Reviews

Pamela by Samuel Richardson

Only show reviews with written explanations

bluebeardswife's review

Go to review page

1.0

-1000000000000

pure garbage, this was torture

i didn’t even finish it but what i read was truly enough so yeah

tilda_mellor's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

literally was reading this like "wow this is so incredibly boring i can't believe everyone talks about clarissa when this book exists"

turns out they're written by the same guy AND clarissa is longer. but at least she

doesn't fall in love with her rapist & popular consensus at the time of publication wasn't "this book is so bad because it's a detailed guide for lowly servants to seduce their wealthy lords!"

jocelynw's review

Go to review page

2.0

J: I've started making a list of relationship red flags this book contains.
M: What's on it?
J: Bribery, disrespecting bodily autonomy, kidnapping, emotional abuse, isolating from family, demanding private writings, power-mad revenge, manipulation, black-and-white thinking, threats, blaming others for your anger, rule-making about emotions and apparel, expecting others to walk on eggshells around you, jealousy - is the borderline personality disorder overtone becoming clear here? - Stockholm syndrome, sexual assault, and multiple attempted rapes.
M: So...what's the problem?

cressyda's review

Go to review page

2.0

The mindnumbingly slow pace of this novel made it a difficult story to get through, although in some strange, twisted sort of way, I was compelled to keep turning the pages simply because I wanted to see what "stopped" Pamela from going home this time (and the next, and the next). I think there is just too much distance between modern culture and 18th century social standards to keep this work relevant in any sort of social sense.

There were several times that the only way I could continue reading this thing was if I were to look at it as an allegory on the 18th century views of sin and temptation. This analytic distancing between me and the text only added another layer of "Gee, I really don't want to be reading this anymore." And the constant repetition and detailed retelling of events that had been covered over the previous five pages was well beyond my coping abilities.

The allegory thing made it somewhat interesting, but not enough that I would ever read this again.

cosmiatrapezina's review

Go to review page

1.5

“You can write, but you can’t edit.” - Regina Spektor

You kind of have to take the old classics for what they are - it’s hardly surprising that a novel written by a white Englishman in the 18th century doesn’t live up to the morals of a contemporary reader. And obviously the form of the novel has developed over the centuries, just as our morals have (at least on the surface) changed.

Having said that, Pamela bored me to tears. I skimmed half of it, because that was the only way I could get through it. However, I think Pamela is a lot braver than I’ve seen her get credit for. She’s a young girl surrounded by hostile, downright dangerous, adults who have more power than both her and her (absent) parents, but she does what she needs to do to survive the situation while staying true to herself. She cries and faints every other page because she constantly gets harassed and abused, but what she also does is verbally defend herself against her abusers even when she is terrified. In short, I love who the character Pamela could have been if she hadn’t been written by someone like Samuel Richardson.