A review by serendipitysbooks
Evelina by Frances Burney

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

3.5

 Evelina’s mother died when she was young and she is unacknowledged by her aristocratic but dissolute father. She has had a sheltered upbringing, being raised in the countryside by an elderly guardian. But when she is seventeen events take her first to London and then to Bristol. There she must learn to navigate the treacherous society waters, something she initially struggles with due to her naivety and innocence. This is very much a social commentary, a precursor to Jane Austen if you will, exploring themes like class, reputation, sensibility, gender and the public sphere. Farce and satire are used for humorous effect. Overall I enjoyed it although it was a little melodramatic in places (the tone of Evelina’s letters to her guardian sounds cringeworthy to modern ears) and could have been shorter. What stood out to me most was the terrible behaviour of supposed gentlemen, their refusal to take any notice of anything a woman said if it went against their own wishes. Very much a #metoo book of the eighteenth century. 
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