so becomes a lady of quality vs. a lady of selfishness. She is very likable at the end, although I admit almost too perfect.
The villain seemed a cross between George Wickim (P&P) and Gaston (Beauty and the Beast). You definitely hate him.
I almost wished that the story had been about Anne, Clorinda's sister, but when I reached the end I was surprised to discover I liked Clorinda and she and Anne had their own part to play in the story and it would not have been the same story had their personalities been different.
The Shuttle is still my favorite of Burnett's adult novels, but I did enjoy A Lady of Quality and recommend it to those looking for a Gothic romance.
Note: the story is said to be set in the late 1600s, but in my mind's eye I could not see it in that time period, rather it seemed better fitted to the early 1800s.
I didn't like Clorinda at first, expecting her to be a "Rebecca" or "Scarlet" type character, but she chooses to help those around her and in doing so becomes a lady of quality vs. a lady of selfishness. She is very likable at the end, although I admit almost too perfect.
The villain seemed a cross between George Wickim (P&P) and Gaston (Beauty and the Beast). You definitely hate him.
I almost wished that the story had been about Anne, Clorinda's sister, but when I reached the end I was surprised to discover I liked Clorinda and she and Anne had their own part to play in the story and it would not have been the same story had their personalities been different.
The Shuttle is still my favorite of Burnett's adult novels, but I did enjoy A Lady of Quality and recommend it to those looking for a Gothic romance.
Note: the story is said to be set in the late 1600s, but in my mind's eye I could not see it in that time period, rather it seemed better fitted to the early 1800s.
September 11, 2012
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I found none of the principle characters likeable--and some I thoroughly despised (which in two cases is the author's intent). However, the main character is a selfish, shallow woman who we are supposed to believe matures into a "lady of quality" despite her improbable and uncooth upbringing. The ultimate central point of the story is redemption; the question raised is whether the worst acts can be atoned for by subsequent charity, kindness, and goodness. I don't think, in this case, the story succeeded in convincing me that this was true. As usual in Burnett's story, their is the requisite slavishly devoted character who has no identity or self-worth apart from adoring and serving the main character. In this case it is the sister Anne who is so groveling and doormattish that I just wanted to shake her!
July 13, 2009
A larger-than-life heroine, drama, romance, villainy, dark secrets -- if all you've read of Burnett is The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, this book will make your head spin. This is one of my favorites of her books; it's not the best constructed, and yes, it's over-the-top in places, but that's what makes it so much fun to read.
April 29, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, and wish that Frances Hodgson Burnett were better known for her works for adults, much as I love her more famous works for children. I also wish that modern romance novelists would take a cue or two from Clorinda -- guys, *this* is how you do the fiery-beauty-who-will-bow-to-no-unworthy-man type. Although the "happily ever after" part goes on a bit long for my taste, the scene between Anne and Clorinda at the end is excellent. I appreciated that even at the end, Clorinda needed some humbling.
The reading by Linda Andrus was very clear and easy to listen to, and it was pretty clear who was speaking based on the tone of voice alone.
The reading by Linda Andrus was very clear and easy to listen to, and it was pretty clear who was speaking based on the tone of voice alone.
January 10, 2023
I read the blurb to this and thought ”I have to read this, it seems nuts”
And it kind of was, in a trashy romance kind of way. There is romance, deviant behavior, and murder. Not to mention complete personality changes in the main character that are, as other reviewers points out, not very credible.
It is fun though, if you take nothing too seriously this is a really fun book, up to a murder, after which it starts going downwhill.
Don’t get me wrong, I kind of rooted for that murder.
But after it the book takes this intolerably saccharine turn. It gets forced and dull. And the end, ugh, I don’t know the complete tonal shift was jarring. As a redemption story it doesn’t work because the main character never works at anything, good things happen to her whatever she does, and when she decides to be good it is on her own terms (which clashes with the vague religiosity that creeps into her here)
She believes in a righteous God (a fun one, with feelings) because she has never had to face the consequences for anything she’s done. It is easy to be righteous when you make up your morals as you go and to suit your needs.
(P.s. You can’t ”make up” for a murder by living someone elses life for them and ’better’)
It also feels out of time, while it starts in the late 1600s and ends in the early 1700s, it feels a lot more like FHB’s own time.
That said, before the final two hours of the audiobook this was a 3-star fun romp through some soap opera stuff, then it plummeted to a two-star.
Would still recommend to anyone who likes a fun, easy, trashy read
And it kind of was, in a trashy romance kind of way. There is romance, deviant behavior, and murder. Not to mention complete personality changes in the main character that are, as other reviewers points out, not very credible.
