The Young Are Desperate: two novels
Jan 14, Jill rated it really liked it Shelves: A computer programmer and amateur encryption specialist, Sara Thomas is offered a job breaking the code of a handwritten diary from the eighteenth century. The diary was owned by Mary Dundas, the daughter of a Jacobite exile. After her mother died, Mary was sent by her father to live with her aunt and uncle in France.
At twenty-one, her brother comes for her, ostensibly to take her to his home. Instead, he involves Mary in a Jacobite intrigue, where she is asked to pose as another man's sister. T A computer programmer and amateur encryption specialist, Sara Thomas is offered a job breaking the code of a handwritten diary from the eighteenth century. The man is being sought by the English for his involvement in a scheme to supply much-needed funds for King James and his supporters in exile after the ' The man's bodyguard is the enigmatic and forbidding Highlander, Hugh MacPherson.
As with most of Susanna Kearsley's stories this one is in dual timelines. The past set in and mostly in France is told via the diary as Sara deciphers its content. Unlike most of Ms Kearsley's stories though, there is no supernatural, paranormal, time travel or timeslip elements at all. The historical story here, as often happens in dual timelines, did end up the more interesting and entertaining thread. However, both romances with Sara and Luc Sabran in the present, and Mary and Hugh in the past, were delicious. Though I've read many books with the hero having this syndrome, this is the first time I've read a heroine with AS.
Ms Kearsley does a convincing and remarkable job of depicting the heroine's 'shortcomings' and particular idiosyncrasies. The beginning is really quite slow. But the story picks up pace, ending on a high. A slightly uneven read, but with an ending that was almost perfection, it's impossible not to forgive the slow beginning. There is nothing to fault as per usual in the meticulous research and artful story-telling, though. The notes at the end of the book are not to be missed. Ms Kearsley tells how she was inspired to write this story, and the real Mary Dundas on whom the story is based.
Very, very few authors can write romance in that subtle, understated way that conveys by simple words and gestures the emotions and tenderness of a couple's growing love. Susanna Kearsley has this down to a fine art. Which leads me to my favourite scene, near the very end with Hugh, Mary and an equipage.
Just don't give up if it doesn't grab you at first. The payoff will come. Recommended for readers who enjoy romantic historical fiction, straight historical fiction and stories set in dual timelines. View all comments.
- Ludwig II Vol. 2 (Yaoi Manga);
- Amazone (Romans français) (French Edition)?
- Lettice Fairfax Rides Again?
- See a Problem?.
- Desperate Remedies;
- 6 Days To Slim: The Amazing Mediterranean Detox Diet: Lose up to 12lbs in 6 Days and Keep it Off.
- Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy.
This book feels strongly like a Susanna Kearsley book, but it is a little different than most. Though I usually enjoy those light paranormal elements in her stories, I think that this book worked well without them. I wish I could give this book two totally separate ratings. In fact, I wish that half of the story didn't exist altogether. It isn't that the part set in present day is bad , it just paled in comparison to the story told in the past.
Their story is told very elegantly and over a long period of time, and in an extremely subtle way. This isn't your typical historical romance couple, folks. In this book, the Jacobite history plays an enormous role in the story, and the romance is something that seems to develop almost on the back burner. The clandestine actions, the lies and the pretending, made this story very compelling, and, during which, we get to see Mary very slowly change her opinion of Hugh from a stoic, unattractive, and intimidating Highlander to the greatest man she has ever known.
Both of these characters had deep, deep baggage, and to see them come together and trust each other was lovely. Very few writers could have created such an compelling couple, and I wish we could have followed Mary and Hugh on to more adventures at the end of the book, a la Outlander. The present-day couple were much less interesting for me. Though Sara's story of having Asperger's Syndrome was interesting, I didn't feel much chemistry between her and Luc.
Every time their storyline came up, I felt like I was in a rush to move past it and back to Mary and Hugh. I was much less invested in Sara and Luc, though I did like reading about the side characters of Luc's ex-wife and son. I mostly found Sara and Luc's page time dragging on, and it made the book feel much longer than it was. Though this isn't my favorite Susanna Kearsley book, I'm still always impressed by her ability to craft an extremely well researched and subtle story. I can't wait to see what she does next.
View all 5 comments. Susanna Kearsley does another of her patented dual timeline novels, this one with computer programmer and amateur cipher-breaker Sara, a British woman with Asperger's, staying in France while trying to crack the cipher that Mary Dundas wrote her journal in, during The story alternates between Sara's first-person POV and Mary's unexpected adventures during the Jacobite Rebellion, told in third-person.
