Scan barcode
A review by attytheresa
Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott
1.0
Written and published under her pseudonym before [b:Little Women|20893528|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400837889l/20893528._SX50_.jpg|3244642], this is a muddy mess. A new governess, Jean Muir, arrives at the country house of the Coventry family, where it is evident to the reader (quite deliberately made so by the author) that Jean Muir is far from the innocent young maid she's accepted as being. Several chapters pass while she wrecks havoc on this family and her real purpose more or less is revealed. It's all quite confused, with Alcott not clearly defining relationships of all the characters and Muir's ultimate goal. It's all quite ridiculous and lame and poorly realized. I did give it a star because there is definitely a thread throughout of the lot of women in the 19th century not having freedom and independence, as particularly well-expressed here: Shall I deceive the good man, and secure peace at the price of liberty and truth? Or shall I defy Sydney and lead a life of dread?... A look, a word can tarnish it; a scornful smile, a significant shrug can do me more harm than any blow; for I am a woman—friendless, poor, and at the mercy of his tongue. Ah, better to have died, and so have been saved the bitter pain.
The lengthy detailed biography and summary of Alcott and her works provided at the end of my edition (including a substantial bibliography) provided this description of her writing in the 1860s, which definitely fits here: Her protagonists for these tales are willful and relentless in their pursuit of their own aims, which often include revenge on those who have humiliated or thwarted them. Alas, had it been written better!
The lengthy detailed biography and summary of Alcott and her works provided at the end of my edition (including a substantial bibliography) provided this description of her writing in the 1860s, which definitely fits here: Her protagonists for these tales are willful and relentless in their pursuit of their own aims, which often include revenge on those who have humiliated or thwarted them. Alas, had it been written better!