It is fun though, if you take nothing too seriously this is a really fun book, up to a murder, after which it starts going downwhill.
Don’t get me wrong, I kind of rooted for that murder.
But after it the book takes this intolerably saccharine turn. It gets forced and dull. And the end, ugh, I don’t know the complete tonal shift was jarring. As a redemption story it doesn’t work because the main character never works at anything, good things happen to her whatever she does, and when she decides to be good it is on her own terms (which clashes with the vague religiosity that creeps into her here)
She believes in a righteous God (a fun one, with feelings) because she has never had to face the consequences for anything she’s done. It is easy to be righteous when you make up your morals as you go and to suit your needs.
(P.s. You can’t ”make up” for a murder by living someone elses life for them and ’better’)
It also feels out of time, while it starts in the late 1600s and ends in the early 1700s, it feels a lot more like FHB’s own time.
That said, before the final two hours of the audiobook this was a 3-star fun romp through some soap opera stuff, then it plummeted to a two-star.
Would still recommend to anyone who likes a fun, easy, trashy read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2022
Jakby kogoś interesowało to polski tytuł to ,,Panna Szlachetnego Rodu''
Klorynda to girlboss, tyle wam powiem
Ale ogólnie to książka naprawdę mega mi się podobała, na pewno o wiele bardziej niż ,,Sekret Markizy'' (': Głównie dlatego, że tym razem biedna i głupia była siostra głównej bohaterki, a nie ona sama ups
Klorynda to girlboss, tyle wam powiem
Ale ogólnie to książka naprawdę mega mi się podobała, na pewno o wiele bardziej niż ,,Sekret Markizy'' (': Głównie dlatego, że tym razem biedna i głupia była siostra głównej bohaterki, a nie ona sama ups
May 25, 2017
Picture a girl raised by a harsh father who dotes on her because she is beautiful and willful. He dresses her up in boy's clothes and her crass language and company of her father's friends don't help. Then she decides she will one day (poof) become a lady and on a dime with her 'towering intellect' and all that rot goes on to do so. She now is a goddess, spurning lovers... well, maybe most of them... and having all fall at her willful and haughty feet due to her intelligence, wit and beauty. One sister is a particular sycophant. But trouble brews in the form of a lover she no longer wants. At this point the tedium of the old-fashioned descriptions and personalities got to me. I checked out the Cliff Notes.
SPOILER- stop if you don't want to know-
Yes, she accidentally kills the threatening and obnoxious former lover with her weighted whip, buries his body in the cellar, but is forgiven by her perfectly matched male counterpart who has waited for her through a first marriage to a man in his dotage.
SPOILER- stop if you don't want to know-
Yes, she accidentally kills the threatening and obnoxious former lover with her weighted whip, buries his body in the cellar, but is forgiven by her perfectly matched male counterpart who has waited for her through a first marriage to a man in his dotage.
April 10, 2014
There's a reason why some great writers produce books that are almost unknown. This one - a novel for adults - is a far remove from the author's delightful children's classics 'Secret Garden' or 'Little Lord Fauntleroy'. It features an eminently dislikeable heroine, Clorinda, whose mother died giving birth to her. Her father is appalling, her childhood a caricature of depravity, and her sudden about-turn into being a society lady very difficult to swallow.
I don't mind a slight excess of emotion, description or moralising in books of this era, but this one went on for pages, sometimes, without adding to the plot at all. I kept reading because I was interested in Clorinda's sister Anne, and because some of the plot developments caught my interest - but towards the end I skimmed several pages in order to finish it more quickly.
I don't think I'll be reading this again, and really wouldn't recommend it - but if you're now intrigued, make sure to get the free ebook edition.
I don't mind a slight excess of emotion, description or moralising in books of this era, but this one went on for pages, sometimes, without adding to the plot at all. I kept reading because I was interested in Clorinda's sister Anne, and because some of the plot developments caught my interest - but towards the end I skimmed several pages in order to finish it more quickly.
I don't think I'll be reading this again, and really wouldn't recommend it - but if you're now intrigued, make sure to get the free ebook edition.
June 3, 2009
This is a charming pastiche of the proto-novels found in early 18th century periodicals, written with only a few inevitable Victorian touches. The heroine, born in the late 17th century, is raised by her utterly disreputable father and his drunk hunting cronies; she wears boys clothes, rides like a man, and generally gets up to all sorts of mischief before determining that in order to have a comfortable future she needs to act like a woman & catch a rich husband. It's a marvelous romp; the heroine has nerves of steel and a violent temper, but enough compassion for the suffering of others that she manages to be sympathetic to the reader. The degree to which gender is treated as performative is also quite interesting, especially given the period in which the novel was written.