Both of them find romance in unexpected places. There were some nice parts to it, like the Susanna Kearsley does another of her patented dual timeline novels, this one with computer programmer and amateur cipher-breaker Sara, a British woman with Asperger's, staying in France while trying to crack the cipher that Mary Dundas wrote her journal in, during There were some nice parts to it, like the MC with Asperger's and the descriptions of code breaking, as well as some interesting historical background and research the part of the afterword about the real-life Mary Dundas was heart-wrenching , but overall it was So.
Like a pleasant stroll in the park for pages. View all 7 comments. Mar 09, TL rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Once again I am sad to leave this people behind Miss Kearsley has created people I will not forget and that have stolen their way into my heart, never to leave. Maybe, but the truth still: This one takes a li Once again I am sad to leave this people behind This one takes a little bit to get going but is well worth your time and patience.
Miss Kearsley's gorgeous writing is on display in full here, weaving the dual narratives together seamlessly and building the world her characters inhabit so lovingly. Hugh and Luc have taken the top spots of my favorites of the men she has written sorry Rob! Good, loyal, and full of integrity.
Mary Dundas was easy to like, I felt like I grew close to her over the course of her journey. You can't help but admire her courage and strength as she and the others make their way across to get to their final destination. Not an easy or trouble free one. It does have me wondering what happened to her second diary though And Claudine's photographs sounded so amazing. Noah, such a sweet boy I fell in love with everyone in this book actually haha. The descriptions of the surroundings, present and past It makes me want to visit Scotland more than ever one day: Sara was an interesting person and I enjoyed getting to know her and her cousin, watching her grow as she translated Mary's diary.
Her part of the story wasn't as compelling as the historical part but still enjoyable. Seeing characters pop up from her other novels was fun as well: Aug 19, Erin rated it really liked it Shelves: It's quite difficult where I live to access English books as English speakers are very much a minority in a majority French language province. I rely very much on my e-readers and friends and family and local libraries that might have at least a shelf of books I haven't read.
So how lucky I am that I recently discovered that a local French bookstore does carry some English titles and ons happened to be A Desperate Fortune. A dual narrative that alternates between contemporary France and a Franc It's quite difficult where I live to access English books as English speakers are very much a minority in a majority French language province.
A dual narrative that alternates between contemporary France and a France of held my attention on a park bench for most of this Sunday. Though at times, the story suffers from the author's "desperate" need to give both her female protagonists a happily ever after, I have a lot of respect for SK's storytelling especially as it surrounds the Jacobites. View all 6 comments. I really enjoyed this book and that puts me in the minority amongst my GR friends. You just never know what will strike a chord with one person and not with the next. I really appreciated the way both storylines flowed.
There was no silly gimmick to get from one time period to the other. That mind reading in The Firebird always took me right out of the story and I had a I really enjoyed this book and that puts me in the minority amongst my GR friends. That mind reading in The Firebird always took me right out of the story and I had a hard time getting back in.
As usual, Susanna Kearsley does a great job of letting the reader see and understand the character dynamics. I also loved seeing all of the references to her previous books. For example, the troglodyte houses from The Splendour Falls. I'm happy to know they are still together hide spoiler ]. A big plus is the reference to her next book, Bellewether , which she is working on right now. I'm already wondering how the drawing in A Desperate Fortune, is going to fit in. I enjoyed the slow, natural buildup of the relationships in both storylines.
The ciphering was very interesting. As usual for me, I enjoyed the story set in the past more than the present day story. And, my, oh my I loved the hero from the storyline set in the past! Overall, a wonderful group of characters plus a cat and a dog , two great stories, and very interesting historical info based on some real people and events.
Last, but not least, an ending to the historical story that left me all weepy. View all 15 comments. Nov 26, Carol rated it liked it Shelves: When the newly unemployed Sara Thomas accepts a temporary job decoding a mysterious old journal from , she unravels an unexpected story of adventure and romance while experiencing a surprising Paris interlude of her own.
Although a little slow going, thought the added perspective from Sara's Asperger Syndrome was well presented. View all 9 comments. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to rate this book. I have read several of Kearsley's novels and loved them. This one, unfortunately, didn't live up to my expectations. It was really slow.
I enjoyed the characters but the story was just not very strong. I still love SK and will jump at the chance to read her next novel. Aug 14, Misfit marked it as did-not-finish Shelves: I may try another day, but too many books are calling me at the moment and too many library patrons are in line behind me. View all 34 comments. Apr 17, Ira rated it liked it Shelves: If you read Ms. Kearsley book before, you probably know already she always have two parallel stories in her book.
And I need to be honest with you, I was cheating here. For me the history part here is overpowering the romance. At some point I just gave up and only read the present setting story which I found more 3. At some point I just gave up and only read the present setting story which I found more interesting. So you still get a wonderful story if you only read one romance. If you never read Ms.
