The Primrose Path

by Bram Stoker

The Primrose Path is an 1875 novel by Bram Stoker. It was the writer's first novel, published 22 years before Dracula and serialized in five installments in The Shamrock, a weekly Irish magazine, from February 6, 1875 to March 6, 1875.Jerry O'Sullivan, honest Dublin theatrical carpenter, moves to London, seeking a better job. Against the better judgement of the people surrounding him, Jerry decides to go to the metropolis with his faithful wife Katey. O'Sullivan is hired as head carpenter in a squalid theatre in London, but after several misfortunes he is strongly tempted by and eventually brought down by alcohol.Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.Stoker had a strong interest in science and medicine and a belief in progress. Some of his novels like The Lady of the Shroud (1909) can be seen as early science fiction.Stoker had an interest in the occult especially mesmerism, but was also wary of occult fraud and believed strongly that superstition should be replaced by more scientific ideas. In the mid-1890s, Stoker is rumoured to have become a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, though there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. One of Stoker's closest friends was J.W. Brodie-Innis, a major figure in the Order, and Stoker himself hired Pamela Coleman Smith, as an artist at the Lyceum Theatre.

Genres: Fiction, Novella, Classics, Novels

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1875

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

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bram Stoker's first novel is devoid of the macabre and supernatural elements that made him famous, but the very human elements of horror that slowly unravel in this book are still a sight to behold. This is a story about the damaging psychological effects of poverty. We watch as a hardworking optimist is transformed into an abusive drunk that vents his rage and insecurities on the one he loves most and ends up behind bars quite frequently. It was a stunning transformation to say the least and the abuse felt personal as we watched it happen from the eyes of the man's wife. The dialogue is a bit lousy at times and the ending is very abrupt, but I'm still pretty impressed with what I read.

***

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[blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, the evils of drink. How we love them.

This is a pretty tragic story where a happy-go-lucky Irish guy decides to take a stab at The Big...Lime—whatever they call London—and finds his life quickly going to hell. Think of it like The Shining only blissfully shorter, and with a lot of 1875-vintage "Woe is me"s thrown in.

Bram Stoker's first novel (a novella, really, at 86-ish pages) is actually pretty effective. Our characters are likable: The husband diligent and usually considerate, and the wife bordering on the saintly (at least by modern standards), and the things that befall them are a mixture of malice and misfortune, not really their own doing but tragic nonetheless.

Stoker's pontifications—well, again, it's a Victorian thing, with the narrator voice being strong and opinionated, and it's not too bad here; it actually creates a kind of patronizing sympathy in the reader. In some ways, it increases the ultimate horror because it is so detached, in its way.

Interesting stuff. I read the version that appeared in The Shamrock magazine issues, because this is not yet digitized somehow.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bram Stoker seems to be the master of the erratic. This book starts off beautifully, a kind of domestically believable set of 'Dubliners' type characters being gently witty, conflicted and constrained together. Ah, but what is it with these young Irish fellas, always having to be away to London. Well, the grass, of course, isn't greener, and there isn't any grass there at all. Despite the best efforts of good wife Katey, it all unravels from there. So, unfortunately, does the plotting, the characterization, and any hope of happiness or redemption, in the face of the wicked Londoners and their terrible drinking. Ah well, tis a moral fable.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Bram's first book and lacks all the things that made Bram Stoker famous i.e. vampires. Still I liked this temperance book. The characters where well rounded, the scenes detailed and interesting. Though this book ends rather abruptly I would recommend it.

[Wally Flangers · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best way I can describe my reading experience is I felt like a dehydrated man who has been stuck in the middle of the desert for days, praying I come across a road, puddle of water, or a Muslim extremist on a camel who recognizes me as an American and puts me out of my misery in the name of Allah…. With each page turned, I felt that hot sand on my hands and knees…. I saw the crows circling above…. A scolding sun above a cloudless sky, frying all vegetation in sight…. My skin burned to a crisp…. Shirt wrapped around my head…. Sweat puddling in the middle of my back…. Each page was going through that hell.

Ok. Perhaps I’m going a tad overboard here…. But, saying “I struggled to get through this” is putting it lightly. I had to dig deep. It was Rocky verses Apollo.