February 20, 2017
Inaspettatamente, la Burnett della mia letteratura infantile si rivela autrice di un romanzo dalle tinte forti. La storia, che segue i tempi e i modi della narrativa settecentesca, viene da lei collocata in un periodo sufficientemente lontano (tra sei e settecento) da fare accettare al proprio pubblico il crudo realismo (a metà tra Henry Fielding e Edgar Allan Poe) che a tratti la pervade.
La scrittura obiettiva, fredda fino a essere spietata, la varietà dei personaggi, la suspense, i colpi di scena ne fanno, a mio parere, un romanzo di grande valore.
La scrittura obiettiva, fredda fino a essere spietata, la varietà dei personaggi, la suspense, i colpi di scena ne fanno, a mio parere, un romanzo di grande valore.
March 13, 2025
La regina della letteratura per ragazzi che si cimenta in un romanzo per adulti, ammetto che ero molto curiosa (anche perché adoro i suoi libri, sono pezzi di cuore).
Il risultato è una sorta di romance storico (anche se l'ambientazione settecentesca è solo nominale), tutto incentrato sul carisma della protagonista, la nobile donna del titolo. E' un personaggio sui generis, fatto di eccessi, che spicca nel mondo ottocentesco in cui si muove l'autrice, nel quale le donne erano rappresentate soprattutto come angeli del focolare. Clorinda invece è bellissima, appassionata, coraggiosa, ma soprattutto imperfetta: un'eroina che affascina ma non si fa amare; peccato che andando avanti con la storia perda i suoi tratti più spigolosi e conturbanti per incasellarsi nella morale vittoriana e diventare un modello di virtù.
A questa "caduta nel conformismo" della protagonista corrisponde un appiattimento generale dell'opera, che perde mordente e diventa un polpettone sentimentale. Lo stile poi è troppo enfatico per i miei gusti, con una scrittura fatta di esagerazioni ed estremismi.
Insomma un libro sicuramente particolare, ma che non ha saputo mantenere le promesse iniziali.
Il risultato è una sorta di romance storico (anche se l'ambientazione settecentesca è solo nominale), tutto incentrato sul carisma della protagonista, la nobile donna del titolo. E' un personaggio sui generis, fatto di eccessi, che spicca nel mondo ottocentesco in cui si muove l'autrice, nel quale le donne erano rappresentate soprattutto come angeli del focolare. Clorinda invece è bellissima, appassionata, coraggiosa, ma soprattutto imperfetta: un'eroina che affascina ma non si fa amare; peccato che andando avanti con la storia perda i suoi tratti più spigolosi e conturbanti per incasellarsi nella morale vittoriana e diventare un modello di virtù.
A questa "caduta nel conformismo" della protagonista corrisponde un appiattimento generale dell'opera, che perde mordente e diventa un polpettone sentimentale. Lo stile poi è troppo enfatico per i miei gusti, con una scrittura fatta di esagerazioni ed estremismi.
Insomma un libro sicuramente particolare, ma che non ha saputo mantenere le promesse iniziali.
March 26, 2022
Quando mi sono trovata di fronte a questo titolo, tra l'altro dall'autrice de 'Il giardino segreto', non avevo idea di cosa avrei letto. Neanche in un milione di anni mi sarei aspettata un romanzo così moderno, sarcastico, a tratti persino crudele. Eppure, per quanto mi riguarda, terminata la lettura mi viene da pensare che la donna "of quality" del titolo non sia Clorinda, ma Anne: nonostante le apparenze, questa storia non è che la celebrazione della semplicità dei sentimenti assoluti, come la sorellanza, la fiducia e l'amore.
August 30, 2017
3.5
Un gran divertimento dai toni gotici, finché le virtù femminili vittoriane non ci mettono lo zampino.
Un gran divertimento dai toni gotici, finché le virtù femminili vittoriane non ci mettono lo zampino.
November 29, 2018
I felt like this book was lacking in any real plot.
May 18, 2023
Non ho ancora capito se mi sia piaciuto o no, ma sicuramente è stato sorprendente.
Non tanto per la trama, quella era facile, è il contenuto che è sorprendente e nemmeno troppo velatamente nascosto fra un moralismo e un melodramma.
Non tanto per la trama, quella era facile, è il contenuto che è sorprendente e nemmeno troppo velatamente nascosto fra un moralismo e un melodramma.
