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rosh's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
evening's review against another edition
3.0
This needed tightening; it had something of the first draft about it, with some parts underdeveloped and others a little too long. But this is still a Nesbit novel and that means charm, humour, hijinks and everyday magic. Despite the unevenness, I enjoyed it a lot.
thenovelbook's review against another edition
4.0
It's wonderful how bacon clears the mind.
Actual quote from early on in this book.
I think that sums up the whimsical, fun feeling of the story, but I'll add a few more details.
This is about Jane and Lucilla, two girls in their late teens who have every expectation of inheriting a comfortable amount of money some day. But while they are at school they receive unexpected news from their trustee. He has been unsuccessful in his investments and lost the money. He's leaving the country, and giving them the deed to a house and a small sum of money in hopes that they can somehow get by.
Jane immediately decides that the only way to handle the situation is to treat it as "A Lark" and not worry too much about the potential disaster it could be. They cast about for ways to support themselves and finally decide to sell flowers. How they go about making a success of it, networking with neighbors, expanding their business, and each falling in love make up a thoroughly charming story. There's a young Mr. Rochester, so yes, there's a Jane and Mr. Rochester (insert begrudging chuckle here), but far from being Gothic and broody, he's helpful and an all-around great guy.
I will leave you with some more perfect quotes from this very fun book:
John Rochester was young, and, I am sorry to say, handsome. Sorry, because handsome men are, as a rule, very stupid and so very vain.
-----------------
What man could walk out of a clump of rhododendrons at midnight into a magic circle of little green lamps and say, in cold blood, to a group of schoolgirls: "I am the Greek god to whom this lady has referred?"
-----------------
"Very well," said Lucilla with an air of finality, coming down the steps; "we have told you not to in at least seven different ways, because it was our duty, but if you really mean to--well, do then!"
-----------------
"Forgive me," said Rochester, "for interrupting you, but don't you think that what you really want--what we all want--is tea?"
Amen.
Actual quote from early on in this book.
I think that sums up the whimsical, fun feeling of the story, but I'll add a few more details.
This is about Jane and Lucilla, two girls in their late teens who have every expectation of inheriting a comfortable amount of money some day. But while they are at school they receive unexpected news from their trustee. He has been unsuccessful in his investments and lost the money. He's leaving the country, and giving them the deed to a house and a small sum of money in hopes that they can somehow get by.
Jane immediately decides that the only way to handle the situation is to treat it as "A Lark" and not worry too much about the potential disaster it could be. They cast about for ways to support themselves and finally decide to sell flowers. How they go about making a success of it, networking with neighbors, expanding their business, and each falling in love make up a thoroughly charming story. There's a young Mr. Rochester, so yes, there's a Jane and Mr. Rochester (insert begrudging chuckle here), but far from being Gothic and broody, he's helpful and an all-around great guy.
I will leave you with some more perfect quotes from this very fun book:
John Rochester was young, and, I am sorry to say, handsome. Sorry, because handsome men are, as a rule, very stupid and so very vain.
-----------------
What man could walk out of a clump of rhododendrons at midnight into a magic circle of little green lamps and say, in cold blood, to a group of schoolgirls: "I am the Greek god to whom this lady has referred?"
-----------------
"Very well," said Lucilla with an air of finality, coming down the steps; "we have told you not to in at least seven different ways, because it was our duty, but if you really mean to--well, do then!"
-----------------
"Forgive me," said Rochester, "for interrupting you, but don't you think that what you really want--what we all want--is tea?"
Amen.
avrilhj's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely delightful post-WW1 romance of two young cousins who find themselves no-longer-wealthy and unchaperoned after their trustee loses their money. Enjoyable bit of fluff.
novel_nomad's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 Stars
A wonderfully apt title for the adventures of Jane and Lucilla, upon leaving school and having to make their ways in the turbulent world of 1922.
Light, full of mirth, evanescent and a sheer delight, this book had a lot of heart, even if the plot felt lacking in a little substance. Happy to report though that the book ended with something that was expected and a lot that was not.
A wonderfully apt title for the adventures of Jane and Lucilla, upon leaving school and having to make their ways in the turbulent world of 1922.
Light, full of mirth, evanescent and a sheer delight, this book had a lot of heart, even if the plot felt lacking in a little substance. Happy to report though that the book ended with something that was expected and a lot that was not.
robinwalter's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Lark was an interesting read for me. I laughed a lot, and the overall tone of the book was sweet and positive and bright. It was very refreshing after the mentally taxing mysteries. I'd been working through before it. Nevertheless, there was something unusual about the experience of reading The Lark. The character who made me laugh the most was the one I liked the least.
From the beginning of the story I did not like Jane at all, and I found that as the story progressed that feeling grew stronger and stronger. For the middle third of the book I assumed that perhaps I might get to like her character more over time, but by the time I was past three quarters of the way through the book, I found her getting less and less likeable.
Right from the beginning she struck me as a very self-centred person. She was often depicted as doing kind things for other people, but I never got the impression that she was particularly interested in them. Throughout the whole book I got the impression that the person who mattered most to her was her.
