Book Review: The Lovely Lady

Title: The Lovely Lady

Author: Mary Austin

Date: 1913

Publisher: Doubleday

ISBN: none

Quote: “I’ve got to be rich. I’ve just simply got to.”

I downloaded this book from Gutenberg.org. If you’re online, you can read, print, or download it too, paying only printing expenses. If you’re not, I’ll print a copy for you at cost.

So says Peter, the son of a poor widow and brother of a sister with a physical handicap. (“Disability” would be an exaggeration. Sister Ellen walks awkwardly, but she gets around.) But will his quest for wealth keep him from pursuing his dream of Ideal Romantic Love?

Frankly, Gentle Readers, as I read this e-book, I found myself increasingly not giving a daam—you know, one of those little coins that went out of circulation because their production cost came to exceed their value. A great writer might have been able to weave into this dreary study of Edwardian proto-yuppies some sort of subplot, or at least some element of comedy or adventure, that would have held my attention on the dreary infidelities of a young man who pleased me only when I reflected that I don’t have a son. Life could always be worse. One could always have a son like the very realistic, and unadmirable and unenviable, protagonist of this novel. Peter flits among the cities of the Northeastern States and Western Europe, so he doesn’t even give Austin a chance to wallow in topophilia, as she did so well.

Who should read The Lovely Lady? Someone different from me. Someone who appreciates the nuance of an authentic Edwardian novel of manners.

Meanwhile, in between dealing with power outages, Googlitches (since the latest "update" Blogspot's been going offline during the hours I've been scheduling for it), and glyphosate reactions, I'm trying to read a dozen newer books, including one by Barb Taub. Trying is the word. I really did write book reviews of a batch of Project Gutenberg e-books a few years ago, and here's one of those.