October 2, 2020
A melodramatic, wholly unbelievable and highly unrealistic view of a willful, stubborn, and high spirited woman’s rise to power in early eighteenth century England. Raised by a drunken lout of a father, Clorinda rides wild horses and carouses to keep up with even the most degenerate of his fellows. When she comes of age, she decides to become a proper lady. I liked Clorinda, for who could not—I have never read another heroine of so wild of spirit yet such a self-controlled manner. I especially love that she’s far more likely to break into a violent fury than burst into tears.
Content warnings:
Can be read online here.
Content warnings:
Can be read online here.
August 16, 2013
i am loving this book. it's fun to read bc sentence structure is uncommon to me -- i have been reading aloud in order to appreciate the differences in the way i normally speak. reading e-versions is great for looking up words no longer in common usage.
the story is pretty fantastic, as in, sort of ridiculous, but that's the neat thing about fiction: a story can be anything you want it to be. everything about the heroine is the best of the best of the best. the author was good at repeating things in many different ways, howsoever silly the heights of every facet of the heroine's life. it was predictable, however, an enjoyable read.
the story is pretty fantastic, as in, sort of ridiculous, but that's the neat thing about fiction: a story can be anything you want it to be. everything about the heroine is the best of the best of the best. the author was good at repeating things in many different ways, howsoever silly the heights of every facet of the heroine's life. it was predictable, however, an enjoyable read.
May 21, 2017
Gotta tell you, I think readers today will either love this book or hate and I think a lot of people will overlook that Burnett was really something of a feminist because of all the melodrama. Oh, the melodrama.
Personally, I loved it. But I can also recommend that you read the synopsis on the website below because the description Goodreads offers does not begin to the plot justice. I could write a description but I so much enjoyed the way Carrie write this. Warning for Carrie S's rather purple language.
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/re...
Personally, I loved it. But I can also recommend that you read the synopsis on the website below because the description Goodreads offers does not begin to the plot justice. I could write a description but I so much enjoyed the way Carrie write this. Warning for Carrie S's rather purple language.
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/re...
June 25, 2012
I can see why this is not at the top of the list for popularity for this author. There is something that just doesn't ring true about the development of the main character ... she turns out completely different from how she was raised. She inadvertently kills a man and then covers it up, going on with her life and trying to do good without ever facing up to the tragedy, enjoying peace and contentment and tranquility. Rather a puzzling book.
October 13, 2011
I never realized that the author of The Secret Garden and the Little Princess wrote romantic adult novels. I very much enjoyed this story with it's extremely florid writing. Styles have definitely changed, but this was fun to read. I was rather shocked by what the heroine gets away with in the end.
Not what I had expected.
Not what I had expected.
June 29, 2012
My opinion of the book improved as it went on. It starts terribly, but picks up considerably! Despite the unrealistic heroine, I was touched by the ending. Overall, it was an interesting look at what the author considered to be an "old-fashioned" novel during her own time.
October 6, 2024
<< Sono parte di tutto questo, come sono parte di voi. Questa sera, come la grande terra palpita, come le stelle fremono; l'amore è il mio sole, e attraverso la sua sacralità anch'io potrei germogliare ed essere altrettanto nobile quanto la terra e ciò che essa porta alla luce. >>
Quanto sarebbe durata questa lettura?
Nel mentre ripongo queste poche righe, penso a quanto spesso mi sia chiesta per quanto tempo mi sarei trascinata un romanzo la cui protagonista si è rivelata antipatica, saccente, furba. Clorinda, giovane nobildonna abituata a condurre una vita agiata, si posò dinanzi al mio cerchio quasi senza che me ne rendessi conto e famigliarizzare con lei, instaurare anche un minimo legame, fu davvero difficile. Si era coperta sotto strati e strati di diffidenza, alterigia, diffidenza che quelle povere creature che la attorniarono come cuccioli in calore, la condussero a vivere con coscienza << operazioni >> contro il suo non poter essere diversa dagli altri, spiccare in mezzo a una folla di gente umile e riservata. L’autrice credo abbia riversato se stessa in Clorinda, esprimendo le svariate difficoltà che una nobildonna doveva incorrere per spiccare in società. Ma a mio avviso irrilevanti perché a volte non basta possedere una certa dote per spiccare nel bel mezzo del niente.
Eppure Clorinda ha aspettato per tutta la vita, rintanata nella soffitta della sua casa, nel grembo freddo e cinico di un padre severo e rigido, non immaginando che al peggio non c’è mai fine: la sua bella e fatiscente casa, i suoi genitori, i suoi libri, le intercettazioni spontanee con la natura, cessarono nel giro di un battito di ciglia. Ma Clorinda sa di non essere sola perché sebbene sua sorella minore, Anne, non l’abbandonerà mai, rievoca ricordi, apre ferite dell’anima non ancora marginate che rivelano tuttavia una certa predisposizione per cosa e chi la circonda. Riconoscere la propria identità, capire come ci si senta nel bel mezzo del niente, sfuggendo da ogni convenzione, da qualunque cosa, il cui potere della letteratura fu puro e spontaneo. Ogni cosa sarebbe stato espresso con la potenza delle parole.