Kearsley before, The Winter Sea probably a better choice to start. Opening up the first chapter of this book, or any book by Susanna Kearsley, is like front row tickets to your favorite band, world peace, finding the perfect jeans, Disneyland, and losing 10lbs in December all rolled into one. In Kearsley fashion, a present and historical timeline make the backdrop of the story.
The present day involves a young woman named Sara Thomas, a computer programer with an ability to solve number games, codes, and cyphers. Sara is hired, through a friend, by a Parisian au Opening up the first chapter of this book, or any book by Susanna Kearsley, is like front row tickets to your favorite band, world peace, finding the perfect jeans, Disneyland, and losing 10lbs in December all rolled into one. Sara is hired, through a friend, by a Parisian author to decipher a diary written in unknown code. A diary that holds secrets much differently than anyone expected.
Sara likes working in the beautiful country of France. She becomes attached to her neighbors, and despite the obstacles and blessings of her living with Asperger's Syndrome, Sara manages to discover much about her own self and what is truly home. The diary in the story segues Kearsley's timelines quite nicely. The diary is written and encrypted in the 's by a twenty-one year old Mary Dundas.
Herein, Mary writes of alleged monetary deception by a man she would end up traveling with, a bankruptcy of an economy, the continuing Jacobite cause, long lost family, severe political unrest, and the mercurial nature of love. Mary is thrust into the company of a possible embezzler, Jacobite spies, a Highland woman serving as a kind traveling companion, and a fierce Highland protector. Mary embarks on a journey to reach the exiled King James' protection and hopefully sympathetic ear. I love the storyline written about someone with Aspergers. Sara's character is written well, respectfully, and true to life.
The running theme throughout the story felt very bold, yet simple. Home is where we chose to make it, even when our story takes a detour for the worst or people tell us who we are, where we are going. Sara was told she could not have normal relationships. In her mind, Aspergers defined who she was and while strongly reinforced, she lived, in the best way I can describe, as resolved.
In the same manner, Hugh MacPherson, a s Highlander, stripped from all he cared for on this earth. Further, making choices that darkened his next choice, until he could no longer recognize the man he had become. Resolved in his choices, as he saw no other path. Its easier to believe the bad stuff about yourself. But it is also the influence of only one that can pepper your worldview for the best. My only complaint, if you could call it that, was the slower but necessary start to the story. By the time Mary and her companions set out, I was hooked. Get thee to a bookstore or e-reader near you!
I had to look it up, but I digress Many thanks to Netgalley for the review copy of this title. I will read anything she writes. Cannot wait for this one.
Desperation by Stephen King
Susanna Kearsley has done it again. And it's beautiful and wonderful and all the good things about a book that makes you keep coming back to it over and over. Susanna Kearsley is an auto-buy author for me. When a new book of hers comes out, I try to pick it up as quickly as possible and usually devour it in an afternoon. All of her books blend the past and the present in such a way that you feel like you are stepping into the shoes of the characters and experiencing everything that they do. A Des Susanna Kearsley has done it again. A Desperate Fortune follows the growth of two women: Sara, an English woman who struggles with the day to day challenges of living with Asperger's in a society that increasingly demands extroversion and conformity and Mary, a young woman who grew up in France during the Jacobite revolution and finds herself at the center of a covert operation that goes bad quickly.
I absolutely adored Sara. She wants desperately to be normal and she goes with the "Fake it till you make it" mentality when dealing with others. She quit her most recent job because it forced her to work with others instead of working alone which she prefers. After she is given a cipher to crack, Sara is invited to work for an author who has found a very curious diary.
The diary is that of Mary Dundas and is written entirely in code. It is supposed to depict the life of an ordinary girl in France but instead, it's the story of a great adventure. Mary Dundas starts her story by wanting to move back with her family after an invitation from her brother. But her brother has other plans and sends her to be a tool in trying to protect a fugitive from England that is a sympathizer to the Jacobite cause. Mary tries to play her role perfectly but things quickly go south and she finds herself traversing the country with a quiet and intimidating Scotsman, a charming Englishman, and a chaperon.
Their journey is perilous and forces Mary to abandon her ideals of living a peaceful life with her brother's family and stand up for herself. The romances are absolutely lovely in this book. Sara always pushes away her love interests and is content with being solitary for the rest of her life. She has accepted it and it's okay. Then she meets Luc Sabran who sneaks through the cracks in the walls she has built. He is patient and kind which is exactly what she needs in her life. Sara wants calm and steady and that is what he offers. I have to say that he is my favorite hero that Kearsley has written so far.
Yes, he bumped Rob off the top. He is so wonderfully written, it is amazing. He just wants to keep everybody safe and do his job but the close quarters between Hugh and Mary force them to try to get along and help each other. King manages, for the most part, to keep the tension up throughout the novel, which makes it one hell of an uneasy read. Something about this bothered [him], but for n Why, what a splendid book. Something about this bothered [him], but for now he paid no attention.