This book belongs in a prison library…. Inmates in maximum security prisons should not be allowed to do anything other than rot in their cell in my opinion. However, since they are allowed to read they should be reading nothing but terrible books (like this one). Books like this would be more of a punishment to the inmate than privilege and ultimately drive them mad. I suppose grabbing a book from the prison library would be as gut wrenching as being sent to the hole at that point…. “Sergeant Sullivan, take inmate 9847 to the library for his role in this bathroom shanking. He is to read Moby Dick or The Primrose Path for his punishment. Take him away”…. “NOOOOO! GOD HELP ME, NOOOO. ANYTHING BUT THAAAAAT. NO MORE BOOKS!.... NO MOre books…. no more bo…. no mo....” ….

“The Primrose Path” was published in 1875 and was Bram Stoker’s debut book. It was serialized in five installments in some magazine called ‘The Shamrock”. The story is about a carpenter named Jerry O’Sullivan, who wants to move to London for a better job opportunity. Failing to heed all the warnings from his friends, Jerry drags his nagging wife, Katey, to London and is hired as head carpenter to help reconstruct some run-down piece of crap, theater. When things don’t go as well as Jerry had hoped, he starts hanging out with Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. The wife is not pleased….

Now…. I wanted to read this book because I enjoy Bram Stoker’s writing style and stories and the plot sounded very interesting, so I thought this was going to be a great book. Unfortunately, I was wrong. But I will note that throughout my read, I completely disregarded the time frame in which the book was written. That was my mistake.

The story starts off by dragging out a dinner with several pointless conversations, attempting to establish relationships and introduce characters. When the conversation turns to alcohol, everyone speaks of it as if it is heroin. I understand it was a different era and not socially acceptable, but some of the comments were just ridiculously over the top. Especially when Jerry’s wife threw in her two cents. The dude gets drunk for the first time in his life and Katey acts like he threw a baby in a microwave. Add to that, a ridiculously over-the-top ending…. Although it does make me wonder how the world went from wanting to demonize anyone who takes a sip of alcohol to throwing jabs at anyone who doesn’t.

FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 1 out of 5 stars. If we were still living in the 1800’s, this may have been an interesting read. But in 2021, I would only recommend “The Primrose Path” to someone as a practical joke. I have no idea how or why reviews on goodreads are so high for this book, but I won’t be going along with everyone else. This was a 1 star for me from beginning to end. I wouldn’t have been able to even finish it if it were not a novella.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

The Primrose Path is Bram Stoker's first novel, being published 22 years before his famous Dracula. It tells the story of the O'Sullivans, a happy Irish family with three children, who leave their straightforward prosperous Dublin life behind to follow Jerry O'Sullivan's dream of seeking a better job and becoming a theatrical carpenter in London since Jerry had "a strange longing to share in the unknown life of the dramatic world" where "he would have an opportunity of combining his romantic taste and his trade experience." With his wife, Katey, at his side, they are beset by many misfortunes. The squalor and depravity of London seep into their lives and tragedy ensues.

An excellent audio rendition of this novel is in the public domain and can be accessed through LibriVox narrated by Jake Malizia at https://librivox.org/primrose-path-by...



TIDBIT
Ophelia talking to her brother Laertes:

I shall the effect of this good lesson keep,
As watchman to my heart. But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff' d (arrogant) and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And reaks not his own rede. (heeds not his own advice)

Ophelia is warning her brother to take his own advice and not reject the difficult and arduous path of righteousness that leads to Heaven in favor of the easy path of sin.

Yes, we have Shakespeare to blame for all the confusion between "primrose path" and "garden path." Ophelia, Hamlet's sweetheart, coins the former, meaning "the path of luxury," apparently linking primroses to libertine indulgence (a libertine being one who behaves without moral principles). The primrose had, since at least the fifteenth century, been associated with the metaphorical "flower" of youth, and so, indirectly, with youthful appetites.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Jerry began to feel, in all its force, how great had been his folly in leaving Dublin. Whilst he worked he kept thinking to himself, how different all would have been had he remained at home. Here sickness and trouble would have been his surest titles to the help and sympathy of his many friends; but in London, amid strangers where the maxim of life seemed to be SAUVE QUI PEUT -- a maxim which might be translated 'Every man for himself' -- all was different, and to be down in the world was to be trampled upon."