Una trama apparentemente banale che si districa in vicende di vita quotidiana, talvolta monotone talvolta appassite dai miasmi del tempo, in cui la bellezza diviene quel dono di natura in grado di giustificare un temperamento poco ligio, garanzia di attenzioni, reputazioni un'identità che niente e nessuno ha mai potuto intaccare. Verve dell’intero romanzo che mediante la presenza di figure di spessore, dà credito al rapporto fra uomo e natura secondo cui la stessa agiva da arma che da semplice congegno cognitivo.
Ho letto questo romanzo senza alcuna pretesa e con gli stessi sentimenti che riverso ai classici. Non pretende di essere capito, piuttosto sapere come ci si sente quando si resta soli, e non vogliamo nient’altro che essere lasciati soli, disperatamente incompresi.
Tali parole, sebbene adoperate in maniera diversa, mi hanno fatto sparire. Mi hanno indotta a << dialogare >> con la sua autrice, e osservando come Cordelia si fosse battuta in filippiche in cui denunciava l’egoismo del prossimo e la vita borghese, ho identificato come la ragione prevalga spesso e non poche volte sul sentimento. Questa tipologia di romanzi mi lasciano contagiare dalla malinconia, raccogliere tutta la passione insita nell’animo per poter fagocitare storie come queste. Qui mi si sono presentate delle cose bellissime: la casa, un giardino di una splendida tenuta, personaggi che hanno vissuto e respirato assieme a me e i cui piaceri indugiano nella semplicità, nella spontaneità. Una penna mossa da una mano invisibile che traccia un segno indelebile: una luce che divampa nella notte, il mondo di carta in cui amo viverci perfetto e tangibile.
Una miscela disomogenea di colori che convergono in un unico quadro, un pasto lauco per un lettore avido di storie soddiafacente solo per chi ama davvero i classici, una pace interiore perfettamente rimodellata e costruita come una corazza, abilmente realizzata mediante un momento di perpetua follia. Un’ opera solennemente letteraria che evidenzia come la bellezza talvolta può essere colei che lega qualcosa di forte, tangibile, indelebile che ha funto da filo conduttore fra me e questo mondo, che però non fa trattenere il fiato come credevo ma richiama la narrativa romantica vittoriana a cui sono abituata, che, arrivando in sordina, mi ha reso partecipe di una vicenda dolce/ amara in un mare di ricordi che fluttuano nel tempo sempre più remoto.
Quanto sarebbe durata questa lettura?
Nel mentre ripongo queste poche righe, penso a quanto spesso mi sia chiesta per quanto tempo mi sarei trascinata un romanzo la cui protagonista si è rivelata antipatica, saccente, furba. Clorinda, giovane nobildonna abituata a condurre una vita agiata, si posò dinanzi al mio cerchio quasi senza che me ne rendessi conto e famigliarizzare con lei, instaurare anche un minimo legame, fu davvero difficile. Si era coperta sotto strati e strati di diffidenza, alterigia, diffidenza che quelle povere creature che la attorniarono come cuccioli in calore, la condussero a vivere con coscienza << operazioni >> contro il suo non poter essere diversa dagli altri, spiccare in mezzo a una folla di gente umile e riservata. L’autrice credo abbia riversato se stessa in Clorinda, esprimendo le svariate difficoltà che una nobildonna doveva incorrere per spiccare in società. Ma a mio avviso irrilevanti perché a volte non basta possedere una certa dote per spiccare nel bel mezzo del niente.
Eppure Clorinda ha aspettato per tutta la vita, rintanata nella soffitta della sua casa, nel grembo freddo e cinico di un padre severo e rigido, non immaginando che al peggio non c’è mai fine: la sua bella e fatiscente casa, i suoi genitori, i suoi libri, le intercettazioni spontanee con la natura, cessarono nel giro di un battito di ciglia. Ma Clorinda sa di non essere sola perché sebbene sua sorella minore, Anne, non l’abbandonerà mai, rievoca ricordi, apre ferite dell’anima non ancora marginate che rivelano tuttavia una certa predisposizione per cosa e chi la circonda. Riconoscere la propria identità, capire come ci si senta nel bel mezzo del niente, sfuggendo da ogni convenzione, da qualunque cosa, il cui potere della letteratura fu puro e spontaneo. Ogni cosa sarebbe stato espresso con la potenza delle parole.
