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A review by flajol
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
3.0
A short and interesting psychological Gothic horror originally published in the 1950s.
Melanie is recovering from tuberculosis. She is bored, a bit spoiled, and is looking forward to finally being able to see her new son, who has presumably been kept apart from her since his birth to avoid contagion. After months of confinement in her bedroom, she is at last given a change of scenery, and moved to the lounge where she lies on the Victorian chaise-longue she found in a local junk shop. She falls asleep in 1953 and wakes in 1864 - trapped in the body of Millie, who is also suffering from tuberculosis, but who doesn't seem to be recovering.
As Melanie tries to come to terms with her new situation and to find a way 'home', she picks up clues about Milly's past. It seems Milly has some dark secrets as well as an angry sister looking after her.
All told from Melanie's point of view, the writing is sometimes overwrought, swinging from optimism and hope, to horror and confusion, then back again. It's an interesting commentary on how the behaviour of women is policed by social attitudes - at one point as Melanie realises what Milly has done, she confesses that they have done similar things, but only one is judged as sinful because of the attitudes of her time. There are other parallels between the two women, but Milly's life is a very dark reflection of Melanie's.
Creepy rather than terrifying, but an interesting read.
Melanie is recovering from tuberculosis. She is bored, a bit spoiled, and is looking forward to finally being able to see her new son, who has presumably been kept apart from her since his birth to avoid contagion. After months of confinement in her bedroom, she is at last given a change of scenery, and moved to the lounge where she lies on the Victorian chaise-longue she found in a local junk shop. She falls asleep in 1953 and wakes in 1864 - trapped in the body of Millie, who is also suffering from tuberculosis, but who doesn't seem to be recovering.
As Melanie tries to come to terms with her new situation and to find a way 'home', she picks up clues about Milly's past. It seems Milly has some dark secrets as well as an angry sister looking after her.
All told from Melanie's point of view, the writing is sometimes overwrought, swinging from optimism and hope, to horror and confusion, then back again. It's an interesting commentary on how the behaviour of women is policed by social attitudes - at one point as Melanie realises what Milly has done, she confesses that they have done similar things, but only one is judged as sinful because of the attitudes of her time. There are other parallels between the two women, but Milly's life is a very dark reflection of Melanie's.
Creepy rather than terrifying, but an interesting read.