The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Making of a Marchioness
by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Publisher: e-artnow (2013)

215 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Emily Fox-Seton is a single young woman, fast approaching the age of spinsterhood, and cheerfully making her own way by doing little odd jobs and running errands for women of means, when by the stroke of fate, she draws the attention of Lord Walderhurst and finds her circumstances changed beyond her wildest dreams, only to have the heir apparent worry her with sinister motives while the Lord is away.

My Thoughts:

This story is presented in two parts: The Making of a Marchioness and The Methods of Lady Walderhurst (the second part being nearly three times the length of the first). This story is part Cinderella story, part Gothic Romance. The sinister motives of Captain Osborn haunt the heroine, nearly from the moment of her marriage, and when Lord Walderhurst leaves for India, Emily is left on her own in the large country mansion to deal with it all. The love story between Emily and Lord Walderhurst is so sedate and simple, that I couldn’t help but love it. They both went into the marriage with such realistic expectations and visions of duty, that it was a surprise to see anything else come of it. The threat of the Osborns turned out to be a little anti-climatic, I thought, but the ending was a little dark, and that made up for it, in my opinion. I so loved Emily! She is so genuine and tirelessly looking to do everyone else a good turn, that I don’t know how you couldn’t love her, but some more modern, feminist-minded people could potentially find her an annoyance, perhaps. Enjoyable read!

Edition Notes:

This e-artnow Unabridged Edition was an omnibus edition that included The Making of a Marchioness (Parts I & II) as well as The Shuttle. It has optimum organization, readability and maneuverability for ebook. It does not include the original illustrations, but is nonetheless a great edition for the price.

Quotes:

“Don’t thank me—don’t. Just let us enjoy ourselves.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“He felt the scent and the golden glow of the sunset light as intensely as he felt the dead silence which reigned between himself and Hester almost with the effect of a physical presence.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“The Lime Avenue was a dim, if lovely, place at twilight. When the sun was setting, broad lances of gold slanted through the branches and glorified the green spaces with mellow depths of light. But later, when the night was drawing in, the lines of grey tree-trunks, shadowed and canopied by boughs, suggested to the mind the pillars of some ruined cathedral, desolate and ghostly.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“—she wanted to feel herself surrounded by the soft blackness.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“As she sat in the darkness and felt the night breath of the flowers in the garden, she was thinking of all the murderers she had ever heard of. She was reflecting that some of them had been quite respectable people, and that all of them must have lived through a period in which they gradually changed from respectable people to persons in whose brains a thought had worked which once they would have believed impossible to them, which they might have scouted the idea of their giving room to. She was sure the change must come about slowly. At first it would seem too mad and ridiculous, a sort of angry joke. Then the angry joke would return again and again, until at last they let it stay and did not laugh at it, but thought it over.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“She was so good that she was almost silly.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“But some things were too bad.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“Most people know something of waiting for answers to letters written to foreign lands. It seems impossible to calculate correctly as to what length of time must elapse before the reply to the letter one sent by the last mail can reach one. He who waits is always premature in the calculation he makes. The mail should be due at a certain date, one is so sure. The letter could be written on such a day and posted at once. But the date calculated for arrives, passes, —the answer has not come.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“As he stood and watched her closed eyes, —nice, easily pleased eyes,—it was they themselves, closed on him and all prosaic things and pleasures, which filled him most strangely with the sense of her loneliness, weirdly enough, hers, not his. He was not thinking of himself but of her. He wanted to withdraw her from her loneliness, to bring her back.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“And while Lady Walderhurst sat gazing at her with a paling face, she began quietly to eat the little buttered scone.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

Movie Adaptations:

The Making of a Lady (TV Movie 2012)

Lydia Wilson, Linus Roache, James D’Arcy

TV Rating: TV-PG

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

Though I enjoyed the book, I actually liked the movie better. This adaption went a little heavier on the gothic element then the book dared to go, and made the story a bit more of a dramatic thriller. I thought the casting was perfect, and I particularly thought Linus Roache did an excellent job as Lord Walderhurst. Great movie!

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

Publisher: Lexido.com (2014)

98 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Looking to solidify his claim to his position as Lord of the Castle, Manfred has contracted for his sickly son, Conrad, to wed fair Isabella, but before the nuptials can take place the young man is killed, and Manfred decides to seek the alliance by attempting to divorce his wife and marry Isabella himself, but many things stand in his way.

My Thoughts:

I wanted to read this and the Mysteries of Udolpho, as a prelude to Northanger Abbey, because I figured, if I was going to read Jane Austen’s satirized version of a gothic novel, I wanted to know beforehand what she was poking fun at. This is a short story, but it is widely regarded as the first gothic novel, laying the way for bestselling authors such a Ann Radcliffe to follow. Considering the time period in which it was written, its main objective seems to be a desire to provide people with thrills and be generally “deliciously shocking.” There was some humor in it, but not the dark humor I expected, more “who's on first” verbal misunderstandings as you often find in Shakespeare and other such works. All of the women in the story (Hippolita, Matilda and Isabella) could fit the damsel in distress description (naive, sheltered, duty-bound, self-less martyr), but I felt particularly sorry for Matilda, who I felt got the shortest end of the stick here. I don’t think this would qualify by today’s standards as a thriller (no gory/violent elements), but it had some ghost story elements, and the atmosphere was quite mysterious. Entertaining read!

Edition Notes:

This Lexido Annotated Edition has optimum organization, readability and maneuverability for ebook. It also includes a bit of background on the author and the story, at the back of the text, for those with an interest. It is prefaced by the portion from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen that references the “Northanger Horrid Novels,” while The Castle of Otranto was not specifically mentioned, it is the forerunner of such stories. Great edition for the price.

Quotes:

“Heaven nor hell shall impede my designs—” -Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

“We are all reptiles, miserable sinful creatures. It is piety alone that can distinguish us from the dust whence we sprung, and whither we must return.” -Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

“I can forget injuries, but never benefits.” -Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

“They start up, said the friar, who are suddenly beheld in the seat of lawful princes; but they wither away like the grass, and their place knows them no more.” -Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

“Since she cannot live mine, cried he, at least she shall be mine in death!” -Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

“—he was persuaded he could know no happiness but in the society of one with whom he could forever indulge the melancholy that had taken possession of his soul.” -Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Publisher: MTV Books (June 2010)

226 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $6.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Sexual Situations, Violence and Implied Sexual Abuse

Following his friend’s suicide, Charlie is poised to begin his high school career, with no friends to speak of and a naiveté about all that he will encounter in the next year (first dates, drugs, alcohol, relationships and his own demons). This story is told in a diary format, and Charlie narrates not only his own experiences, but also those of his siblings (particularly his sister) and those of his new friends, Patrick and Sam. There is so much drug and alcohol use in here, amongst Charlie and his friends, I couldn’t help but feel that all of them could use some serious help with their coping strategies. This story touches on so many of the scourges of the teen years, including Patrick’s struggles with being gay and having a relationship with a boy who isn’t out (and doesn’t want to be out). There were so many parts that were sad and depressing, but at the same time, there were so many moments of true beauty and selfless friendship. Great read!

Movie Adaptations:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller

Movie Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This movie stays pretty close to the book, a few things are left out here and there, and overall I didn’t think it was quite as dark or heavy as the book, but it is by no means a happy-go-lucky, feel-good sort of film either. I really liked Logan Lerman as Charlie, and Emma Watson was perfect as Sam.

The Fracking King by James Browning

The Fracking King by James Browning

Publisher: Little A (July 2014)

191 pages, eBook (available for Free through Kindle First)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing and Sexual Language

Winston is about to start his third high school in three years, a scholarship from the Dark Oil & Gas company making it possible for him to attend the Hale Boarding School for Boys and ends up getting him mixed up in the politics of the fracking going on nearby the school. Entertaining coming-of-age story told from the point-of-view of a Scrabble nerd as he navigates a new school, tries to redeem his mistakes, and pins his hopes on winning a tournament that will grant him an audience with the governor. Both the characters and the atmosphere of Hale was riveting, and Win was such a down-to-earth kid, it was easy to relate to him and his view of the crazy things going on around him. Very entertaining read, but the ending was a little anticlimactic.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Short Novels of John Steinbeck

Publisher: Penguin Classic (2009)

624 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $19.56)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

George and Lennie, two migrant workers who have always travelled together, are moving on after Lennie got into a spot of trouble at their last job, and they are hoping the next place will work out better, so they can save up the money needed to buy their own place.

My Thoughts:

This is realistic and gritty . . . and therefore sad. Lennie is a bit slow, and George acts as his protector, constantly digging Lennie out of scrapes that his friend unknowingly gets himself into. Lennie’s compulsion to “pet soft things” combined with his extraordinary strength, and inability to regulate himself, is constantly getting him into trouble. George tries to insulate his friend from the world the best he can, knowing that Lennie doesn’t mean any harm, but there is only so much he can do. I cried at the end . . . it was so sad.

Edition Notes:

This Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, includes: Tortilla Flat, The Red Pony, Of Mice and Men, The Moon is Down, Cannery Row and The Pearl. This ebook version has optimum organization, readability and maneuverability, and if you intend to read all of the stories anyway, the omnibus edition is cheaper than buying them individually. Great edition for the price.

Quotes:

“Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“Trouble with mice is you always kill ‘em.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“ . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you—“-John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“At about ten o’clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows, and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“Guy don’t need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus’ works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain’t hardly ever a nice fella.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“We could live offa the fatta the lan’.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“A guy needs somebody—to be near him—A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you—“-John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.” -John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

Movie Adaptations:

Of Mice and Men (1992)

John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Ray Walston

Movie Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This adaption follows very closely to the book, using much of the original dialogue. The casting was perfect, in my opinion, and you could likely get away with watching the movie, instead of reading the book, and no one would know the difference. A great film version of a great book!

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Publisher: William Morrow (July 2009)

260 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $8.89)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing and Sexual Situations

After his father left to have a “new family” with his secretary, Henry and his mother were pretty much on their own (his mother seeming to withdraw further and further within herself as time went on, unable to cope with life in general)—until they offered assistance to a desperate man they met at the PriceMart, and their lives changed in the course of the few days of the Labor Day weekend. Beautiful story told from the point-of-view of a 13-year-old boy, that blurs the lines between right and wrong, and highlights the simple beauty of true intimacy. There was an ominous feeling throughout this story, never completely sure of Frank’s intentions or the inherent danger of their situation laying in wait, but I loved the ending. Great coming-of-age story!

Movie Adaptations:

Labor Day (2013)

Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith

Movie Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This movie stayed really close to the book, and the casting was great—all the characters were as I imagined them. I loved the way it kept the slow, easy flow of events—just kind of letting the simplicity and beauty in life shine. Josh Brolin (Frank) was really believable as a long-imprisoned man, making the most of the few days he got to spend in a home with a family.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Publisher: Starbooks Classics Publishing (2013)

397 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $1.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

This is the story of quiet, unassuming Anne Elliot, a young woman approaching the age of spinsterhood, and obliged to leave her childhood home of Kellynch due to her father’s extravagance and debts, only to have Kellynch leased to Admiral and Mrs. Croft (Mrs. Croft being the sister of Anne’s only love, Frederick, whom she had been persuaded to give up when she was young, because he had no fortune) which brought Anne once more into company with the man she’d lost, inspiring both regret and hope.

My Thoughts:

This is one of my favorite Jane Austen stories, if only because in its heroine I see a quiet, intelligent young woman, prone to introspection and silent observation of her surroundings, that reminds me alot of myself. This story is told entirely from Anne’s point-of-view, and more than a few times I wished we could have heard from Frederick, but I think his silence and having to wonder what his thoughts were, is part of the charm of the way the story unfolds. There are so many wonderful characters that enter into the story along the way (I particularly loved Charles Musgrove and Admiral Croft), and I loved the contrast between Anne’s immediate family (Sir Walter and Elizabeth) and the Uppercross set through her sister’s marriage (the Musgroves, et al.), and the way Anne came to prefer not only the company at Uppercross, but the style of living as well, leaving her further removed from a family that had little regard for her anyway. Great Story!

Edition Notes:

This Starbooks Special Illustrated Edition with Literary History and Criticism is the best ebook version of Persuasion that I’ve found. It is organized for optimum maneuverability, is prettily arranged, very readable, includes illustrations by the Brock brothers combining the illustrations from their various editions, and includes the literary history and criticism section from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, as well as the original Chapters 10 & 11 of Volume II (of which Chapter 10 was ultimately replaced with Chapters 22 & 23, leaving Chapter 11 of Volume II (or Chapter 24) largely unchanged as the last chapter. For a standalone copy, this is it, but if you are looking for an ebook collection of Jane Austen’s novels, I’d recommend The Complete Illustrated Novels of Jane Austen by MobileReference.