Una trama apparentemente banale che si districa in vicende di vita quotidiana, talvolta monotone talvolta appassite dai miasmi del tempo, in cui la bellezza diviene quel dono di natura in grado di giustificare un temperamento poco ligio, garanzia di attenzioni, reputazioni un'identità che niente e nessuno ha mai potuto intaccare. Verve dell’intero romanzo che mediante la presenza di figure di spessore, dà credito al rapporto fra uomo e natura secondo cui la stessa agiva da arma che da semplice congegno cognitivo.
Ho letto questo romanzo senza alcuna pretesa e con gli stessi sentimenti che riverso ai classici. Non pretende di essere capito, piuttosto sapere come ci si sente quando si resta soli, e non vogliamo nient’altro che essere lasciati soli, disperatamente incompresi.
Tali parole, sebbene adoperate in maniera diversa, mi hanno fatto sparire. Mi hanno indotta a << dialogare >> con la sua autrice, e osservando come Cordelia si fosse battuta in filippiche in cui denunciava l’egoismo del prossimo e la vita borghese, ho identificato come la ragione prevalga spesso e non poche volte sul sentimento. Questa tipologia di romanzi mi lasciano contagiare dalla malinconia, raccogliere tutta la passione insita nell’animo per poter fagocitare storie come queste. Qui mi si sono presentate delle cose bellissime: la casa, un giardino di una splendida tenuta, personaggi che hanno vissuto e respirato assieme a me e i cui piaceri indugiano nella semplicità, nella spontaneità. Una penna mossa da una mano invisibile che traccia un segno indelebile: una luce che divampa nella notte, il mondo di carta in cui amo viverci perfetto e tangibile.
Una miscela disomogenea di colori che convergono in un unico quadro, un pasto lauco per un lettore avido di storie soddiafacente solo per chi ama davvero i classici, una pace interiore perfettamente rimodellata e costruita come una corazza, abilmente realizzata mediante un momento di perpetua follia. Un’ opera solennemente letteraria che evidenzia come la bellezza talvolta può essere colei che lega qualcosa di forte, tangibile, indelebile che ha funto da filo conduttore fra me e questo mondo, che però non fa trattenere il fiato come credevo ma richiama la narrativa romantica vittoriana a cui sono abituata, che, arrivando in sordina, mi ha reso partecipe di una vicenda dolce/ amara in un mare di ricordi che fluttuano nel tempo sempre più remoto.
May 15, 2022
Quanto sarebbe durata questa lettura?
Nel mentre ripongo queste poche righe, penso a quanto spesso mi sia chiesta per quanto tempo mi sarei trascinata un romanzo la cui protagonista si è rivelata antipatica, saccente, furba. Clorinda, giovane nobildonna abituata a condurre una vita agiata, si posò dinanzi al mio cerchio quasi senza che me ne rendessi conto e famigliarizzare con lei, instaurare anche un minimo legame, fu davvero difficile. Si era coperta sotto strati e strati di diffidenza, alterigia, diffidenza che quelle povere creature che la attorniarono come cuccioli in calore, la condussero a vivere con coscienza << operazioni >> contro il suo non poter essere diversa dagli altri, spiccare in mezzo a una folla di gente umile e riservata. L’autrice credo abbia riversato se stessa in Clorinda, esprimendo le svariate difficoltà che una nobildonna doveva incorrere per spiccare in società. Ma a mio avviso irrilevanti perché a volte non basta possedere una certa dote per spiccare nel bel mezzo del niente.
Eppure Clorinda ha aspettato per tutta la vita, rintanata nella soffitta della sua casa, nel grembo freddo e cinico di un padre severo e rigido, non immaginando che al peggio non c’è mai fine: la sua bella e fatiscente casa, i suoi genitori, i suoi libri, le intercettazioni spontanee con la natura, cessarono nel giro di un battito di ciglia. Ma Clorinda sa di non essere sola perché sebbene sua sorella minore, Anne, non l’abbandonerà mai, rievoca ricordi, apre ferite dell’anima non ancora marginate che rivelano tuttavia una certa predisposizione per cosa e chi la circonda. Riconoscere la propria identità, capire come ci si senta nel bel mezzo del niente, sfuggendo da ogni convenzione, da qualunque cosa, il cui potere della letteratura fu puro e spontaneo. Ogni cosa sarebbe stato espresso con la potenza delle parole.
