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wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
3.0
That was a wild, convoluted ride! Wow! Hard to keep up with all the chaos, but it was fun to read anyway. It's like she tried to cram every ridiculous trope possible into one book. So glad I finally got around to reading this one.
lindseysparks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. on one hand it is a so bad it's kind of awesome Gothic sensationalist thriller. On the other hand it has a troubling message about love and women who are tempted to forgive and go back to abusive men or who let men define them and educate them while in a romantic relationship that really made Jo and Professor Behaer's relationship in Little Women more disturbing to me. Bit at the same time this novel can be read a psychological thriller about a strong woman trying to leave her abused and create a life for herself, but this was nearly impossible in the mid 1800s when you have no family to protect you. Even when you leave that doesn't mean he won't follow.
This was a fast read and it did keep me on the edge of my seat while also making me think, so even though there were a few tine s I was exasperated at Alcott for writing this in the end I actually liked it. It was also interesting to read something by her that was completely different from Little Women.
This was a fast read and it did keep me on the edge of my seat while also making me think, so even though there were a few tine s I was exasperated at Alcott for writing this in the end I actually liked it. It was also interesting to read something by her that was completely different from Little Women.
nattyg's review against another edition
4.0
I can see how this book was scandalous. I enjoyed it. It is written differently from today's style, once I got used to it, it was a ride.
A definite departure from what we are used to reading from the author - similar to JK Rowling HP series and her Casual Vacancy - well written, just different.
A definite departure from what we are used to reading from the author - similar to JK Rowling HP series and her Casual Vacancy - well written, just different.
sanjastajdohar's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great book when you take it as it is, a Gothic romance, a bit exaggerated and full of improbable coincidences. When you know what to expect and just enjoy the amusement of it, it is a great book of its genre.
zaebee's review against another edition
4.0
I am most certain that Philip Tempest ranks just below Heathcliff in the list of the most devilish and diabolical fictional characters to ever exist!
caitlin_89's review against another edition
3.0
100% contrived Victorian melodramatics! Despite understanding Little Women as being largely autobiographical, it never occurred to me that LMA actually wrote other stuff. This is a short novel from well before the publication of Little Women, and it is absolutely "sensational" in the way Jo March would have used the word. I wouldn't recommend it as literature (I mean, she couldn't get it published...) but it was short and amusing, especially with the imagined (but possibly true) context of Alcott as spunky Jo March writing it all wildly down and reenacting it for her sisters. Recommend if you're a die hard fan of ye olde Gothic Victorian thrills or if you love Jo March and enjoy some literature for ironic reasons.
kamckim's review against another edition
3.0
This was rather risqué for a woman to write during Alcott's lifetime. Even though it falls far below today's smut-o-meter set by SHADES OF GRAY, I admire Alcott for giving it a shot.
theviolettides's review against another edition
5.0
It's been a really long time since a book has driven me to tears, and this has done it. From the beginning with a love story that was never meant to be and later to one that simply couldn't be. I don't want to write a spoiled review, but this book was written gorgeously and Philip is a villain you will hate forever, which makes this book and the characters all the more amazing.
gaderianne's review against another edition
3.0
I imagine this was quite a suspenseful novel in 1866. The young Rosamond is taken by an older stranger, kidnapped from her unloving grandfather and "married" to the man - happily. But when she finds him married to another (and possibly killed her son) she attempts to run away and re-claim her life. However, Tempest is always on her heels - stalking her, mining her attempts to find happiness. With a priest as a her protector she tries again and again to escape. In the end Tempest's greed kills Rosamond and he, in turn, kills himself. While not full of details like today's murder-mysteries, the premise is still scary and bone-chilling. Quite sleeping with the enemy.
faithmotta04's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I found this book a bit too dramatic. There was no end to the suspense and I felt that after awhile, the book was tedious. There was so much action and not as much plot. The "shocking" moments in the story were predictable and I really only enjoyed the beginning and end of the story. The body of te story was a bit too dramatic and I didn't care for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder