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Jane Oglander
"Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, author of 'Jane Oglander,' is comparatively unknown to the American public. Yet, in England, she is one of the most popular novel writers. The English reviews follow her work closely, for they discern in it qualities of genuine merit. It has always that quality of indispensable to any writing of a high order - sincerity. 'Jane Oglander' is a remarkable study of a bad woman. Its scene is an English county estate; its chief characters, Jane Oglander herself, a handsome English girl, steadfast and loyal; Hew Lingard, lion of the hour, a distinguished soldier fresh from victories; Athena Maule, a live and palpitating woman of the world, unscrupulous, ambitious, irresistibly beautiful; Athena's husband, a keenly intellectual paralytic. Lingard is engaged to Jane Oglander. Athena, though presumably Jane's loyal friend, finding it suits her aims to win him from her, does not hesitate to try it. The skill with which characters are delineated - particularly Athena - in the intriguing that follows, and the dramatic series of events leading to a dreadful climax, make this novel stand out definitely from the common run of fiction." -The Book Buyer "'Jane Oglander' is a story of exceptional power and exceptional charm. It deals in rich emotional material with a fine artistic restraint." -The Bookman "This story shows Mrs. Lowndes at her best." -The Morning Leader "A dramatic story of a weak man and a wicked woman....Even the most prophetic reader will not be prepared for this denouement, and even the most credulous will be disposed to doubt its possibility. Athena's character is surely a masterpiece. She is a woman absolutely self-centered, without conscience, without sympathies, but possessing a certain charm. The book is striking and well worth reading." -Home Needlework Magazine "The book is charming, attractive and interesting in every way." -The Observer "There is more breadth and largeness about her work than about that of any other woman novelist we can think of." -The London Academy "Her men are quite as well done as her women, and her women are real women, who love and sin and suffer." -The London Evening Standard "The qualities which one expects from Mrs. Belloc Lowndes are a tolerant and clear estimate of human nature, a settled grasp of her story, and an agreeable maturity of style and manner."-The Pall Mall Gazette "Mrs. Belloc Lowndes has a distinction of mind and of style which set her far apart from and far above the ordinary novel writer. All her characters are alive, as real as real people to us." -The Westminster Gazette "'Jane Oglander' is a novel of fine workmanship and vigorous human nature. It will satisfy the fastidious literary connoisseur, and at the same time excite the sincere admiration of every lover of a strong story strongly and unaffectedly told." -The Daily Telegraph
Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1911
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About the author
Marie Belloc Lowndes
239 books69 followersMarie Adelaide Elizabeth Rayner Lowndes, née Belloc (5 August 1868 – 14 November 1947), was a prolific English novelist.
Active from 1898 until her death, she had a literary reputation for combining exciting incident with psychological interest. Two of her works were adapted for the screen.
Born in Marylebone, London and raised in La Celle-Saint-Cloud, France, Mrs Belloc Lowndes was the only daughter of French barrister Louis Belloc and English feminist Bessie Parkes. Her younger brother was Hilaire Belloc, whom she wrote of in her last work, The Young Hilaire Belloc (published posthumously in 1956). Her paternal grandfather was the French painter Jean-Hilaire Belloc, and her maternal great-great-grandfather was Joseph Priestley. In 1896, she married Frederick Sawrey A. Lowndes (1868–1940). Her mother died in 1925, 53 years after her father.
She published a biography, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales: An Account of His Career, in 1898. From then on, she published novels, reminiscences, and plays at the rate of one per year until 1946. In the memoir, I, too, Have Lived in Arcadia (1942), she told the story of her mother's life, compiled largely from old family letters and her own memories of her early life in France. A second autobiography Where love and friendship dwelt, appeared posthumously in 1948.
She died 14 November 1947 at the home of her elder daughter, Countess Iddesleigh (wife of the third Earl) in Eversley Cross, Hampshire, and was interred in France, in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Versailles, where she spent her youth.
(from Wikipedia)
Active from 1898 until her death, she had a literary reputation for combining exciting incident with psychological interest. Two of her works were adapted for the screen.
Born in Marylebone, London and raised in La Celle-Saint-Cloud, France, Mrs Belloc Lowndes was the only daughter of French barrister Louis Belloc and English feminist Bessie Parkes. Her younger brother was Hilaire Belloc, whom she wrote of in her last work, The Young Hilaire Belloc (published posthumously in 1956). Her paternal grandfather was the French painter Jean-Hilaire Belloc, and her maternal great-great-grandfather was Joseph Priestley. In 1896, she married Frederick Sawrey A. Lowndes (1868–1940). Her mother died in 1925, 53 years after her father.
She published a biography, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales: An Account of His Career, in 1898. From then on, she published novels, reminiscences, and plays at the rate of one per year until 1946. In the memoir, I, too, Have Lived in Arcadia (1942), she told the story of her mother's life, compiled largely from old family letters and her own memories of her early life in France. A second autobiography Where love and friendship dwelt, appeared posthumously in 1948.
She died 14 November 1947 at the home of her elder daughter, Countess Iddesleigh (wife of the third Earl) in Eversley Cross, Hampshire, and was interred in France, in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Versailles, where she spent her youth.
(from Wikipedia)
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November 14, 2019
Actually, read in the manybooks edition, which has no typos.
Oh, Lowndes. Her books are like potato chips: pleasant to eat, and then you move on. This one has more "nutritional value" than others I've read: there's a lot of exploration of complex human emotions.
Characters are rich and complicated, with believable motivations. Not a lot of action; this is a book about how we screw up our lives (with the help of someone narcissistic). It's a bit disjointed, but it's an agreeable read.
Oh, Lowndes. Her books are like potato chips: pleasant to eat, and then you move on. This one has more "nutritional value" than others I've read: there's a lot of exploration of complex human emotions.
Characters are rich and complicated, with believable motivations. Not a lot of action; this is a book about how we screw up our lives (with the help of someone narcissistic). It's a bit disjointed, but it's an agreeable read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review