Una trama apparentemente banale che si districa in vicende di vita quotidiana, talvolta monotone talvolta appassite dai miasmi del tempo, che l’autrice identifica come principale oggetto di studio. Verve dell’intero romanzo che mediante la presenza di figure di spessore, dà credito al rapporto fra uomo e natura secondo cui la stessa agiva da arma che da semplice congegno cognitivo.
Ho letto questo romanzo senza alcuna pretesa e con gli stessi sentimenti che riverso ai classici. Non pretende di essere capito, piuttosto sapere come ci si sente quando si resta soli, e non vogliamo nient’altro che essere lasciati soli, disperatamente incompresi.
Tali parole, sebbene adoperate in maniera diversa, mi hanno fatto sparire. Mi hanno indotta a << dialogare >> con la sua autrice, e osservando come Cordelia si fosse battuta in filippiche in cui denunciava l’egoismo del prossimo e la vita borghese, ho identificato come la ragione prevalga spesso e non poche volte sul sentimento. Questa tipologia di romanzi mi lasciano contagiare dalla malinconia, raccogliere tutta la passione insita nell’animo per poter fagocitare storie come queste. Qui mi si sono presentate delle cose bellissime: la casa, un giardino di una splendida tenuta, personaggi che hanno vissuto e respirato assieme a me. Una penna mossa da una mano invisibile che traccia un segno indelebile: una luce che divampa nella notte, il mondo di carta in cui amo viverci perfetto e tangibile.
Una miscela disomogenea di colori che convergono in un unico quadro, un pasto lauco per un lettore avido di storie ma non soddisfacente del tutto, una pace interiore perfettamente rimodellata e costruita come una corazza, abilmente realizzata mediante un momento di perpetua follia. Un’ opera solennemente letteraria che evidenzia come la bellezza talvolta può essere colei che lega qualcosa di forte, tangibile, indelebile che ha funto da filo conduttore fra me e questo mondo, che però non fa trattenere il fiato come credevo ne richiama la narrativa romantica vittoriana a cui sono abituata, che è arrivato in sordina, mi ha reso partecipe di una vicenda dolce/ amara in un mare di ricordi che fluttuano nel tempo sempre più remoto.
Nel mentre ripongo queste poche righe, penso a quanto spesso mi sia chiesta per quanto tempo mi sarei trascinata un romanzo la cui protagonista si è rivelata antipatica, saccente, furba. Clorinda, giovane nobildonna abituata a condurre una vita agiata, si posò dinanzi al mio cerchio quasi senza che me ne rendessi conto e famigliarizzare con lei, instaurare anche un minimo legame, fu davvero difficile. Si era coperta sotto strati e strati di diffidenza, alterigia, diffidenza che quelle povere creature che la attorniarono come cuccioli in calore, la condussero a vivere con coscienza << operazioni >> contro il suo non poter essere diversa dagli altri, spiccare in mezzo a una folla di gente umile e riservata. L’autrice credo abbia riversato se stessa in Clorinda, esprimendo le svariate difficoltà che una nobildonna doveva incorrere per spiccare in società. Ma a mio avviso irrilevanti perché a volte non basta possedere una certa dote per spiccare nel bel mezzo del niente.
Eppure Clorinda ha aspettato per tutta la vita, rintanata nella soffitta della sua casa, nel grembo freddo e cinico di un padre severo e rigido, non immaginando che al peggio non c’è mai fine: la sua bella e fatiscente casa, i suoi genitori, i suoi libri, le intercettazioni spontanee con la natura, cessarono nel giro di un battito di ciglia. Ma Clorinda sa di non essere sola perché sebbene sua sorella minore, Anne, non l’abbandonerà mai, rievoca ricordi, apre ferite dell’anima non ancora marginate che rivelano tuttavia una certa predisposizione per cosa e chi la circonda. Riconoscere la propria identità, capire come ci si senta nel bel mezzo del niente, sfuggendo da ogni convenzione, da qualunque cosa, il cui potere della letteratura fu puro e spontaneo. Ogni cosa sarebbe stato espresso con la potenza delle parole.
Una trama apparentemente banale che si districa in vicende di vita quotidiana, talvolta monotone talvolta appassite dai miasmi del tempo, che l’autrice identifica come principale oggetto di studio. Verve dell’intero romanzo che mediante la presenza di figure di spessore, dà credito al rapporto fra uomo e natura secondo cui la stessa agiva da arma che da semplice congegno cognitivo.
Ho letto questo romanzo senza alcuna pretesa e con gli stessi sentimenti che riverso ai classici. Non pretende di essere capito, piuttosto sapere come ci si sente quando si resta soli, e non vogliamo nient’altro che essere lasciati soli, disperatamente incompresi.