The nature of the supernatural antagonist is somewhat vague, but purposely so. It has some novelty value, having been released alongside The Regulators. It also has an epic and mythical sweep that can at least partly be attributed to the setting. Have I mentioned just how scary it gets?
Just how much of this will appeal to the reader would probably depend. View all 10 comments. Aug 04, Nicholas Armstrong rated it it was amazing. I'm an indecisive rater and my rating on this will probably fluctuate with mood and memory but regardless of that this is a great read. What I always found insulting was how easily critics, snobs, and pretentious twits write-off Stephen King because he writes stories about realistic people in fantastic situations.
Seriously, he writes amazingly so why give a damn what he writes about? Desperation is a perfect example of horror and fantastic writing and anyone who doesn't think so can go I'm an indecisive rater and my rating on this will probably fluctuate with mood and memory but regardless of that this is a great read. Desperation is a perfect example of horror and fantastic writing and anyone who doesn't think so can go stick their nose in some classics of literature and sip wine and think about how superior they are. The first thing that gripped me in this book was how goddamn creepy it really was.
There are few things that scare me, really, but cops are one of them. Cops scare me because I'm terrified of prison. I have no reason to go but dammit if I haven't read and seen things that have convinced me that sometimes innocent people get put away and horrible, horrible things happen to them. So the opening scenes of Desperation which show a sheriff who is seemingly innocent had me gripped and on the edge of my seat already.
The characters were tense because of the bizarre way the cop pulls them over and the fact that they do have pot on them. This is probably my favorite part of the book but that does not mean it is the only good part. King's use of repetition of the senses here really astounded me. I never knew how powerful repetition could be until I read this book and this scene and I begin to sweat as hard as I thought the characters were. As their paranoia grew I could feel my own paranoia growing until I wanted to shout at the book "Are you a good guy?
Is this going to turn out as horrible as it feels? King's literary tools and knowledge of how to use them really awes me at times. From there the tension never slows and never stops. The characters are filled with real emotions, memories, and personalities. The woman whose name I forget is badass.
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Seriously, her and the writer were my two favorite characters, flaws and all. Yes, this is a horror. Yes, it is not filled with symbolism or a greater cultural message which we all probably know. Despite all of this it is still remarkably well-written and any author that makes me feel what the characters are feeling and the absolute hopelessness of a situation gets a thumbs up. View all 5 comments. Apr 04, Mari Biella rated it it was amazing Shelves: Having read a number of his books, I've gradually come to think of him as being a bit like an old friend: On this level, Desperation does not disappoint; you're likely to be hooked from the very first page.
And, yes, it really is pretty nasty — but then I have got a slight phobia of creepy little towns, so I would say that. Highway 50 in Nevada is apparently being a Brit I'd hardly know "The Loneliest Highway in America" — not the kind of place where you'd want to run out of petrol, have an accident or, indeed, meet a seemingly psychopathic policeman, as a random group of travellers are about to find out to their cost.
In fact, the policeman is just the tip of the iceberg, as the actual source of the horror is something bigger, older and considerably more deadly than one man. The small mining town of Desperation, once a small but safe and friendly place, has been devastated by an ancient evil, and it falls to a ragged group of survivors to do battle with that evil.
It's astounding how many of our primal fears King works on, and with what apparent ease: In many ways this is not for the easily-upset: King was never the man to spare us sickening physical details, and he's on form here, disgusting us with every dribble of blood, every rotten lump of flesh and every putrid corpse. The foulness can get a bit much on occasion, and yes, it does begin to feel a bit gratuitous, but it's a compelling story, so you can overlook that. There are one or two gripes: And of course there are the recycled characters, the characters who have made numerous appearances in other King novels — the young boy with strange powers, the weary, cynical writer, the slightly downtrodden woman who has to struggle against the odds — but then again the fact that they keep coming back only really testifies to how successful they were to begin with.
If ever a writer was a victim of his own success, it's SK; but then, in accordance with one of the major themes of the novel, God is cruel. Recommended, if not for the faint of heart. View all 15 comments.
A Desperate Fortune
I closed the book with a wicked smile across my face. First, the boy character made this book. Second, the way this story makes you feel like you're right there. The bigger the better in my opinion. One of his best for sure. View all 7 comments. Somehow, they get pulled over for some sort of technicality with the law and are brought to Desperation and all hell breaks loose. The plot was steady and the suspense was incredible as one would expect with a King but the second half the religious ideologies overtook the storyline.
Apart from all that the book is really fast paced, devouring the pages in a weeks time and the gore factor was top notch. Exploring addiction and alcoholism was well done as the subject hits close to home for Stephen King. Still, you sound check it out if the premise sounds interesting or if you are King addict. I would definitely check out The Regulators to see how the narratives pair together. Have you read it what are your thoughts on it? View all 6 comments. This is a story about the little mining town of Desperation.
Regulating the traffic on the nearby Route 50 is Collie Entragian, who is an absolutely giant madman. If you're caught with a license plate number missing or you've got a flat tire Collie brings passers-by into Desperation where the real nightmare begins. I loved this book from beginning to end, I was hooked from the very first page. It's an apocalyptic d "In these silences something may rise. It's an apocalyptic drama of God and evil, madness and revelation. There is a constant sense of tension that King holds over you relentlessly. It's true horror as the amount of gore and blood and guts is enough to last you for a lifetime.
There's scary animals everywhere from coyotes to scorpions to buzzards to recluse spiders You could not wish for any more! People appear to have issues with the religious undertone of the book, but I personally enjoyed this aspect. I felt like it was necessary in order for this story to progress and make sense.
It allowed for the character David Carver to really shine. A young boy with the weight of everyone's survival on his shoulders. The other characters were equally awesome. King really developed each with their own unique characterisation and this is truly why he is the King. One of my top King books. An addictive read with a relentless pace. So, I dropped the pretention and read a Stephen King novel.
True, I read several of King's works After all, King's popularity is eclipsed only by, oh, I don't know I'll admit, the story was engaging. King has a way with propelling his story-lines over hundreds of pages without taking a breath. Or so it would seem. Unfortunately, the mediocrity of his prose is, at best, d So, I dropped the pretention and read a Stephen King novel. Unfortunately, the mediocrity of his prose is, at best, distracting and at worst infuriating. How many internal monologues can one author insert haphazardly into a single paragraph?
I don't know, but King sure does: Seriously though, King's writing suffers from a lack of ingenuity. Metaphors are ham-fisted and cliched, character development is superficial at best, and the dialogue is trite and unconvincing. The upshot to King's fast-paced, yet uninspired, novel? It only took a few hours to finish. View all 38 comments. Sep 18, Jen from Quebec: It has ups and downs and definitely could have trimmed at least 75 pages or so with better editing, I think, but a good read.
Heavy on the religious aspects, for a King novel. Aug 31, Doreen Petersen rated it really liked it Shelves: Although not one of my favorite Stephen King books I would still recommend it to all. Had I been reviewing in my teenage years, I probably would have given this two stars, and The Regulators four stars. The latter is a fun book from beginning to end, while Desperation takes off like a crackhead escaping police custody only to run out of steam about halfway to the sanctuary of his crack den. This read was a little bit better than the first because I was expecting the slow-as- The first time I read Desperation , I read it back to back with The Regulators in the fall This read was a little bit better than the first because I was expecting the slow-as-mud, worship-ridden final pages, so I'm giving it another star.
Most of my problems with this book is personal. The God angle leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not a religious person, and for the most part, I don't get along with religious persons. I'm too fucking opinionated, and I'm notorious for flapping my jaws. Mostly because these are the people who laugh at me for believing in Santa Claus until I was 13 and don't see the irony in having a laugh at the hopeful child I once was.
You can have your Land of Make-Believe, I have my own. So yeah, the Come to Jesus Parade isn't to my liking. If you're rollin' holy, this is probably the King book for you. Stephen, if you thought you were being subtle with the subtext, you failed. Desperation is probably the closest thing to a horror novel King had written since Needful Things , which was Not one of those books are what horror fans would call scary. They scared me, but I'm fucking strange.
Desperation was a return to such balls-out terrors. You have a psycho cop who's not everything he seems. You have animals and the nastiest of insect life acting strangely. Statues that make you wanna fuck people to death. You know, Disney type of shit.
My point is, this book is brutal, and I loved that aspect. Oddly enough, a miniscule - and I mean teensy-tiny - side character from Rose Madder has a pretty substantial role in this book. That one still shocks me. I know full and well some characters come into our lives and refuse to leave, but I remember thinking and still think Cynthia was the last person I expected to see within these pages. My favorite character above any other is Johnny Marinville, though. One of King's best characters, that one. For tie-ins to the King-verse, click view spoiler, but please expect spoilers for ALL of King's work and not just this novel.
The mine and quonset huts from Wolves of the Calla. Someone mentions Misery in Paradise , which is a romance novel written by Paul Sheldon. This also ties Misery deeper into the Dark Tower and King-verse. I find it strange that King used the Mr. I've been trying to six-degrees Mr. Mercedes into the rest of the King-verse since I read the book almost a year ago and I've been coming up empty. There are mentions of the movie adaptation for Carrie and IT , but nothing stating that Mr. Mercedes is part of the same universe.
