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Vera
Lucy Entwhistle and Everard Wemyss, both recovering from recent unhappiness, meet and quickly fall in love. However, over their new-found bliss looms the spectre of Vera, Wemyss’s first wife who died in mysterious circumstances. After their wedding the couple return home and Lucy really does begin to be troubled by what happened to Vera.
Considered a high-water mark by the author, the story is an extraordinarily black vision of a young wife who gradually begins to understand that her husband will accept nothing less than total intellectual and emotional servitude.
Considered a high-water mark by the author, the story is an extraordinarily black vision of a young wife who gradually begins to understand that her husband will accept nothing less than total intellectual and emotional servitude.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1921
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About the author
Elizabeth von Arnim
150books597followersElizabeth von Arnim, born Mary Annette Beauchamp, was an English novelist. Born in Australia, she married a German aristocrat, and her earliest works are set in Germany. Her first marriage made her Countess von Arnim-Schlagenthin and her second Elizabeth Russell, Countess Russell. After her first husband's death, she had a three-year affair with the writer H.G. Wells, then later married Earl Russell, elder brother of the Nobel prize-winner and philosopher Bertrand Russell. She was a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield. Though known in early life as May, her first book introduced her to readers as Elizabeth, which she eventually became to friends and finally to family. Her writings are ascribed to Elizabeth von Arnim. She used the pseudonym Alice Cholmondeley for only one novel, Christine, published in 1917.
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December 21, 2021
If I could give 10 stars to this book I would. That’s how much I like it. I hope I convince a few of my GR friends to put it on their TBR list. It reminds me of the movie “Gaslight� from 1944 starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Angela Lansbury, and Joseph Cotton. It has also been compared to Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier) and Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte).
There are just three protagonists: Lucy, (Everard) Wemyss, and Miss Entwhistle, Lucy’s spinster aunt. Well, and Vera but she’s dead. She used to be Wemyss’s wife you know. And the way she died…well people did not buy Wemyss’s account of events and a formal inquest was opened…but the final conclusion was “unresolved.� 😵
Wemyss woos Lucy and she ends up marrying him at the local registrar’s office (first third of the book), and they honeymoon, and then they spend a week at his secluded country house, The Willows (next 2/3 of the book).
I could not stop reading this book once I started it. I had this sense of dread with page after page being read, and knowing it was one page closer to the end�.how would it end�.I feared things would not go well. I can’t say much beyond that. You’ll have to read the book. 😊
‘Vera� was written by Elizabeth von Arnim (1866-1941). Von Arnim had a terrible 2nd marriage to Bertrand Russell’s older brother, Frank. They divorced, but it is thought that von Arnim had her husband in mind when writing this book. (Well, Frank didn’t think highly of von Arnim as she was deliberately omitted from his memoirs). And it is said that “Bertrand Russell found ‘Vera� a cruel portrait of his older brother, and said in his autobiography: “It caused me to give my children an emphatic piece of advice: ‘Do not marry a novelist.’�
This book was published anonymously in 1921 as: ‘Vera� by the author of “Elizabeth and Her German Garden�. It was her 11th book and in her own judgment, her best. “I know I’ll never write anything so good again—I daresay more popular among the masses, but not really so good. It was extracted from me by torment…people say lovely things to me about the book, but only the intelligentsia—the others shudder and say it is too depressing and there never was such a man, etc.�
Katherine Mansfield was her cousin and she said this of ‘Vera�: “…Have you ever known a Wemyss? Oh, my dear, they are very plentiful!�
One more passage from a notable author, Rebecca West, and I include it because she encapsulates so well the character of Wemyss: “The author has produced a remarkable novel because she has had the courage to override a tiresome literary convention. She has insisted that there is no real reason why a book should not be just as tragic as it is comic. By the unsentimental justice of its values, by its refusal to make Wemyss less of a comedian because he is murderous or less of a murderer because he is comic, ‘Vera� achieves a peculiar, poignant event.�
And indeed I would characterize this novel as a tragicomedy. While I had a sense of constant and building dread while reading this book, at times I was interrupted by laughing out loud over what was written. It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud over something written in a book…but this one did it.
What makes this book is Wemyss (although the other characters in the book are pitch perfect too). I took 2 pages of notes while reading this book and two of the notes were: “The writing is so incredibly good. This guy is sick/twisted/cruel/sadistic� and “He’s a sociopathic narcissist.� From the book: He was not merely curious as to other’s people’s ideas and opinions, he definitely preferred to be unconscious of them.
So you might be saying: “Well Jim, I think you’ve convinced me why NOT to read this book. Why would I want to read about this man and apparently whatever havoc he wreaks on others?�
Because of the writing, the suspense, and the comedy. Here are just two examples of the comedy and then I’ll shut my piehole.
(Jim: Wemyss and his new wife Lucy are approaching his country house called The Willows where she will be seeing it for the first time.)
“A house,� said Wemyss, explaining its name to Lucy on the morning of their arrival, “should always be named after whatever most insistently catches the eye.�
“Then oughtn’t it to have been called The Cows?� asked Lucy: for the meadows round were strewn thickly as far as she could see with recumbent cows, and they caught her eye much more then than the tossing bare willow branches.