This is Bram Stoker's first novel, thus my interest in reading it. The title says it all and this is definitely not a feel-good novel. The true villains never get their due and the ending is quick and decisive (I was left thinking about the children.) Although short, the pacing is very good and there is considerable suspense -- so good! The first chapter made me think the story didn't age well and was a tad over-the-top regarding temperance but it does set the stage for what follows. Stoker is saying a lot about indulgence, poverty, and the perilousness of life without a safety net in a concise story. Not sad that I read this but certainly never gave me those happiness vibes -- despair all around 🥺

[Jesse Kade Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot, I mean a lot of leeway can be granted to an artist’s first outing, however, this really doesn’t need it. The writing is solid, the characters are well developed, and the pacing is good. In fact, within these pages can clearly been seen some of the style and prose that will become, “the man who wrote Dracula.” I had done my research, I knew that this was not horror and I was expecting that. However, the Maxwell’s Silver Hammer moment at the end clearly belongs in that genre. The point that holds this tale back for me is that it reads a bit like a worst case PSA. I get that at the time temperance was a huge talking point and issue, but geez oh Pete! The alcohol abuse in the book is bad, but if Stoker was trying to make a point about that he really missed, as the true issues were the just absolute gawd awful people surrounding Jerry. Had his “friends” not tricked him into severe head trauma resulting in loss of employment and poverty or, had a local business owner not tried to Judge Turpin the situation Jerry and his family would have been safe. Those two things combined rendered the anti alcohol sentiments rather impotent. For that alone, as it was the point of the whole novel, I find it difficult to give it anything above a mid rating.

[Adam E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of Stoker's that ran in the weekly Shamrock in ten parts. It was later compiled into a novella. It follows a carpenter named Jetry O' Sullivan who lives a happy life in Ireland with his wife Katie and his three children. In the beginning of the story the O' Sullivan's invite friends over to meet their new baby and to have a nice social gathering. There is discussion about the evils of drinking which foreshadows the near future for Jerry.
A letter arrives for Jerry a few days later from his friend Sebright who lives in London. He writes that there is a carpentry job available at a Theater and that it pays well. After convincing Katie and his Mother, Jerry takes his family by boat to London to start a new life. Soon after starting his job at the Theater, Jerry becomes friends with one of the actors named Mons who coaxes Jerry into having a drink at lunchtime across the street at a pub named Grinnel's. This soon becomes a ritual and so the downfall of Jerry's life begins. It is a very dramatic tragedy. It is very realistic and sends a warning about drinking in excess and how big cities can corrupt people.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Bram Stoker’s first novel, and in fact it was originally published in serial form in a newspaper. I can imagine that would have been pretty sweet at the time and I would have totally been there waiting along with everyone else for the next issue. It was a cracking little read that investigated many of the same themes and issues that he looked at in Dracula.

It also included a short story called Buried Treasures which was pretty good, but it was the novella that had the most to offer, at least for me. Both of them are worth reading for sure, and I’d recommend them. Good stuff!

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, ask Bram Stoker to write his 1st story about evil and back up and read the words which grow more terrible as the pages turn. And yet, all was prophesied in happy times at the beginning of the story! And decay is like the quote of Shakespeare given then, lilies which festered smell far worse than weeds... or the character Jeb Barlett on The West Wing said, the Latin phrase for "corruption of the best is the worst" is "Corruptio optimi pessima".

[Jerome Berglund · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Drink is the greatest enemy that man had on Earth"
- the Irish author of Dracula, in1875 o_o

[Monte Desai · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is Bram Stoker's 1st novel of his career. It is an ok tolerance novel. It is not one of the best or his signature works that made him famous for "vampires".

[MJ Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viciously depressing. Just a dark story of a man ruining his life with pride and booze and dragging his poor wife through hell with him. Yes Stoker has some good stuff besides Dracula.

[Waqas Maqsood · Rating 4 out of 5]

**some minor spoilers and plot details follow**

(this is my first review)
( ^ I've always wondered why people say that)

Okay, so, I only decided to do a review for this book because only 15 people have actually rated it on goodreads. And I think that this being Bram Stoker's first novel, a temperance novel, a novel that is very true to what it is trying to depict, I think it deserves to be read more.

First off, this is not Bram Stoker at his finest, but what really stood out through the entire course of this book (and felt classic Stoker) was the fine rugged setting and really interesting, well written characters.

There were some problems (the wife's fainting, some rushed plot elements) but besides that, I actually liked the book because of how it portrays the married life, alcohol addiction and unemployment.

Its not that long, and is a pretty entertaining read too (though the ending feels VERY sudden).