Mercedes seems to be set in "the real world" apart from the King-verse, so I don't know if I'm grasping at straws or if he really did use Mr Smiley to tie Mr. Mercedes into the Dark Tower. I know the bad guy's name in Revival comes up to 19 letters, so we have that Mercedes still elludes me. I think Hardy's views of women as demonstrated by this book are execrable and he is obviously a complete misogynist was he gay?
Although he is not immune to men's favourite fantasy with a Fingersmith-like scene between Cyth senior and Cyth junior, his women are all stereotypes — dessiccated old spinster, scheming bitch, pathetic victim, gossip etc. The only one I had a sneaking regard for was Adelaide who, fed up with waiting for her faithless fiance, made off with a rich bloke. Young Cytherea was the absolute limit. More than half way through the book something I forget what was said to reduce her to mere passivity.
Excuse me, but I thought she was pretty passive from the start. I thought this book was pretty desperate, but out of respect for the member of the book group that chose it, I did not indulge in the remedy of throwing it from a speeding car into a ditch but instead soldiered on to the end. Never did like Hardy, anyway! En primer lugar os presento la novela con un dato: Digo bien, ya que esta novela nunca fue publicada con su verdadero nombre debido a lo escandaloso de su narrativa.
Respecto a la obra: Sep 17, John Frankham rated it it was amazing Shelves: Having read most of Hardy's novels, and re-read them, this was my first reading of Desperate Remedies. A real surprise, and a real pleasure. A cross between later Hardy and Wilkie Collins. And some of the beautifully rhythmic prose reminded me of Jane Austen, oddly enough. So adventurous for its time. From a good Hardy web-site: He wrote it following the disappointment of having his first work The Poor Man and the Lady rejected fo Having read most of Hardy's novels, and re-read them, this was my first reading of Desperate Remedies.
He wrote it following the disappointment of having his first work The Poor Man and the Lady rejected for publication by Chapman and Hall. To court commercial success he cast his second work in a genre that was very popular at that time — the sensation novel. They did this by the inclusion of topics considered very daring at that period — such as bigamy, sex outside marriage, fraud, disputed wills, and crime of all kinds.
Hardy was to have plenty of trouble with the censorship of his later and more famous novels, but even here in his first, he manages to include suicide, attempted rape, lesbianism, and murder. Es la primera novela que leo de Thomas Hardy y me ha encantado! May 05, Amy rated it really liked it Shelves: The plot certainly went somewhere with his second book and first published novel, Desperate Remedies. The heroine is strong and rational while the villain is dastardly indeed.
The tale is one part mystery and one part love triangle. After the untimely deaths of their parents, two young adults go out into the world together to try to fend for themselves. The first tries to kiss her in a row boat and the second creeps her out by drawing her into his house during a thunderstorm and playing his organ for her.
No, this is not a euphemism. She eventually finds out both of these overly-forward guys have dirty secrets and feels justified in her contentment to stay single. I was quite happy to find that Cytherea has her head on straight enough to initially steer clear of these guys. She wisely heeds the advice that her father gives at the beginning of the book: I'd rather scheme to die!
Yet, she has her own lessons to learn. The last part of the book is fast-paced as you try to determine if your suspicions are correct about the dark secrets various characters may be harboring. There are a few clues along the way. In a way, it was interesting to read the book through that lens, but I would have rather not have had it spoiled for me. Still, that was not the most surprising of gothically delectable revelations. I think that my favorite quote in the book is from a man who is doomed to imminent death. For people are almost always in their graves.
When we survey the long race of men, it is strange and still more strange to find that they are mainly dead men, who have scarcely ever been otherwise. Hardy has a way of taking situations and twisting them to the breaking point in his plots. His characters are interconnected in such deliciously complicated ways.
But so much of it is bound up in the laws or in the societal expectations of the time. One curious scene in the book appears to be homoerotic in nature. But this seems to be a different beast altogether. Either the scene is written innocently or its written as a bit of Victorian spite.
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So, was Hardy trying to say that they indeed did or was he really just writing an innocent scene? Dec 30, Laura rated it liked it Shelves: Free download available at Project Gutenberg. And the audio version is available at LibriVox. The following story, the first published by the author, was written nineteen years ago, at a time when he was feeling his way to a method. The principles observed in its composition are, no doubt, too exclusively those in which mystery, entanglement, surprise, and moral obliquity are depended on for exciting interest; but some of the scenes, and at least one of the characters, have been dee Free download available at Project Gutenberg.
The principles observed in its composition are, no doubt, too exclusively those in which mystery, entanglement, surprise, and moral obliquity are depended on for exciting interest; but some of the scenes, and at least one of the characters, have been deemed not unworthy of a little longer preservation; and as they could hardly be reproduced in a fragmentary form the novel is reissued complete—the more readily that it has for some considerable time been reprinted and widely circulated in America.