“No,� said Wemyss, annoyed, “It ought not have been called The Cows.�
“No—of course I didn’t mean that,� she said hastily. Lucy was nervous, and said what first came into her head, and had been saying things of this nature the whole journey down. She didn’t want to, she knew he didn’t like it, but she couldn’t stop.
(Jim: Wemyss is remonstrating against one of his maids. He sees that the piano cover is missing a button. He wants everything just so, exactly just so, and someone is to blame for the missing button.)
“Look at the piano-leg,� said Wemyss. The parlourmaid, not knowing which leg, looked at all three so as to be safe.
“What do you see?� he asked.
The parlourmaid was reluctant to say. What she saw was piano legs, but she felt that wasn’t the right answer.
“What do you not see?� Wemyss asked, louder.
This was much more difficult, because there were so many things she didn’t see: her parents for instance.
Here is a synopsis of Elizabeth von Arnim’s life:
Reviews from blog sites:
�
�
There are just three protagonists: Lucy, (Everard) Wemyss, and Miss Entwhistle, Lucy’s spinster aunt. Well, and Vera but she’s dead. She used to be Wemyss’s wife you know. And the way she died…well people did not buy Wemyss’s account of events and a formal inquest was opened…but the final conclusion was “unresolved.� 😵
Wemyss woos Lucy and she ends up marrying him at the local registrar’s office (first third of the book), and they honeymoon, and then they spend a week at his secluded country house, The Willows (next 2/3 of the book).
I could not stop reading this book once I started it. I had this sense of dread with page after page being read, and knowing it was one page closer to the end�.how would it end�.I feared things would not go well. I can’t say much beyond that. You’ll have to read the book. 😊
‘Vera� was written by Elizabeth von Arnim (1866-1941). Von Arnim had a terrible 2nd marriage to Bertrand Russell’s older brother, Frank. They divorced, but it is thought that von Arnim had her husband in mind when writing this book. (Well, Frank didn’t think highly of von Arnim as she was deliberately omitted from his memoirs). And it is said that “Bertrand Russell found ‘Vera� a cruel portrait of his older brother, and said in his autobiography: “It caused me to give my children an emphatic piece of advice: ‘Do not marry a novelist.’�
This book was published anonymously in 1921 as: ‘Vera� by the author of “Elizabeth and Her German Garden�. It was her 11th book and in her own judgment, her best. “I know I’ll never write anything so good again—I daresay more popular among the masses, but not really so good. It was extracted from me by torment…people say lovely things to me about the book, but only the intelligentsia—the others shudder and say it is too depressing and there never was such a man, etc.�
Katherine Mansfield was her cousin and she said this of ‘Vera�: “…Have you ever known a Wemyss? Oh, my dear, they are very plentiful!�
One more passage from a notable author, Rebecca West, and I include it because she encapsulates so well the character of Wemyss: “The author has produced a remarkable novel because she has had the courage to override a tiresome literary convention. She has insisted that there is no real reason why a book should not be just as tragic as it is comic. By the unsentimental justice of its values, by its refusal to make Wemyss less of a comedian because he is murderous or less of a murderer because he is comic, ‘Vera� achieves a peculiar, poignant event.�
And indeed I would characterize this novel as a tragicomedy. While I had a sense of constant and building dread while reading this book, at times I was interrupted by laughing out loud over what was written. It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud over something written in a book…but this one did it.
What makes this book is Wemyss (although the other characters in the book are pitch perfect too). I took 2 pages of notes while reading this book and two of the notes were: “The writing is so incredibly good. This guy is sick/twisted/cruel/sadistic� and “He’s a sociopathic narcissist.� From the book: He was not merely curious as to other’s people’s ideas and opinions, he definitely preferred to be unconscious of them.
So you might be saying: “Well Jim, I think you’ve convinced me why NOT to read this book. Why would I want to read about this man and apparently whatever havoc he wreaks on others?�
Because of the writing, the suspense, and the comedy. Here are just two examples of the comedy and then I’ll shut my piehole.
(Jim: Wemyss and his new wife Lucy are approaching his country house called The Willows where she will be seeing it for the first time.)
“A house,� said Wemyss, explaining its name to Lucy on the morning of their arrival, “should always be named after whatever most insistently catches the eye.�
“Then oughtn’t it to have been called The Cows?� asked Lucy: for the meadows round were strewn thickly as far as she could see with recumbent cows, and they caught her eye much more then than the tossing bare willow branches.
“No,� said Wemyss, annoyed, “It ought not have been called The Cows.�
“No—of course I didn’t mean that,� she said hastily. Lucy was nervous, and said what first came into her head, and had been saying things of this nature the whole journey down. She didn’t want to, she knew he didn’t like it, but she couldn’t stop.
(Jim: Wemyss is remonstrating against one of his maids. He sees that the piano cover is missing a button. He wants everything just so, exactly just so, and someone is to blame for the missing button.)
“Look at the piano-leg,� said Wemyss. The parlourmaid, not knowing which leg, looked at all three so as to be safe.
“What do you see?� he asked.
The parlourmaid was reluctant to say. What she saw was piano legs, but she felt that wasn’t the right answer.
“What do you not see?� Wemyss asked, louder.