Tali parole, sebbene adoperate in maniera diversa, mi hanno fatto sparire. Mi hanno indotta a << dialogare >> con la sua autrice, e osservando come Cordelia si fosse battuta in filippiche in cui denunciava l’egoismo del prossimo e la vita borghese, ho identificato come la ragione prevalga spesso e non poche volte sul sentimento. Questa tipologia di romanzi mi lasciano contagiare dalla malinconia, raccogliere tutta la passione insita nell’animo per poter fagocitare storie come queste. Qui mi si sono presentate delle cose bellissime: la casa, un giardino di una splendida tenuta, personaggi che hanno vissuto e respirato assieme a me. Una penna mossa da una mano invisibile che traccia un segno indelebile: una luce che divampa nella notte, il mondo di carta in cui amo viverci perfetto e tangibile.
Una miscela disomogenea di colori che convergono in un unico quadro, un pasto lauco per un lettore avido di storie ma non soddisfacente del tutto, una pace interiore perfettamente rimodellata e costruita come una corazza, abilmente realizzata mediante un momento di perpetua follia. Un’ opera solennemente letteraria che evidenzia come la bellezza talvolta può essere colei che lega qualcosa di forte, tangibile, indelebile che ha funto da filo conduttore fra me e questo mondo, che però non fa trattenere il fiato come credevo ne richiama la narrativa romantica vittoriana a cui sono abituata, che è arrivato in sordina, mi ha reso partecipe di una vicenda dolce/ amara in un mare di ricordi che fluttuano nel tempo sempre più remoto.
April 11, 2025
2.5 bumped up to 3 rather than down to 2 for a few noteworthy features that don't fully compensate for the flaws but do add interest. The titular lady begins as the last daughter born to the dissipated and brutal Sir Geoffrey, who has wasted most of his estate pursuing pleasure, who has ignored his children, and who has allowed his wife to die in childbirth delivering Clorinda, the novel's protagonist. Jeoffrey eventually comes across his daughter (hitherto completely ignored) when in her spoiled fury she is brandishing a horsewhip. Taken by her spirit, he now takes her to his bosom, metaphorically speaking, but takes pleasure in letting her dress and act like a boy, much to the titillation of his crew of middle-aged fellow libertines. Though this segment of her life could have let to any number to traumatizing encounters, not to mention, sexual confusion, Burnett pretty much glosses over the dark undertones. At maturity, Clorinda through an act of will simply transfers herself into a properly-behaving (in public, anyway), if imperious young lady, and puts herself on the marriage market. End of movement one. Two suitors, the scumbag John Oxon (how far he get sis ambiguous, but the novel shows it's further than he should have and hints it may have been too far) and the older Lord Dunstanwolde occupy Clorinda's attention. One strong scene is the comeuppance of Oxon, though it fuels his hatred and puts him on a mission to destroy Clorinda. She marries Dunstanwolde, no sooner giving herself to him than she sees Sir George, clearly her real love match. Surprisingly, perhaps (and interestingly), she nevertheless is an entirely faithful wife and mourn her husband even when he dies. End of movement two. Free to marry George now, Clorinda still has to deal with the malice of Oxon--which she does by dispatching him, albeit not via cold-blooded murder but instead in a violent passion. One of the novel's strongest sequences follows, when she decides to immure him in the basement, behind a wall, but first must coolly entertain guests while sitting on the settee under which she has hidden his body. Another psychosexually interesting feature of the novel is that Clorinda's sister, the pallid and timorous Anne (who loves Oxon), fully aware of the murder of Oxon, slips into his basement tomb at night to rearrange his hair and try to close his eyes. We get such shades of the gothic (and a scene in which the dying Jeoffrey thinks he sees the dead Oxon approaching him) without any real investment in them. Anyway, once Clorinda is married, she apparently, due to finding true love, becomes a genuinely good woman, loving her husband above all, engaging extensively in charity, helping the afflicted (especially all the victims of Oxon she can find), producing a brood of kids, and so on. This third of the novel feels more like a summary of action than a sequence of events and it rather dull. Unexpectedly (and this is another of the good points), she completely gets away with her crime, and Burnett even implies that she can expect Divine forgiveness for it (there's a lot of cringey piety in the final third). Unfortunately, Clorinda's development does not seem plausibly driven by her experiences, one change being a highly unlikely act of will and the other a transformative stroke. The other characters are degrees of uninteresting. And Burnett's choice to write in a cod archaic style (the novel is set in the late 17th/early 18th century) is merely distracting rather immersive.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews