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elephants125's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
juliagriff's review against another edition
1.0
What a waste of time. I read this as it was highly recommended to me. It gave me the ick from start to finish, and there was no happy ending, no redemption, no hope found.
alexbrownbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Louisa May Alcott wrote this! That's the chief joy of reading it -- it's not your mother's Little Women, that's for sure. The rampant melodrama of it all is pretty fun, but I wouldn't have minded if it were compressed into a shorter space. Maybe cut out a few descriptions of how good and sweet and beautiful the main character is. (Her name is Rosamond Vivian, an absolute Anne Shirley dream of a name.)
Oh, but there is some solid social insight and commentary here! For example, take Rosamond's speech upon hearing the suggestion that her villainous pursuer might tire of the chase and leave her alone:
"You do not know him. He has no pity, and my defiance will but increase the excitement of the pursuit. I am solitary, poor and a woman; he powerful, rich and a man whom all fear. The world which rejects me though I am innocent will welcome him, the guilty, and uphold him. I am helpless and must go my way as best I can, praying that it be a short one." (pg. 152-153)
That's still real. It was written in 1866.
Oh, but there is some solid social insight and commentary here! For example, take Rosamond's speech upon hearing the suggestion that her villainous pursuer might tire of the chase and leave her alone:
"You do not know him. He has no pity, and my defiance will but increase the excitement of the pursuit. I am solitary, poor and a woman; he powerful, rich and a man whom all fear. The world which rejects me though I am innocent will welcome him, the guilty, and uphold him. I am helpless and must go my way as best I can, praying that it be a short one." (pg. 152-153)
That's still real. It was written in 1866.
rowemosser's review against another edition
2.0
well...
as this was a joke gift from Arolyn,
i thought i'd give it a chance...
sooo sappy! hahaha
as this was a joke gift from Arolyn,
i thought i'd give it a chance...
sooo sappy! hahaha
legendary_klutz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
glendonrfrank's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Wrapping my year with somewhat of a lighter read - only somewhat, given that this still has some pretty heavy themes. But I found this in a used bookstore a couple of years ago, and the idea of reading one of Lou Alcott's pulpier novels as referenced in Little Women seemed delightful. To be sure, it's fun to imagine the same author across the two novels; the moralizing of Little Women appears in degrees, but this is a far darker novel and far more "sensational." It is entirely built off of twists and reveals, leaving the reader a little exhausted by the end but certainly not unentertained. Tempest feels a bit like a prototypical character, Tumblr would go feral for this man. And Rose is given some pretty clever nuance to avoid feeling like a one-note character. When we've otherwise drained the nostalgia well dry, I wouldn't mind seeing a film adaption of this - I think this blend of romance thriller is just inventive enough that it would land really well for a modern audience.
bridgey74's review against another edition
4.0
I now understand why Alcott's publisher didn't want to print this in her lifetime. It would have clashed with what I'm sure was a crafted image of the author in line with the themes and tone of Little Women and Little Men: wholesome, innocently romantic, moral. This novel is about obsessive love and the manic desire of one man to control a woman he believed he had the right to possess. The tone Alcott uses in the telling conveys her critique of that seemingly absolute right of men over women, without explicitly getting in to political issues like the right of suffrage for women, of which she was an ardent supporter. While obviously the language of the book is very late 19th century, the story itself is that of a modern psychological thriller. I'm disappointed for Alcott that she didn't see this in print in her lifetime, because it's clear that these are the stories (called "serials" back then) that stoked her fire in her time as a reader and a young writer. But as sometimes happens to actors today who become famous in a certain role, after Little Women she was typecast until the end. I'll be interested to see if some of the other unpublished works come to the surface and demonstrate this fascinating woman's authorial depth as she deserves.