This was much more difficult, because there were so many things she didn’t see: her parents for instance.
Here is a synopsis of Elizabeth von Arnim’s life:
Reviews from blog sites:
�
�
September 13, 2021
Me ha vuelto a suceder, he vuelto a caer rendida ante una obra olvidada que jamás obtuvo la fama que realmente merece. «Vera» de Elizabeth Von Arnim fue publicada en 1921, basándose en algunas de sus vivencias, la autora creó una narración sublime que serviría de inspiración para Daphne du Maurier al escribir «Rebecca». Gracias una vez más a @trotalibros podemos disfrutar de una joya de la literatura y brindarle una nueva vida.
La historia nos presenta a una joven llamada Lucy que mientras está disfrutando de unas vacaciones con su padre, este fallece repentinamente. Ese mismo día conoce a Wemyss, un caballero londinense al que le acecha una triste desgracia pues su mujer, Vera, falleció recientemente en extrañas circunstancias. A partir de ese momento comenzará una relación entre ellos, Wemyss se volcará con Lucy, queriendo protegerla y uniendo sus destinos.
En este escrito hay muchos elementos a destacar: la siniestra ambientación de la mansión “The Willows� en la que sentimos un ambiente cargante, el misterio que hay tras la muerte de Vera que poco a poco el lector va entendiendo, pero sobre todo la delicada realidad que puede encerrar el matrimonio. Y es que esta escritora, exquisitamente audaz, se sumergió en un abismo psicológico, mostrando lo pavoroso que puede llegar a ser el control mental totalitario y opresor.
Elizabeth construye una trama que resulta adictiva, gracias a una buena dosis de diálogos que acompañan a capítulos cortos y una narración ágil. Poco a poco, va adentrándose en unas profundidades lóbregas, creando un ambiente asfixiante a la par que angustiante. El ritmo de la novela solo hace que acelerar, hasta llegar a un final asombroso, siniestro y que deleita al lector.
En conclusión, solo me queda resaltar el minucioso trabajo que realiza al desgranar la mente retorcida de un maltratador psicológico y de sus pensamientos obsesivos. Es una obra completa, narrada con una soltura innegable, un estilo pulcro y devastador que no te permitirá tomar un soplo de aire. Una maravilla que merece ser leída y recomendada hasta la saciedad.
La historia nos presenta a una joven llamada Lucy que mientras está disfrutando de unas vacaciones con su padre, este fallece repentinamente. Ese mismo día conoce a Wemyss, un caballero londinense al que le acecha una triste desgracia pues su mujer, Vera, falleció recientemente en extrañas circunstancias. A partir de ese momento comenzará una relación entre ellos, Wemyss se volcará con Lucy, queriendo protegerla y uniendo sus destinos.
En este escrito hay muchos elementos a destacar: la siniestra ambientación de la mansión “The Willows� en la que sentimos un ambiente cargante, el misterio que hay tras la muerte de Vera que poco a poco el lector va entendiendo, pero sobre todo la delicada realidad que puede encerrar el matrimonio. Y es que esta escritora, exquisitamente audaz, se sumergió en un abismo psicológico, mostrando lo pavoroso que puede llegar a ser el control mental totalitario y opresor.
Elizabeth construye una trama que resulta adictiva, gracias a una buena dosis de diálogos que acompañan a capítulos cortos y una narración ágil. Poco a poco, va adentrándose en unas profundidades lóbregas, creando un ambiente asfixiante a la par que angustiante. El ritmo de la novela solo hace que acelerar, hasta llegar a un final asombroso, siniestro y que deleita al lector.
En conclusión, solo me queda resaltar el minucioso trabajo que realiza al desgranar la mente retorcida de un maltratador psicológico y de sus pensamientos obsesivos. Es una obra completa, narrada con una soltura innegable, un estilo pulcro y devastador que no te permitirá tomar un soplo de aire. Una maravilla que merece ser leída y recomendada hasta la saciedad.
November 1, 2021
Es curioso, esta es una historia de terror que no está narrada como una historia de terror. Pero es terrorífica. Mientras "Rebeca" o "Cumbres borrascosas" se valen de su atmósfera ("Rebeca" es, al fin y al cabo y en esencia, una novela de misterio o terror gótico), "Vera" está escrito con el estilo mordaz y aparentemente ligero de Jane Austen. Si Jane Austen escribiera sobre relaciones tóxicas y abusivas que van a acabar muy mal.
Porque el final de esta novela es uno de los más chungos que he leído en tiempos. Y entiendo que para mucha gente puede aer frustrante, porque aunque es abierto, también es claro lo inevitable de lo que sucederá.
Esta historia va de narcisistas, banderas rojas que te ponen los pelos de punta y mujeres sin salida. Y deja muy mal cuerpo. Avisados quedáis.
Porque el final de esta novela es uno de los más chungos que he leído en tiempos. Y entiendo que para mucha gente puede aer frustrante, porque aunque es abierto, también es claro lo inevitable de lo que sucederá.
Esta historia va de narcisistas, banderas rojas que te ponen los pelos de punta y mujeres sin salida. Y deja muy mal cuerpo. Avisados quedáis.