True to her guiding credo in life, the one the book is named after, whatever she did, whether apparently benevolent or otherwise, was all for the same reason - because it's a lark.
One of the questions the review template at The StoryGraph asks is "Is there strong character development?" and I selected "it's complicated". This is because I would answer Yes for Miss Antrobus, somewhat for Lucilla, and "Hell no!" for Jane. For that reason my likeability ratings would be Miss Antrobus, then Lucilla and then finally Jane. Jane was the person who always made trouble for other people and acted without any consideration of (or worse,regard for) the consequences of her actions for other people and that's why I ended up actively disliking her.
After all of that, it is a tribute to Ms Nesbit's writing that she was able to make me enjoy the story despite building it around a character who I most emphatically disliked. In large part that was because of the sheer skill of the writing. A selection of just few of my favourite examples:
the young man returned with the mouldering relics of a landau, drawn by something which must once, as he said, have been a horse
“Certainly not,” said Jane, with an almost convulsive but successful clutch at her self-possession.
Then we go out gallivanting—become mere pleasure-seekers—and at once we fly at each other’s throats like sharks or alligators. Influence of dissipation.”
“That wasn’t dissipation; it was the young man.”
“It always is, I believe,”
You know how I hate tact . . .”
“Yes,” said Lucilla, with emphasis.
Is it t common sense that says you must always wear a hat in church except when you’re being confirmed?”
“No, dear, that’s religion,” said Lucilla
These illustrate why this book was such a joy to read - a careful use of language and a keen sense of how to make words funny with a delicate precision that is not so common today. Even the three-page rant about the decay and corruption of the English language was amusing, because I wasn't quite sure whether Ms Nesbit herself shared that view or was poking fun at it - again that uncertainty was a mark of good writing. In conclusion, I'm happy that I read this book, and I definitely enjoyed the laughs, but I this will be my first and last Nesbit.
From the beginning of the story I did not like Jane at all, and I found that as the story progressed that feeling grew stronger and stronger. For the middle third of the book I assumed that perhaps I might get to like her character more over time, but by the time I was past three quarters of the way through the book, I found her getting less and less likeable.
Right from the beginning she struck me as a very self-centred person. She was often depicted as doing kind things for other people, but I never got the impression that she was particularly interested in them. Throughout the whole book I got the impression that the person who mattered most to her was her.
True to her guiding credo in life, the one the book is named after, whatever she did, whether apparently benevolent or otherwise, was all for the same reason - because it's a lark.
One of the questions the review template at The StoryGraph asks is "Is there strong character development?" and I selected "it's complicated". This is because I would answer Yes for Miss Antrobus, somewhat for Lucilla, and "Hell no!" for Jane. For that reason my likeability ratings would be Miss Antrobus, then Lucilla and then finally Jane. Jane was the person who always made trouble for other people and acted without any consideration of (or worse,regard for) the consequences of her actions for other people and that's why I ended up actively disliking her.
After all of that, it is a tribute to Ms Nesbit's writing that she was able to make me enjoy the story despite building it around a character who I most emphatically disliked. In large part that was because of the sheer skill of the writing. A selection of just few of my favourite examples:
the young man returned with the mouldering relics of a landau, drawn by something which must once, as he said, have been a horse
“Certainly not,” said Jane, with an almost convulsive but successful clutch at her self-possession.
Then we go out gallivanting—become mere pleasure-seekers—and at once we fly at each other’s throats like sharks or alligators. Influence of dissipation.”
“That wasn’t dissipation; it was the young man.”
“It always is, I believe,”
You know how I hate tact . . .”
“Yes,” said Lucilla, with emphasis.
Is it t common sense that says you must always wear a hat in church except when you’re being confirmed?”
“No, dear, that’s religion,” said Lucilla
These illustrate why this book was such a joy to read - a careful use of language and a keen sense of how to make words funny with a delicate precision that is not so common today. Even the three-page rant about the decay and corruption of the English language was amusing, because I wasn't quite sure whether Ms Nesbit herself shared that view or was poking fun at it - again that uncertainty was a mark of good writing. In conclusion, I'm happy that I read this book, and I definitely enjoyed the laughs, but I this will be my first and last Nesbit.
cathjw's review against another edition
5.0
Utterly charming, a delightful and optimistic novel of youth.
quietjenn's review against another edition
5.0
Not even a slightly abrupt ending mars this one, which was as utterly charming and sweet as I'd expect an E. Nesbit For Grown-Ups book to be.
ailiem's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Just loved this book, such a lighthearted fun exploration of the adventures of two young women in the 20s. I found this period of overlap between older pre-war views of women and then the post-war 20s view of womens roles as very interesting and it was a nice to focus on two entrepreneurial female characters.
Love interests were teased but the protagonists were overall nonplussed and more focused on their careers which I found refreshing and fun. Love the simple and funny style in which this was written, overall a very pleasurable read :))
Love interests were teased but the protagonists were overall nonplussed and more focused on their careers which I found refreshing and fun. Love the simple and funny style in which this was written, overall a very pleasurable read :))