This American/British novelist’s old lengthy classic is scheduled for discussion at an upcoming William’s Court 2 book club meeting. The above pagination does not include a 15 page introduction by Peter Washington nor a 12 page chronology of the lives of the author and his compatriots, but does include a long preface by the author.
Reflecting the values and lifestyles of the rich in both America and Britain, in the 1860s, not unlike the author, the heroine is Isabel Archer, a young preternaturally beautiful American, transported to Britain where she faces several marriage prospects, with endless scheming and intrigue by relatives and friends.
Wandering around European capitals and North Africa, and site of interest, staying at grand palaces and mansions with many sevants, the protagonists muse endlessly about their own relationships and what they want out of life, without any consideration of the larger issues of the prolétariat. Chance encounters within these wanderings include those with old potential mates, creating endless conflicts, and indecisional self analyses. In the end, Isabel enriched from her uncle’s generosity, opts for a relatively poor Italian widower, much to the consternation of many friends and relatives, and before long, to her own regret.
To be fair, there are no controversial political opinions, no explicit sex (there are references to ‘making love’ but it is not clear that this is as the term is now used), absolutely no science, no violence and no deep philosophy. And no humour. What there is, is the superficial banal life of the leisure class with all their insincere flatteries and multipage ruminations, meaningless trivial self analyses and veiled disagreements, with far too many exclamation marks! No one says what they mean.
A longstanding marital infidelity, and a suprizing case, not of disputed paternity, but in the age of high maternal mortality, an unsuspected maternity, is revealed in the last few chapters.
I will be interested to hear what someone in the book club liked about this book, which to me was was an unadorned wordy piece of nonsensical drivel.
1.0/5
The Passionate Reader 