July 15, 2019
Elizabeth von Arnim was Katherine Mansfield's cousin. When this was published they were neighbours in the Swiss Alps. This novel caused a scandal as the obnoxious central male character was widely recognised as a portrait of Earl Russell, Elizabeth's first husband and the brother of the philosopher Bertrand Russell. Katherine was always genuinely (it's often hard to know with her when she's being genuine but she seemed genuine) complimentary about Elizabeth's books (with the exception of The Enchanted April).
It's a novel about the blindness of love and the homicidal tyranny of controlling men. It's set up brilliantly - a young girl, Lucy, grieving at the death of her beloved father meets an older man, Wemyss, who comforts her and helps organise the funeral of her father. Everyone assumes he is a family friend. Only a little later is it discovered he is the subject of a notorious scandal. His wife has very recently fallen to her death in the marital home. An inquest doesn't rule out suicide.
Wemyss continues courting Lucy and it's not until he gets her into his house that he reveals all the poisonous depths of his true nature. The building of wealth for him, we understand, is simply a means of constructing an apparatus of tyrannical control.
The novel though had two problems for me. Firstly, it was something of a one trick pony without much nuance: it becomes a bit repetitive and Lucy's blindness to Wemyss's sinister nature is probably extended over too many pages. It could have done with some counterpoint somewhere. For example, I was interested in what the domestic staff made of their master. How did it feel to work for a man who drove his wife to suicide? And secondly, the writing isn't very interesting. There were times when I wished Muriel Spark had written it. 3+ stars.
It's a novel about the blindness of love and the homicidal tyranny of controlling men. It's set up brilliantly - a young girl, Lucy, grieving at the death of her beloved father meets an older man, Wemyss, who comforts her and helps organise the funeral of her father. Everyone assumes he is a family friend. Only a little later is it discovered he is the subject of a notorious scandal. His wife has very recently fallen to her death in the marital home. An inquest doesn't rule out suicide.
Wemyss continues courting Lucy and it's not until he gets her into his house that he reveals all the poisonous depths of his true nature. The building of wealth for him, we understand, is simply a means of constructing an apparatus of tyrannical control.
The novel though had two problems for me. Firstly, it was something of a one trick pony without much nuance: it becomes a bit repetitive and Lucy's blindness to Wemyss's sinister nature is probably extended over too many pages. It could have done with some counterpoint somewhere. For example, I was interested in what the domestic staff made of their master. How did it feel to work for a man who drove his wife to suicide? And secondly, the writing isn't very interesting. There were times when I wished Muriel Spark had written it. 3+ stars.
December 30, 2023
5 HUGE STARS!!
A totally mesmerizing book! Unputdownable once I started!
This was my fifth book by Elizabeth Von Arnim and it was the darkest one to date. Briefly, this book is about Lucy Entwhistle and Everard Wemyss. They meet after they have both suffered a devastating loss- Lucy, her father and Everard, his wife. We learn that Everard’s wife, Vera, died under mysterious circumstances. With their mutual need for compassion, they fall in love and ultimately marry. Things change when they arrive at Everard’s home, the Willows- the ghost of Vera is taking over Lucy’s thoughts.
What is so brilliant with Von Arnim is the fact that she is able to sprinkle in some humour, just when you, the reader, just can’t handle the tension anymore. I loved this interaction:
“A house�, said Wemyss, explaining its name (the Willows) to Lucy on the morning of their arrival, � should always be named after whatever most insistently catches the eye.�
� Then oughtn’t it to have been called The Cows?� asked Lucy, for the meadows round were strewn thickly as far as she could see with recumbent cows, and they caught her eye much more than the tossing bare willow branches.
“No�, said Wemyss, annoyed, “It ought not have been called The Cows.�
In Everard Wemyss, Von Arnim has created one of the most vile men I have met in a while. Yet, I feel, his type was probably very common in the 1920’s- a man who subjects his wife and servants to his whims and rules. ( Apparently, he is a sit in for von Arnim’s second husband) Lucy, a sweet young girl ( she is 22) doesn’t stand a chance.
Von Arnim is excellent at showing how women were subjugated and under the control of their husbands. Her writing is exquisite. All her characters are well drawn out. She has become one of my favourite authors over the past year.
I highly recommend this book but be prepared to lose some sleep. I finished it last evening and could not stop thinking about it- especially that ending.
Published: 1921
A totally mesmerizing book! Unputdownable once I started!
This was my fifth book by Elizabeth Von Arnim and it was the darkest one to date. Briefly, this book is about Lucy Entwhistle and Everard Wemyss. They meet after they have both suffered a devastating loss- Lucy, her father and Everard, his wife. We learn that Everard’s wife, Vera, died under mysterious circumstances. With their mutual need for compassion, they fall in love and ultimately marry. Things change when they arrive at Everard’s home, the Willows- the ghost of Vera is taking over Lucy’s thoughts.
What is so brilliant with Von Arnim is the fact that she is able to sprinkle in some humour, just when you, the reader, just can’t handle the tension anymore. I loved this interaction:
“A house�, said Wemyss, explaining its name (the Willows) to Lucy on the morning of their arrival, � should always be named after whatever most insistently catches the eye.�
� Then oughtn’t it to have been called The Cows?� asked Lucy, for the meadows round were strewn thickly as far as she could see with recumbent cows, and they caught her eye much more than the tossing bare willow branches.
“No�, said Wemyss, annoyed, “It ought not have been called The Cows.�
In Everard Wemyss, Von Arnim has created one of the most vile men I have met in a while. Yet, I feel, his type was probably very common in the 1920’s- a man who subjects his wife and servants to his whims and rules. ( Apparently, he is a sit in for von Arnim’s second husband) Lucy, a sweet young girl ( she is 22) doesn’t stand a chance.
Von Arnim is excellent at showing how women were subjugated and under the control of their husbands. Her writing is exquisite. All her characters are well drawn out. She has become one of my favourite authors over the past year.
I highly recommend this book but be prepared to lose some sleep. I finished it last evening and could not stop thinking about it- especially that ending.
Published: 1921
March 15, 2024
This is a dark and unsettling story which was apparently one of the influences on Daphne du Maurier when she was writing Rebecca, it is also one of her more famous works; a semi-autobiographical novel based on her second marriage to Frank Russell, whose brother Betraund Russell is said to have advised someone, (I don't remember who), never to marry an author.
The husband makes my skin crawl. Narcissistic and bent on making her completely subservient to him
The husband makes my skin crawl. Narcissistic and bent on making her completely subservient to him
November 26, 2021
Esta es la historia de Lucy, una joven que acaba de perder a su padre y que conoce a un hombre mayor y seguro de sí mismo, que de manera providencial le ofrece su cariño y el refugio de un matrimonio ventajoso. Ella pronto irá descubriendo que Everard es un personaje egocéntrico y abusivo y que hay sombras en su pasado, como la muerte de su primera esposa, Vera, en circunstancias poco claras.
Se la ha comparado con , pero para mí hay una diferencia fundamental y es que el principal propósito de la autora al escribir esta novela no era entretener - y menos al lector del futuro - sino exorcizar los restos de su fallido matrimonio con Frank Russell, hermano del gran filósofo Bertrand Russell, y hablar de su experiencia como víctima de un abusador psicológico. En su momento causó gran revuelo y cotilleo, ya que los personajes eran fácilmente reconocibles, aunque se publicó con seudónimo. Esta premisa condiciona toda la obra y tiene consecuencias positivas y negativas.
Positivas:
- Está basado en la experiencia real de la autora y nos transmite un reflejo fiel de las costumbres de la época, con muchísimos detalles sobre aspectos de la vida cotidiana en la Inglaterra de principio de siglo.
- Es un análisis detallado de una situación de maltrato, de cómo un hombre egocéntrico y autoritario elige a una joven sumisa para casarse con ella y convertirla en una especie de esclava. Es interesante la descripción de los sentimientos de Lucy, cuando recién casada se da cuenta de que no puede disponer de su espacio y que la presencia continua de su esposo la agobia. Hay muchos momentos de tensión y un proceso por el cual ella va descubriendo los aspectos oscuros de la relación, aunque intenta siempre justificar el comportamiento abusivo de su marido. Esto hace que sea una obra interesante, ya que no es un tema que se tratara en profundidad en la literatura de la época, y menos por una mujer.
- Está bien escrita, en un estilo amable que a veces tiene destellos de humor impagables:
'After all,' she said almost entreatingly, 'what can be better than a devoted husband?' And the widow, who had had three and knew what she was talking about, replied with the large calm of those who have finished and can in leiseure weigh and reckon up: 'None.'
Negativas:
- Lo que menos me ha gustado son los dos protagonistas, Everard y Lucy, que son francamente desagradables, ya que ella está caracterizada por una inocencia que roza la imbecilidad y esto nos distancia - al menos a mí - y dificulta empatizar con su situación. En un monólogo interior constante y cansino disculpa a su marido y busca la razón del maltrato en sus propios errores, cargando ella con la culpa y repitiendo que el amor lo excusa todo. Como la mayor parte de la obra consiste en los diálogos y arrumacos promiscuos entre los dos personajes (cuando hablan como niños es cringe total) y, lo que es peor, los pensamientos de cada uno de ellos (parece un concurso de tontería) eso hace que la lectura no sea placentera y por momentos pierdas interés por lo que les pase. Me llama la atención que Elizabeth von Arnim, que era una mujer culta y que ya venía de un primer matrimonio y de una relación de tres años con el escritor H. G. Wells, se retrate en un personaje tan poco atractivo como Lucy, con la que no parece tener mucho en común.
- Así como los personajes principales son poco más que caricaturas, en cambio apuntan unos secundarios interesantes y bien retratados, pero que están desaprovechados. Destaca la tía de Lucy, con su humanidad y sabiduría, pero que se siente impotente ante la situación. Los criados también son interesantes, pero hacen apariciones muy breves.
- La Vera del título no tiene suficiente presencia, creo que también podría haber dado más juego, y nos quedamos con las ganas de saber más de lo que pasó.
- La narrativa en general es monótona y repetitiva, predominan los incidentes domésticos poco interesantes y hay falta de tensión dramática.
En conjunto creo que es una obra que ha sufrido con el paso del tiempo, pero que se puede leer como curiosidad, sobre todo para saber más de la autora, una mujer extraordinaria en su época.
Se la ha comparado con , pero para mí hay una diferencia fundamental y es que el principal propósito de la autora al escribir esta novela no era entretener - y menos al lector del futuro - sino exorcizar los restos de su fallido matrimonio con Frank Russell, hermano del gran filósofo Bertrand Russell, y hablar de su experiencia como víctima de un abusador psicológico. En su momento causó gran revuelo y cotilleo, ya que los personajes eran fácilmente reconocibles, aunque se publicó con seudónimo. Esta premisa condiciona toda la obra y tiene consecuencias positivas y negativas.
Positivas:
- Está basado en la experiencia real de la autora y nos transmite un reflejo fiel de las costumbres de la época, con muchísimos detalles sobre aspectos de la vida cotidiana en la Inglaterra de principio de siglo.
- Es un análisis detallado de una situación de maltrato, de cómo un hombre egocéntrico y autoritario elige a una joven sumisa para casarse con ella y convertirla en una especie de esclava. Es interesante la descripción de los sentimientos de Lucy, cuando recién casada se da cuenta de que no puede disponer de su espacio y que la presencia continua de su esposo la agobia. Hay muchos momentos de tensión y un proceso por el cual ella va descubriendo los aspectos oscuros de la relación, aunque intenta siempre justificar el comportamiento abusivo de su marido. Esto hace que sea una obra interesante, ya que no es un tema que se tratara en profundidad en la literatura de la época, y menos por una mujer.
- Está bien escrita, en un estilo amable que a veces tiene destellos de humor impagables:
'After all,' she said almost entreatingly, 'what can be better than a devoted husband?' And the widow, who had had three and knew what she was talking about, replied with the large calm of those who have finished and can in leiseure weigh and reckon up: 'None.'
Negativas:
- Lo que menos me ha gustado son los dos protagonistas, Everard y Lucy, que son francamente desagradables, ya que ella está caracterizada por una inocencia que roza la imbecilidad y esto nos distancia - al menos a mí - y dificulta empatizar con su situación. En un monólogo interior constante y cansino disculpa a su marido y busca la razón del maltrato en sus propios errores, cargando ella con la culpa y repitiendo que el amor lo excusa todo. Como la mayor parte de la obra consiste en los diálogos y arrumacos promiscuos entre los dos personajes (cuando hablan como niños es cringe total) y, lo que es peor, los pensamientos de cada uno de ellos (parece un concurso de tontería) eso hace que la lectura no sea placentera y por momentos pierdas interés por lo que les pase. Me llama la atención que Elizabeth von Arnim, que era una mujer culta y que ya venía de un primer matrimonio y de una relación de tres años con el escritor H. G. Wells, se retrate en un personaje tan poco atractivo como Lucy, con la que no parece tener mucho en común.
- Así como los personajes principales son poco más que caricaturas, en cambio apuntan unos secundarios interesantes y bien retratados, pero que están desaprovechados. Destaca la tía de Lucy, con su humanidad y sabiduría, pero que se siente impotente ante la situación. Los criados también son interesantes, pero hacen apariciones muy breves.
- La Vera del título no tiene suficiente presencia, creo que también podría haber dado más juego, y nos quedamos con las ganas de saber más de lo que pasó.
- La narrativa en general es monótona y repetitiva, predominan los incidentes domésticos poco interesantes y hay falta de tensión dramática.
En conjunto creo que es una obra que ha sufrido con el paso del tiempo, pero que se puede leer como curiosidad, sobre todo para saber más de la autora, una mujer extraordinaria en su época.
October 29, 2022
Unlike The Enchanted April, Vera is a dark novel in which sinister elements creep in and refuse to let up.
Lucy Entwhistle, a 22-year-old sheltered and innocent girl, has just lost her father with whom she shares a very close relationship. Along the coast of Cornwall, while grappling with her loss and grief, she meets Everard Wemyss, a widower in his forties whose wife has just died. We were told that ‘� they had met on a common ground of disaster. Death himself had been their introducer.�
Weymss takes charge of all the funeral arrangements and becomes Lucy’s ’tower of strength and rock of refuge. Even Lucy’s paternal aunt, Dot Entwhistle, is impressed by Weymss� solicitude and practical support for them in their hour of need. Weymss takes special delight in Lucy clinging to him, especially in light of his recognition that his deceased wife, Vera, had never understood him. Vera’s face had never lit up when she saw him. Vera had died under rather mysterious circumstances and there is an inquest.
Bonding over grief is a poor reason for falling in love. It is inevitable that Weymss and Lucy would marry. Unbeknownst to Lucy but apparent to Aunt Dot and the reader, Weymss’s dominating and controlling traits become a cause for concern. Observant Aunt Dot finds fault with Wemyss’s grey trousers and wonders at how ‘he had got happy so quickly.� However, she asks two more important questions: “What is Mr. Wemyss?�, “What did Mrs. Wemyss die of?�
That things are not what they appear become apparent right from the honeymoon. Wemyss insists they must live in The Willows, the summer river house where Vera died. From the get-go, Vera’s presence hovered over the house, embodied in her life-size portrait looming over the living room. Wemyss is a control freak of the most appalling order. He demands acquiescence to everything he wants including how his birthday is to be celebrated. He has an ‘extraordinary capacity for being offended.� What does the future hold for Lucy?
Early in my reading, I wondered why the book was titled Vera when the female heroine’s name is Lucy. By the end of the novel, I understood perfectly.
Apparently, the novel was inspired by Elizabeth von Arnim’s disastrous second marriage to Earl Russell, the brother of the philosopher, Bertrand Russell. We see traces in this work of von Arnim’s dry wit and charm, but the overall tone is cold and sinister.
Lucy Entwhistle, a 22-year-old sheltered and innocent girl, has just lost her father with whom she shares a very close relationship. Along the coast of Cornwall, while grappling with her loss and grief, she meets Everard Wemyss, a widower in his forties whose wife has just died. We were told that ‘� they had met on a common ground of disaster. Death himself had been their introducer.�
Weymss takes charge of all the funeral arrangements and becomes Lucy’s ’tower of strength and rock of refuge. Even Lucy’s paternal aunt, Dot Entwhistle, is impressed by Weymss� solicitude and practical support for them in their hour of need. Weymss takes special delight in Lucy clinging to him, especially in light of his recognition that his deceased wife, Vera, had never understood him. Vera’s face had never lit up when she saw him. Vera had died under rather mysterious circumstances and there is an inquest.
Bonding over grief is a poor reason for falling in love. It is inevitable that Weymss and Lucy would marry. Unbeknownst to Lucy but apparent to Aunt Dot and the reader, Weymss’s dominating and controlling traits become a cause for concern. Observant Aunt Dot finds fault with Wemyss’s grey trousers and wonders at how ‘he had got happy so quickly.� However, she asks two more important questions: “What is Mr. Wemyss?�, “What did Mrs. Wemyss die of?�
That things are not what they appear become apparent right from the honeymoon. Wemyss insists they must live in The Willows, the summer river house where Vera died. From the get-go, Vera’s presence hovered over the house, embodied in her life-size portrait looming over the living room. Wemyss is a control freak of the most appalling order. He demands acquiescence to everything he wants including how his birthday is to be celebrated. He has an ‘extraordinary capacity for being offended.� What does the future hold for Lucy?
Early in my reading, I wondered why the book was titled Vera when the female heroine’s name is Lucy. By the end of the novel, I understood perfectly.
Apparently, the novel was inspired by Elizabeth von Arnim’s disastrous second marriage to Earl Russell, the brother of the philosopher, Bertrand Russell. We see traces in this work of von Arnim’s dry wit and charm, but the overall tone is cold and sinister.
November 20, 2021
2.5 stars
This one is a little difficult for me to review, since this story has been hard to get through. No, not because its narrative is tricky or confused, but because its content is quite real, sad and unfair. Let me explain this further.
According to Wikipedia, Vera is partially based on Elizabeth von Arnim's second marriage to Frank Russell, a relative of the philosopher Bertrand Russell. Apparently, this disastrous marriage was the reason for the author to write a novel such as Vera, whose story shows us the behavior of a dangerous and narcissistic husband, and an inexperienced, young wife. Besides, some people say this novel anticipates Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (just for the record, this review was written in Spanish) - I slightly agree with that statement, since they have only a few things in common: a dead first wife, a house, and a lunatic husband plus a naïve wife.
There are some aspects which could have made Vera an absolutely great story: its narrative is easy to read, in fact, there is a point in the middle of the book at which it's impossible to stop reading � it becomes basically like a page-turner; there are no many characters, which is good because you can be focused just on the main argument with these characters, instead of being distracted by subplots. In addition, Vera is considered a psychological novel, which means the thoughts and feelings of the two main characters, Lucy and Wemyss, are the essence of the story, its strong characteristic.
It's fair to say that I didn't enjoy this novel as I was supposed to; actually, I should say I felt many emotions throughout my reading such as hate, disgust, anger, sometimes sadness, and even fear, each of which was obviously directed towards the antagonist, Wemyss. You could say, perhaps that was the purpose of the author, to make an analysis of the life of a woman, whose life falls into the power of a foolish, eccentric and crazy husband. Maybe, the author just wanted to reflect her own experience, what she had lived in these pages, and that's all. Well, she made it, but she also forgot she was writing a novel, and not an analysis of the life in a problematic marriage. Unfortunately, here is where my problem with this book began.
The story itself is good, but its characters are basically the same at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the book. There are no nuances, or a very well developed personality. For instance, Wemyss' behavior is so predictable, since you know how he behaved the first time when he met Lucy; maybe Lucy didn’t know anything, but you as a reader always know what's going to happen next. Lucy's behavior is the same situation here, basically there are no changes � I might say that my reading had finished and I didn’t know who Lucy is, I still don’t know her and, furthermore, it’s difficult to empathize with the character; they never gave me further information about her or the other guy, it was something like "I'm Wemyss and I'm super evil", and "I'm Lucy and I'm so innocent". That bothered me a little bit.
On the other hand, the first chapters of the novel were boring and slow, the middle was very good, but the ending: I think THIS is definitely one of the most disappointing endings I've read this year so far; I can't talk about the ending in the way I'd like to do it because of spoilers, but when I finished, my first thought was "my edition isn’t unabridged" or "a mouse could have eaten the last pages of this" (if I had read this one in a physical edition, of course). From my point of view, the ending was unfinished, it felt like if you were awaiting the second part, but unfortunately there's no second part, there's nothing more except an underwhelming ending.