To the foregoing note I have only to add that, in the present edition of 'Desperate Remedies,' some Wessex towns and other places that are common to the scenes of several of these stories have been called for the first time by the names under which they appear elsewhere, for the satisfaction of any reader who may care for consistency in such matters. This is the only material change; for, as it happened that certain characteristics which provoked most discussion in my latest story were present in this my first—published in , when there was no French name for them it has seemed best to let them stand unaltered.
After Hardy had trouble publishing his first novel, he was told to "attempt a novel with a purely artistic purpose, giving it a more 'complicated' plot than was attempted with his first, unpublished novel. Mar 06, Nicki rated it liked it Shelves: Hardy wrote his first novel to please publishers who wanted a story of sensation — and he delivered. Desperate Remedies is full of mystery, murder, and romance. I found myself working to unravel plot threads and thinking that I had it all figured out, only to have Hardy surprise me with some missing piece of the puzzle. Like Bathsheba, Cytherea represents the height of womanhood.
Rather than a false start, I see Desperate Remedies as a glimpse of the Hardy that was to come. The aforementioned elements would later expand and evolve in his work, his rustic characterizations would deepen, the importance of setting would intensify, and he would learn to weasel his way around pesky publishers in order to stay true to his vision. Mar 14, Grace Harwood rated it it was amazing. Oh my goodness, why did it take me so long to discover the novels of Thomas Hardy? I've always loved his poetry, but after a brush with Jude the Obscure, I never bothered with the novels until now. Now, I am a complete and utter addict and am devouring these Victorian novels faster than Jack Reacher thrillers.
This one Hardy's first published work took me 2 days to read. A page novel in 2 days is good, even for me. This is slightly unusual I suppose for Hardy, as it is a bit more of a Vict Oh my goodness, why did it take me so long to discover the novels of Thomas Hardy? This is slightly unusual I suppose for Hardy, as it is a bit more of a Victorian sensationalist novel than his other ones, but it's a great book.
There are all the usual themes - a thwarted first love why don't the heroines just marry these men instead of creating obstacles for themselves along the way? The take home moral lesson seems to be to live life whilst you have the opportunity. As Manston the villain explains in his confession just before his death: Just a brilliant book, with beautiful writing, can't recommend it enough. This is Hardy's first published novel and it displays a number of themes that became staples of his prose works: It does not bring social commentary to the fore-front, however.
Instead the reader is propelled through the story by an urge to solve mysteries, one of which is not entirely cleared up until the final pages. It is interesting to contrast the he This is Hardy's first published novel and it displays a number of themes that became staples of his prose works: It is interesting to contrast the heroine, her family and lover with other characters in the book; the former are bland and vague, somewhat stereo-typical in comparison to the more minor, rural charcters who come to life instantly through Hardy's intimate knowledge of the local dialect.
The scenes where they appear are used in large part to convey local gossip without having to have a major protagonist awkwardly have to express the information or learn it in a manner otherwise unrelated to the plot. Desperate Remedies sits neither in the top rank of Hardy's novels, nor in the bottom; it has the great merit of not having been interfered with by editors but it lacks the anger that seethes through the major Tragedies and the ironic wit displayed by the endings of The Woodlanders or A Laodician but it is certainly worth the time of any Hardy fan.
Mar 05, Sylvester rated it liked it Shelves: So interesting, to read Hardy's second attempt at a novel and first published work - the difference between it and "Jude the Obscure", his almost-last novel, is remarkable. Definitely on the sensational side. I enjoyed it, but it lacked the depth of his other work. For the sake of seeing how his writing developed, it's worth it - it's an interesting story in it's own right.
But it did make me realize how much I love Hardy's descriptions of old country life and people, and his painstaking chara So interesting, to read Hardy's second attempt at a novel and first published work - the difference between it and "Jude the Obscure", his almost-last novel, is remarkable. But it did make me realize how much I love Hardy's descriptions of old country life and people, and his painstaking character-building. This book is like the crust on a deep-dish pie, light and flaky but you break through to amazing richness of flavor.
Just after, he wrote "Under the Greenwood Tree". It recently came to my attention that some people refer to Hardy as a "Romance" writer. I was so irritated! And yet in every one of his novels I think love is the central issue - so why does that word "Romance" bother me? I don't equate it with love. I don't think of Hardy as a "Romance Novelist", just the thought makes me break out in hives.
View all 8 comments. Aug 08, Lena rated it liked it Shelves: If this book was written today by a modern author I probably wouldn't like it. That's the magic of victorian literature. Hardy writes in a beautiful poetical way I liked much even though it was a little difficult to read especially if you weren't concentrated. The plot on the other hand wasn't anything innovative.
