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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
medium-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was intense to read. At times, it's difficult if you don't read a lot from this time period, but for the most part, the writing flows nicely. The story itself was enjoyable once I gave up on the intro and transitioned into the letters themselves. There's a lot going on in this that I can't really put into words! So much about society and women, so much friendship, so much... well everything. I couldn't see myself reading this again, but I don't regret finishing it.
I will warn whoever is reading this that you shouldn't expect a happy ending. This is fairly clear from reading even the intro or the cover, but it still warrants a comment. So much of this book reads as a warning and a commentary about virtues and reputation. I hoped while reading it that something else would happen-it was impossible to avert my eyes from what did occur.
And to all the reviews or people comparing it to other historical stories, it was pretty clear where this story was going. Particularly since it's based off a true story. I don't think it was intended to be something witty or entertaining. It's thoughtful; it examines and shines a light on the expectations of people in this time period, particularly middle-class women. There's also limitations to this type of form simply because the story is fold through letters of people with distinctly different wants, fears, questions, etc.
I will warn whoever is reading this that you shouldn't expect a happy ending. This is fairly clear from reading even the intro or the cover, but it still warrants a comment. So much of this book reads as a warning and a commentary about virtues and reputation. I hoped while reading it that something else would happen-it was impossible to avert my eyes from what did occur.
And to all the reviews or people comparing it to other historical stories, it was pretty clear where this story was going. Particularly since it's based off a true story. I don't think it was intended to be something witty or entertaining. It's thoughtful; it examines and shines a light on the expectations of people in this time period, particularly middle-class women. There's also limitations to this type of form simply because the story is fold through letters of people with distinctly different wants, fears, questions, etc.
I expected it to be dull but it was quite the page turner. It reminded me of Austen's Pride and Prejudice in epistolary form; however, this Eliza was a much less likable character for me being devoid of common sense and rationality.
Pretty cliche for the time period, but still interesting. I hate how they try to demonize her, but I understand that it was a cautionary novel of the time and that was the entire point. I think she was perfectly rational and understandable. It was obviously relatable and controversial enough to demand an opinion from you one way or another towards one of the characters. Overall, a really interesting book and an easy read. When her age is revealed at the end, it completely changed my perspective on the entire novel. Women of this time married earlier than today, didn't they? So for her to be carrying on like this at thirty-seven was really shocking. I don't know. If I had known her age at the beginning, I probably wouldn't have been enthralled. From her naivety, I expected something more along the lines of 16-20.
2.5 stars
Read for American lit class
The conversations about this novel are interesting and the analysis of this being an early American novel and how it can represent the early start to America is also intriguing. Yet I found the actual reading experience to be hard with the lack of different voices between the different writers and the repetition of morale. Compared to other works that The Coquette is often group with, I prefer Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Jane Austen’s Emma for early feminism and romance.
Read for American lit class
The conversations about this novel are interesting and the analysis of this being an early American novel and how it can represent the early start to America is also intriguing. Yet I found the actual reading experience to be hard with the lack of different voices between the different writers and the repetition of morale. Compared to other works that The Coquette is often group with, I prefer Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Jane Austen’s Emma for early feminism and romance.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Coquette is essentially Samuel Richardson's Pamela except written by a woman. As such, it's certainly the preferable version of Pamela, particularly in terms of brevity, but still a frustrating work overall. There are a lot of moments in this novel where it seems like Foster almost makes the step of calling out the Puritan, Gender Essentialist, Chastity-Obsessed morality of her era. Eliza is certainly made out to be a sympathetic character in spite of her "flaws" and her "flaws" are given numerous explanations on page. By giving voice to the perspective of Sanford, Foster also calls attention to the insidious mindset of predatory men, and at the end even has one character point on how his continued existence in upper society is essentially rich people being complicit with his actions. And yet again and again, the book moralizes against Eliza's concerns about the constraints of marriage and the double standard surrounding woman being allowed to flirt in high society. In the end, it's just another conformist text to the misogynist beliefs of its era.
dark
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes