BB FANS

To be honest I didn't really enjoy this book but that's really because I'm not a huge fan of English Lit like this.
Having said that it was a good story, just rather long and drawn out I thought.

its taking me longer to read than books normally do but I'm enjoying it so far and I wouldn't normally pick a book like this.

yeah same as me HC

I have nearly finished it only 5 more chapters to read

finished at last. Blimey I thought the poor guy was never going to get his leg over


seriously though I haven't read a classic in years and while it wasn't my first choice I did end up enjoying it though it took me a lot longer to read than other books. Maybe because I have been distracted with other things as well like course work etc. What did people think of it in the end?

HC I quite enjoyed it as well although it might not be something I would read it was good
Roll on the next book

I thought this book was incredibly brace for its time. It examined subjects as alcoholism, physical cruelty within marriage and feminism at a time when I would imagine a lot of discussiion on these subjects would be swept under the carpet. I was torn between thinking of Helen as at times a real feminist,(after all she left her husband at a time when this would be enough to condemn her in the eyes of polite society and appearance in polite society seemed to be so important - though not to Helen) and thinking of her as totally betraying her principles. When she left Arthur I cheered her courage but in going back I was dismayed that she was willing to give herself up so entirely for what she thought of as the greater good. I wondered if this was because she really did believe that Arthur would die and then she would be free to re-marry or if it was because she was so fervently religious that she felt she must do the right thing - the thing her God would want her to do. What does everyone else think?

I was dissapointed that she went back to her husband and I thought that when he died it was a bit of a cop out on the authors terms really but I believe she did it because she felt it was her duty and was willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of doing the right thing. Her christian beliefs probably played a part in that however. I struggle (thinking obviously as a modern woman) with how she stood there and did nothing when he chucked all her painting things in the fire. I would thrown a complete hissy fit and thrown all his alcohol out or something but I guess times were different and I'm glad I didn't live in those days.

She would have been better off putting his toothbrush down the toilet that would show him

She was a bit too pious for that HC. Or maybe not, he probably didn't have one, did they use them in those days? I bet she cut the crotch out of his favourite trousers and hit some prawns behind the wardrobe.

In those days women didn't really have any rights. They were just the property of their husbands who even took over their fortunes when they married. I think what I struggled with most was why she didn't delay the marriage when she had suspicions about him. She would have had the support of her aunt so it would have been easier for her to call of the marriage than a lot of women at that time. Maybe she thought she could change him. All he needed was the love of a good woman.

I think that happens in this day and age as well ellie!

yes indeed

to expand a little on my brief post last night ellie. I think lots of people go into a marriage even in this day and age while having doubts but they ignore the alarm bells etc because other bells are ringing louder if that makes sense? You're right we do have to remember times were very different then. I found it a little slow in places and the time scale of events rather slow. If you love someone that much you wouldn't wait so long would you? or maybe I'm just imaptient but I would of liked the main character to have been a little less drippy in his approach.

I'm a bit confused HC by your last sentence. By main character do you mean Gilbert or Arthur? I'm presuming you must mean Gilbert as he was the drippy one. If so, I suppose he had to wait so long because Helen was the dominant person in their relationship. She called all the shots and wouldn't allow any approach from him. Also when he read her diary he would have known that she would spurn him if he was too pushy, just as she spurned Mr Hargrave despite her persistance. They would have had to wait for a respectable period of mourning also after Arthur died and as Gilbert was a 'respectable' kind of person, he would have wanted to abide by the correct etiquette of the day.

I think you are right about the warning bells.

What did you think of the character of Anabella Lowborough? Her character interested me because she wasn't the usual type of woman depicted in these kind of books. I thought she was a bit like the men, which was unusual. The women were generally either very good such as Helen, Rachel, Millicent and Esther or just a bit bitchy and gossipy like Elixa Millward and Rose. However Anabella was a real go-getter. She used people including men and was sexually promiscious (well for her time anyway) but still managed to move in polite society. I wondered itf that was realistic. It was a real kind of moral story imo with all the baddies getting their comeuppance in the end and even Lord Lowborough finding happiness because he didn't go for looks with his next wife

sorry I meant Gilbert. I can appreciate he needed to wait etc but he just seemed to lack passion. Mind you having said that he did hit his friend for the sake of love and leave him for dead!


Anabella got what she wanted. I find the moral story a bit of a cop out (like I said with Arthur dying) as life just isn't like that is it? I guess it does us no harm to see the bad guys getting what they deserve though.

Can nearly post in this thread now

Only a month late and a year