On my last PRW, back at the end of June, I found myself gripped by Glaspell's Brook Evans. So when I realised that I had another novel by her, published by Persephone on my shelf, I decided it would get the week off to a good start.
It is a chunky volume, and an absolutely riveting read, primarily due to the way that Glaspell tells the story by intermingling the "present" (albeit the present of c1910) with that of the past. And how she describes and reveals a set of relationships at the time and how they are influenced by social mores.
It is the story of a girl called Ruth Holland, who ran off with a married man over a decade ago (although this man was in a "dead" relationship, and felt that he had not actually been married to his wife for the past two years). We see the events leading up to her elopement.
10 years later she is summoned back, as her father is ailing (and her mother had died previously asking for Ruth). Now we see how Ruth's elopement has affected the people around her - the doctor in love with her who helped her to escape, his wife who can't see why he feels compassion for a woman who ran off with a married man, her family left behind, and her best friend who is now friends with supposedly abandoned wife. It is a wonderfully complex book that leaves one wondering about right and wrong - it is certainly not clear cut.
I wouldn't have come across Glaspell had it not been for the Persephone imprint (so hurrah for the rediscovery of excellent books), and I haven't seen anything blogged about her either (although I know at least one other person is reading this book today). So, I would like to urge you to discover her too.
This went on my wishlist as soon as I realized she was the same author of the short story A Jury of Her Peers. After reading your review, I wish I had it on my shelves.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like yet another fabulous Persephone!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very interesting. It's true that Gaspell isn't very well known, I hardly come across her name even in blogs.
ReplyDeleteYes yes, Glaspell will have to be in the next persephone order. Fidelity or Brook Evans???
ReplyDeleteAnother intriguing title, sales at Persephone should definitely be up next week. I must have a peek at your quiz, it's cutting into my reading time but I can't resist.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like something I would really enjoy. There are so many titles I want to read now I can barely contain myself from splurging!!
ReplyDeleteGlaspell is definitely worth reading guys - I slightly enjoyed Brook Evans more, but with this one you get more pages for your pounds!
ReplyDeleteI agree about Fidelity being a complex and thought provoking book. In fact it is provoking so many thoughts that I haven't finished it yet! I am enjoying it though think I preferred Brook Evans which I found quite a page turner as well as being well written.
ReplyDeleteThis is one I bought early on but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Must bump it up the pile...
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