Reviews

Fidelity follows Ruth Holland, a young woman who runs away with a married man to the shame of her family and friends back home, and when she returns around 10 years later to attend to her dying father, she begins to fully comprehend how her actions have affected those closest to her. And in a way this book isn't so much about the idea of fidelity, as it is a critique on the institution of marriage itself.

This was a really interesting read, mainly because I had so many conflicting feelings while reading it, and this is mainly due to personal opinions on the subject matter. The writing is very sentimental and internal throughout the novel, with long drawn-out sections of wistfulness on various characters' parts, wondering on the true meaning of love, the true meaning of friendship, what is owed to someone and how society expects you to respond to certain things. Ultimately though the narrative is one where we are meant to feel sorry for Ruth, and see how unfairly maligned she is by the people she used to hold dear. I take some issue with that, because at the end of the day Ruth knowingly went away with another woman's husband, and my own personal feelings on cheating are that I am completely against it. However, I feel like Ruth is still a sympathetic character in that she sacrifices everything for love, when she knows it will affect her ten times worse than Stuart who she leaves with. Stuart to me was a bit of a deplorable character - it was his wife, no matter how unloving, that he left, and yet no one in their town critiques him at any given moment. The hatred is all directed at Ruth, and it is her family who ultimately suffer. So mixed feelings is putting it lightly.

The whole concept of divorce, and the sanctity given to marriage is also very interesting, and I imagine that at the time this was published (1915) Glaspell's take on the subject would have been somewhat controversial. The focus is so much on the self and what an individual wants that I imagine it would have gone against everything people felt about marriage and its importance at the time - I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to see peoples' reactions when this was published. I find Glaspell's approach really fresh and interesting, and I liked the fact that she showed perspectives from many characters so we really felt in their shoes. The character of Deane Franklin, Ruth's best friend, in particular was very interesting because we see his obsession with validating Ruth alongside the tensions it causes between him and his new wife. I feel like her character was unlikable but perhaps a bit unfairly treated due to the specific nature of her surroundings and circumstances, but that might just be my opinion. I just found every single character to be grey in this novel, with pros and cons to them, and I found myself siding with them and against them all simultaneously.

I think the main thing that drags this book down for me though isn't so much the conflict it brings up in terms of how to feel about the characters, but by the long-winded and musing nature of the writing style. Glaspell was sometimes a bit too flowery for my liking, and she could say the same thing in about half the words more often than not. I found many sections to be quite repetitive, and although I was never bored as such, I did feel like I was ready to move on from those moments. But overall I'm glad I read this, it's definitely a very different type of narrative from any I've read before from Persephone, and if it sounds at all appealing I'd say it's still worth a try.

d_iris's review against another edition

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5.0

200th review! Thank the Goddess I enjoyed the read.

I loved it. I cannot believe that this book isn't peddled about more as a classic or as "feminine studies" or the like. I thought that it was well written, if a little repetitive; I thought that the characters were well constructed even when boorish, misinformed and malevolent. I think Glaspell knew the story she wanted to tell and I think she told it incredibly well.

For me the lesson wasn't about romantic love at all, or the way society treats women who don't fall into step; it was more about the experience of watching a world and morphing it into the one you want to live in. It was about fickle truths and faiths that hold people together.

I loved Dean for his steadfast friendship that didn't cost anything. I loved Mrs. Williams for her stoic determination that she eventually understood was a hindrance. I loved Ted for his innocence, and Ruth for her simplicity. I hated the town for being so shallow and cruel. I loved Annie for embracing the future. I saw a lot of myself in a lot of the characters, because no character was 100% right or wrong. They each stood by what they believed to be the right thing. Whether what was right was everything or nothing, the characters felt that they had to choose one way or the other. It cost some characters more than others, but the price was the same. What you're willing to sacrifice for a world and a life that either means everything or nothing to you is entirely up to you to decide.

I loved the ending, and the life Ruth chose. I loved how she succeeded even when others only saw her as a failure. A relationship doesn't have to last a lifetime or forever to make is a success or worth having. If love is infinite, why limit it to one person or thing or way of life? The ending felt triumphant even if, outwardly, very little was accomplished.

I think this story is fantastic. 5/5

disneydaughter's review against another edition

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3.0

A friend said to me recently that the Persephone books are "written for women, by women" and as such, many of the books are insights into women's lives during difficult times or periods in the early 20th century. As character pieces, they're always charming and thought provoking.

A woman who runs off with a married man and has to live as an outcast from society...whilst I appreciated the sentiment, the story felt very outdated and repetitive at times. Having said that, I read it easily enough and cared enough about the characters to feel indignant on their behalf. Would have packed a punch in its time, but my least favourite P publication to date.

schoolofholly's review

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

discount_viscount's review against another edition

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5.0

This is one of the few books I actually think about from time to time even long after finishing reading it. It's about a young woman in turn of the (previous) century Iowa who embarks on an affair with a married man and the fallout of that decision, but it's not what you might think. Written in 1915, it's an incredibly sensitive and honest portrait of family, community and womanhood that has a very contemporary feel. I'm surprised Susan Glaspell isn't better known as a novelist. Where Edith Wharton has the ability to perfectly capture a character's psychology, Glaspell is able to capture their souls. In my book, Fidelity is an American classic.

sharkycharming's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced

4.75

Glaspell was a beautiful writer and I wish more people knew her work. I look forward to reading more by her. Her progressive views shine through, and that's heartening to me -- that even a century ago, there were Americans who thought morality had far more to do with how you treat people than with the stifling trappings of polite society.

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