Monday, October 25, 2010
Death of the Heart
by Elizabeth Bowen
I must admit, I would never have read this book if it was not for my mother's encouragement. I am very happy we are reading these books mom.
Elizabeth Bowen’s The Death of the Heart, tell the story of the life of an orphaned girl (Portia) who is reluctantly allowed to stay with her step-brother (Thomas) and wife (Anna) in their luxurious home in London. When Portia finds out that Anna is reading her diary, she runs to her love interest Eddie, a flirtatious bachelor, who rejects her. Portia then runs to an acquaintance Major Brutt, an out of work war hero, who also rejects her. We are left at the end of the novel with the maid, Matchett, coming to fetch Portia to bring her home.
Bowen examines the crumbling class system in pre World War II England. Through out the novel the reader is shown how the distinction between the classes is changing yet the underlying prejudices still exist.
It was a fine read, but not a book that I would recommend to a friend.
I must admit, I would never have read this book if it was not for my mother's encouragement. I am very happy we are reading these books mom.
Elizabeth Bowen’s The Death of the Heart, tell the story of the life of an orphaned girl (Portia) who is reluctantly allowed to stay with her step-brother (Thomas) and wife (Anna) in their luxurious home in London. When Portia finds out that Anna is reading her diary, she runs to her love interest Eddie, a flirtatious bachelor, who rejects her. Portia then runs to an acquaintance Major Brutt, an out of work war hero, who also rejects her. We are left at the end of the novel with the maid, Matchett, coming to fetch Portia to bring her home.
Bowen examines the crumbling class system in pre World War II England. Through out the novel the reader is shown how the distinction between the classes is changing yet the underlying prejudices still exist.
It was a fine read, but not a book that I would recommend to a friend.
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Hmmm. What would you recommend to a friend? I finally finished The Black Swan and it rocked my world. Not so much in a "I'm heavily invested in the stock market, and I need greater robustness towards Black Swan events," but more of a "I'm trying to ask this girl out, and she keeps playing defense, yet not saying no. So even though my friends say she's probably not interested, the truth is, nobody knows what the hell they're talking about, so I'll stick with it." And it worked!
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