Play Book Tag discussion

Remember, my dear Evelina, nothing is so delicate as the reputation of a woman; it is at once the most beautiful and most brittle of all human things.

Evelina, 17, was born to a young mother who died shortly thereafter after having been betrayed by her husband who destroyed their marriage documents. In the eighteenth century, this was no easy matter to rectify, and it was not. She was raised by the same kind clergyman who had sheltered her mother. When she is invited to visit friends she is bright, well-educated, but innocent and naive with no idea just who beautiful men will find her. And among the satire some of the antics we find her in due to her ignorance are quite funny, some rather dangerous, and so on.

Make no mistake, this is an excellent debut novel, but not quite at the 5 star level (it was a young author's first book). It is witty and satirical, pointing out a myriad of social issues, and I can see why Burney was one of Jane Austen's favourite authors, but this is NOT an Austen novel. Indeed, I plan to read the two titles Austen mentions in Northanger Abbey as they are apparently excellent.

Obviously not all books published in the eighteenth century are worth reading today, but this one definitely is.

This most definitely deserves the Social Issues shelf!

I've never heard of this author or the book, but good for you for exploring one of Austen's favorites . . .sounds like it was an avenue well worth pursuing.

Anita wrote: "I've never heard of this author or the book, but good for you for exploring one of Austen's favorites . . .sounds like it was an avenue well worth pursuing."

I found it rather by accident while looking for something for a challenge. While I didn't finish it in time for that one, it fit here.