At first it seemed more promising due to the interesting character of Mrs Aldclyffe but unfortunately her character was vey vague. The character of Cytherea confused me a little. Again at th If this book was written today by a modern author I probably wouldn't like it. Again at the first part of the book she seems independent brave and dynamic. She even talks back to Mrs Aldclyffe in a passionate way. But after that she seems totaly pathetic and weak leaving me wondering. The story was simple enough,there was a little climax at the end and some nice moments but all in all nothing blowminding.
Luckily Gothic style prevails once again. The spoiler contained in the notes is infuriating. What were they thinking????? I have read most of Hardy's work, but had not yet tried this, his first offering. I really enjoyed it from start to finish. As the description suggests, there are hints of Wilkie Collins in the story line, but in the prose you can see glimpses of what will become Hardy's strong descriptive style. The plot itself, while indeed sensational, is gripping and I was also keen to pick the book up again each night and see what would happen next.
Desperation
Oct 05, Deborah Byrd rated it it was amazing. What an interesting revelation, that authors of today's "great literature" also wrote pot-boilers, presumably to survive, in their day. This book is clearly written by the master's hand, but it has all the drama of a Danielle Steele novel.
Lust, murder, blackmail, bigamy I had fun reading it. Oct 14, Libby Stephenson rated it really liked it Shelves: Thus begins the Year of Hardy! Last year I picked up The Return of the Native , but decided that since I always refer to Thomas Hardy as my favorite author, I should probably read more of his work, which led to the decision to read his entire body of work novels at least in chronological order. So I put down Native temporarily, and thus my research led to my discovery of this, Thomas Hardy's first published novel. After the death of Cytherea Graye's father, she and her brother Owen find themselves in an undesirable financial and social situation, which leads them to leave their home and seek better fortune in London.
Owen finds temporary work in an architecture firm, alongside young Edward Springrove, who shortly falls for Cytherea, the lady responding likewise. Seeking to help Owen in providing some kind of living, Cytherea advertises herself as a lady's maid, and is hired, despite her inexperience and lack of qualification, by the austere and imposing Miss Aldclyffe, who, coincidentally, employs as a farmer old Mr. Soon Miss Aldclyffe, for reasons undisclosed, hired as a new steward to help manage her estate the dark and brooding Aeneas Manston also fairly unqualified and inexperienced , who also develops feelings for Cytherea.
What follows are a series of events and surprising discoveries as Cytherea tries to stay afloat among her dubious admirers, and as the puzzle of Mr. Manston and his relations as well as Miss Aldclyffe's interest in him is slowly revealed. As the characters' stories are intertwined, they find themselves in desperate circumstances, the only natural recourse is desperate remedies. This was an excellent book and a gripping read! It's not as well-known, and it was slightly harder to find, but it was worth the search. It's not Hardy's best or anything, but it's definitely a page-turner, and a really good start to his novels.
The writing is beautiful, and I'm starting to really be able to identify the Thomas Hardy style as opposed to Dickens or Austen, for example. The way he describes things is just amazing, and you can actually see and feel what the characters are seeing and feeling.
It's a little verbose at times, but when it's so lush and interesting, I can hardly complain. The world of rural England is so affectionately and accurately portrayed, and the occasional visit to London provides a nice contrast. It was so nice to read that I didn't even mind how long the pages sometimes took to get through, or how long it took me from start to finish. There's a general lack of actual dialogue, but the story moves along at a steady pace, and he occasionally makes effective use of villagers spreading gossip to inform the reader of events.
Of course some of his story elements and themes of fate, coincidence and tragic circumstance are already well in place and nicely formed, and the whole story reads like a kind of puzzle that it was a pleasure to put together and try to guess. At various times, I had no idea what was going to happen! The characters are mostly pretty strong. Cytherea pronounced sith-uh-REE-uh , since I know you're wondering, as I certainly was isn't the strongest female protagonist in Hardy's body of work by any means, but she's sweet and serious and sympathetic, and I cared about her welfare.
Miss Aldclyffe is a nice sort of blend of vexing and mysterious, even a little bit creepy. There's a nice contrast between Springrove and Manston, both with their own secrets, but each of a totally different feeling and texture. Even in the end, you're left with the slightest uncertainty as to who knew what and when, and if their motives were truly pure.
How they all work around each other's machinations was confusing and exciting. It's a nice cast with vividly-described people, and I looked forward to seeing what they were going to say and do every time I picked up the book. It's not a perfect book, but its faults aren't overbearing or overly-problematic.
I still probably wouldn't recommend it as a first-read for Hardy newbies, but it was quite good, and would especially appeal to those familiar with a few of his books. While this lesser known book isn't Thomas Hardy's best, it's an excellent start to his writing career.
I was captivated from start to finish, and it was fun to read something completely new to me.