Quotes:

“—they were neither of them able to devise any means of lessening their expenses without compromising their dignity, or relinquishing their comforts in a way not to be borne.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 1

“She considered it as an act of indispensable duty to clear away the claims of creditors with all the expedition which the most comprehensive retrenchments could secure, and saw no dignity in anything short of it.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 2

“To live no longer with the decencies even of a private gentleman! No, he would sooner quit Kellynch Hall at once, than remain in it on such disgraceful terms.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 2

“—he might there be important at comparatively little expense.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 2

“I never saw quite so wretched an example of what a sea-faring life can do; but to a degree, I know it is the same with them all: they are all knocked about, and exposed to every climate, and every weather, till they are not fit to be seen.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 3

“In fact, as I have long been convinced, though every profession is necessary and honourable in its turn, it is only the lot of those who are not obliged to follow any, who can live in a regular way, in the country, choosing their own hours, following their own pursuits, and living on their own property, without the torment of trying for more; it is only their lot, I say, to hold the blessings of health and a good appearance to the utmost; I know no other set of men but what lost something of their personableness when they cease to be quite young.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 3

“A lady, without a family, was the very best preserver of furniture in the world.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 3

“She was persuaded that under every disadvantage of disapprobation at home, and every anxiety attending his profession, all their probable fears, delays, and disappointments, she should yet have been a happier woman in maintaining the engagement, than she had been in the sacrifice of it.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 4

“She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 4

“—an agreeable manner may set off handsome features, but can never alter plain ones.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 5

“So, you are come at last! I began to think I should never see you. I am so ill I can hardly speak. I have not seen a creature the whole morning!” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 5

“—it is very bad to have children with one that one is obligated to be checking every moment; ‘don’t do this,’ and ‘don’t do that,’ or that one can only keep in tolerable order by more cake than is good for them.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 6

“Dear me! that’s a very good thought, very good, indeed.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 7

“They had been once more in the same room.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 7

“—there could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in union, no countenances so beloved.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 8

“I had no more discoveries to make then you would have as to the fashion and strength of any old pelisse, which you had seen lent about among half your acquaintance ever since you could remember, and which at last, on some very wet day, is lent to yourself.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 8

“We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 8

“—he repeated, with such tremulous feeling, the various lines which imaged a broken heart, or a mind destroyed by wretchedness—she thought it was the misfortune of poetry to be seldom safely enjoyed by those who enjoyed it completely; and that the strong feelings which alone could estimate it truly were the very feelings which ought to taste it but sparingly.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 11

“—nor could she help fearing, on more serious reflections, that, like many other great moralists and preachers, she had been eloquent on a point in which her own conduct would ill bear examination.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 11

“He had frequently observed, as he walked, that one handsome face would be followed by thirty, or five-and-thirty frights; and once, as he had stood in a shop on Bond Street, he had counted eighty-seven women go by, one after another, without there being a tolerable face among them.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 15

“She felt that she could so much more depend upon the sincerity of those who sometimes looked or said a careless or a hasty thing, than of those whose presence of mind never varied, whose tongue never slipped.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 17

“Benwick sits at her elbow, reading verses, or whispering to her, all day long.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 22

“I am not one of those who neglect the reigning power to bow to the rising sun. If I would not go for the sake of your father, I should think it scandalous to go for the sake of his heir.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 22

“When any two young people take it into their heads to marry, they are pretty sure by perseverance to carry their point, be they ever so poor, or ever so imprudent, or ever so little likely to be necessary to each other’s ultimate comfort.” -Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 24

Movie Adaptations:

Persuasion (1995)

Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, Sophie Thompson

Movie Rating: PG

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This adaption holds very closely to the book, with a few minor changes, and the casting, in my opinion, was absolutely perfect (though I preferred the Mr. Elliot from the 2007 version). This adaption, like the other, incorporates the events of the original chapter 10 of volume II (Adm. Croft asking Frederick to offer a removal from Kellynch given the rumor of Anne’s engagement to Mr. Elliot) that was removed as well as those of the two chapters that ultimately replaced it. This version is slower paced than other and portrayed in a more sedate manner (not quite as dramatic or sensational). One of my favorite movies!

Persuasion (TV Movie 2007)

Sally Hawkins, Rupert Penry-Jones, Tobias Menzies

Movie Rating: NR

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This version is visually breathtaking and dramatically portrayed (Anne picturesquely dashing about town in fear of losing her last chance at happiness). You get a bit more of Frederick’s feelings and thoughts along the way, which the book and the 1995 movie saved to reveal at the end, and I kind of liked that insight into Frederick here and there. This adaption, like the other, incorporates the events of the original chapter 10 of volume II that was removed as well as those of the two chapters that ultimately replaced it. I wasn’t as impressed with the casting in this version, but I liked who they chose for the two main characters, as well as Mr. Elliot and Capt. Harville, so I could put up with the others. I like this version mainly on its own worth—it is pretty and provides an interesting depiction of the story that I feel drawn to, despite the minor differences from the text.