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bookslovejenna's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
novabird's review against another edition
4.0
“A cheerful genius suits the times, / And all true poets laugh unquenchably / Like Shakespeare and the gods.”
An ambitious and lovely book about a Victorian woman author struggling with her identity while attempting to balance her love interests.
This was an enchantingly well=painted picture of Victorian life. No matter how artfully conversant we can be, there are still more than ample opportunities for misunderstanding and missed chances. The tension of these human foibles is wonderfully rendered amongst lush greenery of well described. I had the feeling of reading while being under a great tree on a most perfect summer day.
An ambitious and lovely book about a Victorian woman author struggling with her identity while attempting to balance her love interests.
This was an enchantingly well=painted picture of Victorian life. No matter how artfully conversant we can be, there are still more than ample opportunities for misunderstanding and missed chances. The tension of these human foibles is wonderfully rendered amongst lush greenery of well described. I had the feeling of reading while being under a great tree on a most perfect summer day.
wifescullys's review against another edition
3.5
"He had loved me, watched me, watched his soul in mine, / Which in me grew and heightened into love." I do like E.B.B. and reading female victorian poetry and her flowery language generally but I could not see what she saw in her cousin and it annoyed me all 300 pages girl get upp
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
sharlappalachia's review against another edition
5.0
Read for Growing Up in the Victorian Novel. The epic tradition, altruism vs art, feminism, motherhood, rape, love, marriage. Really terrific.
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Classism, Pregnancy, Rape, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
anisha_inkspill's review against another edition
4.0
This epic poem (of over 300 pages) reads more like a novel. It has an overall arc, where the twists and turns are in Romney’s love life and Aurora’s social observations.
I’m so glad I finally got round to reading this.
There were so many moments through this poem that were an eye-opening wow factor. Their descriptions are just breathtaking in the scenes they paint. A good chunk of this would have bypassed me years back, Elizabeth Barrett Browning knew her classics and her bible, these metaphors and similes are like dazzling Christmas lights, making an ordinary tree look grand.
That’s not to say some parts in this poem didn’t go over my head – but I didn’t care, I was just enjoying the poetry. It’s wonderful, and I would read again.
I’m so glad I finally got round to reading this.
There were so many moments through this poem that were an eye-opening wow factor. Their descriptions are just breathtaking in the scenes they paint. A good chunk of this would have bypassed me years back, Elizabeth Barrett Browning knew her classics and her bible, these metaphors and similes are like dazzling Christmas lights, making an ordinary tree look grand.
That’s not to say some parts in this poem didn’t go over my head – but I didn’t care, I was just enjoying the poetry. It’s wonderful, and I would read again.
cosyliterature's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the greatest books I have ever read, I don't think a book has ever moved me so much to tears because of how beautiful the prose is. One of those rare, life-altering books, I'm writing my thesis on it.
kumipaul's review against another edition
3.0
As I began this book, I mistakenly thought that I could simply read it as I would read any novel. However, I was frustrated to follow "the story" as the verse got in my way. I found myself wading through the imagery of the poem in search of a plot, when I recognized my error and began to read the verse as a true poem and let the meaning appear as it might through the images. Some sections remained frustrating, when I felt that Aurora was rambling on about life and love in general, while Aurora's descriptions of her travel south through France to Italy were beautiful. The story had strong feminist elements in Aurora, and while Romney was sometimes the object of her derision, he was never really a bad guy. I enjoyed the relationship between Aurora and Marion Erle, and overall, once I accepted the book as more poem than novel, I found it a worthwhile read.