The Unseen Bridegroom or, Wedded For A Week - 1881
May Agnes Fleming
246 pages
genre - Adventure, Gothic (maybe)
my rating - 4 out of 5 stars
I checked Wikipedia. A gothic novel needs elements of both horror and romance.
The first paragraph of the book certainly sets the stage for horror. Here are a
few words: wild, murky, inky gloom, desolate, blood-chilling. Of course it's
describing New York City in November. (grin)
The story starts with a middle-aged man, Carl Walraven. He has
just returned home to his widowed mother after sowing his oats for two decades. A
woman comes to their house on 5th Avenue and informs Mr. Walraven that he has a
daughter. Mollie is a 17-year-old lively, pretty, talented actress currently
employed with a traveling show. Now we have the token maiden needed for the
gothic novel. There are numerous villains, a mysterious hero, disguises, poison,
midnight rides in a carriage, and a clergyman.
But we get to watch Mollie grow
from a self-centered teenager to a loving, caring young woman. As far as
I know, character growth isn't a component of a gothic novel. I still don't
know how to classify this book, but I enjoyed reading it.
About the author -
May Agnes Fleming was born November 15, 1840 in New Brunswick, Canada. She married John W. Fleming in 1865 and they moved to New York two years after her first novel, Erminie; or The Gypsy's Vow was published there.
Fleming also wrote under two pseudonyms, Cousin May Carleton and M. A. Earlie. The exact count is unclear, since her works were often retitled, but is estimated at around 40, although some were not actually written by her, but were attributed to her by publishers cashing in on her popularity. At her peak, she was earning over $10,000 yearly.
She died March 24, 1880 in Brooklyn, New York of Bright's disease.
Showing posts with label Gothic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gothic. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The House by the Lock
by Mrs. C. N. Williamson - 1906
313 pages
genre - Gothic, Adventure
my rating - 4 out of 5 stars
This book has all the requirements for a gothic tale: a damsel in distress, a handsome adventurer, a clever villain, narrow escapes, visions, disguises and a thrilling ending.
Even the mansion owned by the villain is described as "gloomy and accursed". The hero says, "Never, it seemed to me, had I seen a habitation so grim, so silently suggestive of haunting, evil things." And of course the "wind moaned through the trees like the wail of a lost soul".
But I think the story crosses genres. There is a lot more action than I suspect a typical gothic book would have. There's escaping from a burning building, fist fighting, and jumping onto a moving train. And it's told from a male point of view. So I would also call this an adventure story as well.
At the beginning of the story, Noel Stanton, our young adventurer, meets up with a friend from America. The friend invites Noel to the theater and at the show Noel sees a beautiful young lady, Karine Cunningham. With Karine are her guardians and a gentleman that seems very interested in being Karine's fiance. But Noel feels like he's met the potential fiance before. And Noel doesn't like him one bit!
The lock in the title
of the story refers to the Mapledurham Lock on the River Thames. In the book it
is called the Purley Lock. According to Wikipedia, "Despite its name, the lock
is located in the Berkshire village and civil parish of Purley-On-Thames on the
south bank of the river, rather than in the Oxfordshire village of Mapledurham
on the other side of the river."
There are a couple minor formatting issues for the Kindle edition on Amazon. The page numbers show up in the middle of sentences. And for some italicized words, there are strange marking within the word; like a double dotted 'i', and upside down '?', and a '1/2'. But if you don't mind those, this is a very enjoyable, easy book to read.
About the author -
Alice Muriel Williamson was a British author born in 1869. She was only about 5 feet tall, a petite, graceful little figure, with English blue eyes and blonde hair.
She married Charles Norris Williamson in 1894. They teamed up together to write under the name of Mrs. C. N. Williamson. There is an interview of Alice in the August 27, 1927 Morning Telegraph newspaper. It reports that Mrs. Williamson says, "I wrote the plots for our stories, but he always planned our trips and made notes for me. I consulted him on the way a man would do things. "Would a real man act as this man does under similar circumstances I would say, and Mr. Williamson would reply, 'No, my dear, he would not,' and then we would change the scene."
by Mrs. C. N. Williamson - 1906
313 pages
genre - Gothic, Adventure
my rating - 4 out of 5 stars
This book has all the requirements for a gothic tale: a damsel in distress, a handsome adventurer, a clever villain, narrow escapes, visions, disguises and a thrilling ending.
Even the mansion owned by the villain is described as "gloomy and accursed". The hero says, "Never, it seemed to me, had I seen a habitation so grim, so silently suggestive of haunting, evil things." And of course the "wind moaned through the trees like the wail of a lost soul".
But I think the story crosses genres. There is a lot more action than I suspect a typical gothic book would have. There's escaping from a burning building, fist fighting, and jumping onto a moving train. And it's told from a male point of view. So I would also call this an adventure story as well.
At the beginning of the story, Noel Stanton, our young adventurer, meets up with a friend from America. The friend invites Noel to the theater and at the show Noel sees a beautiful young lady, Karine Cunningham. With Karine are her guardians and a gentleman that seems very interested in being Karine's fiance. But Noel feels like he's met the potential fiance before. And Noel doesn't like him one bit!
There are a couple minor formatting issues for the Kindle edition on Amazon. The page numbers show up in the middle of sentences. And for some italicized words, there are strange marking within the word; like a double dotted 'i', and upside down '?', and a '1/2'. But if you don't mind those, this is a very enjoyable, easy book to read.
About the author -
Alice Muriel Williamson was a British author born in 1869. She was only about 5 feet tall, a petite, graceful little figure, with English blue eyes and blonde hair.
She married Charles Norris Williamson in 1894. They teamed up together to write under the name of Mrs. C. N. Williamson. There is an interview of Alice in the August 27, 1927 Morning Telegraph newspaper. It reports that Mrs. Williamson says, "I wrote the plots for our stories, but he always planned our trips and made notes for me. I consulted him on the way a man would do things. "Would a real man act as this man does under similar circumstances I would say, and Mr. Williamson would reply, 'No, my dear, he would not,' and then we would change the scene."
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