I made a mistake though, and I need to tell you this, not only because I don't want you to make the same mistake, but also because I'm looking for a way to justify my disappointment in this novel (maybe not, but you get my point).
My blunder was not that terrible: while I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but compare it to Rebecca, the most important book by Daphne du Maurier.
The fact that I loved reading Rebecca quite a bit, and I wasn’t enjoying Vera in the first place, well, it’s clear that the experience was not very successful. Thus, the most similitudes I tried to find between them, the most disappointed I was; therefore my advice is simple: please ٰ’T contrast the former with the latter � it’s not the same story, they don’t have almost anything in common, and both Rebecca and Vera have different and good elements, each of which can make each story captivating, even though it’s crystal-clear that I loved one book much more than the other one (needless to say the titles).
In conclusion, I recommend reading Vera as though it was a portrait or a study of a disastrous marriage, and not as if it was a complete novel itself. Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying Vera is a bad book at all, but it’s not likely that great novel I’d expected to find. However, it's important to point out that the real message in Vera is so powerful, you as a witness are able to feel many parts of the story � hopefully no one of you is living a similar marriage or relationship to Lucy's case; otherwise, I hope you can find an answer, solace, or even a friend in such a book.
Lastly, I don’t want to rule out the possibility of reading other novels by Arnim in the distant future; perhaps this time it could be a better reading experience � we’ll see.
“Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay...�
This one is a little difficult for me to review, since this story has been hard to get through. No, not because its narrative is tricky or confused, but because its content is quite real, sad and unfair. Let me explain this further.
According to Wikipedia, Vera is partially based on Elizabeth von Arnim's second marriage to Frank Russell, a relative of the philosopher Bertrand Russell. Apparently, this disastrous marriage was the reason for the author to write a novel such as Vera, whose story shows us the behavior of a dangerous and narcissistic husband, and an inexperienced, young wife. Besides, some people say this novel anticipates Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (just for the record, this review was written in Spanish) - I slightly agree with that statement, since they have only a few things in common: a dead first wife, a house, and a lunatic husband plus a naïve wife.
There are some aspects which could have made Vera an absolutely great story: its narrative is easy to read, in fact, there is a point in the middle of the book at which it's impossible to stop reading � it becomes basically like a page-turner; there are no many characters, which is good because you can be focused just on the main argument with these characters, instead of being distracted by subplots. In addition, Vera is considered a psychological novel, which means the thoughts and feelings of the two main characters, Lucy and Wemyss, are the essence of the story, its strong characteristic.
It's fair to say that I didn't enjoy this novel as I was supposed to; actually, I should say I felt many emotions throughout my reading such as hate, disgust, anger, sometimes sadness, and even fear, each of which was obviously directed towards the antagonist, Wemyss. You could say, perhaps that was the purpose of the author, to make an analysis of the life of a woman, whose life falls into the power of a foolish, eccentric and crazy husband. Maybe, the author just wanted to reflect her own experience, what she had lived in these pages, and that's all. Well, she made it, but she also forgot she was writing a novel, and not an analysis of the life in a problematic marriage. Unfortunately, here is where my problem with this book began.
The story itself is good, but its characters are basically the same at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the book. There are no nuances, or a very well developed personality. For instance, Wemyss' behavior is so predictable, since you know how he behaved the first time when he met Lucy; maybe Lucy didn’t know anything, but you as a reader always know what's going to happen next. Lucy's behavior is the same situation here, basically there are no changes � I might say that my reading had finished and I didn’t know who Lucy is, I still don’t know her and, furthermore, it’s difficult to empathize with the character; they never gave me further information about her or the other guy, it was something like "I'm Wemyss and I'm super evil", and "I'm Lucy and I'm so innocent". That bothered me a little bit.
On the other hand, the first chapters of the novel were boring and slow, the middle was very good, but the ending: I think THIS is definitely one of the most disappointing endings I've read this year so far; I can't talk about the ending in the way I'd like to do it because of spoilers, but when I finished, my first thought was "my edition isn’t unabridged" or "a mouse could have eaten the last pages of this" (if I had read this one in a physical edition, of course). From my point of view, the ending was unfinished, it felt like if you were awaiting the second part, but unfortunately there's no second part, there's nothing more except an underwhelming ending.
I made a mistake though, and I need to tell you this, not only because I don't want you to make the same mistake, but also because I'm looking for a way to justify my disappointment in this novel (maybe not, but you get my point).
My blunder was not that terrible: while I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but compare it to Rebecca, the most important book by Daphne du Maurier.
The fact that I loved reading Rebecca quite a bit, and I wasn’t enjoying Vera in the first place, well, it’s clear that the experience was not very successful. Thus, the most similitudes I tried to find between them, the most disappointed I was; therefore my advice is simple: please ٰ’T contrast the former with the latter � it’s not the same story, they don’t have almost anything in common, and both Rebecca and Vera have different and good elements, each of which can make each story captivating, even though it’s crystal-clear that I loved one book much more than the other one (needless to say the titles).
In conclusion, I recommend reading Vera as though it was a portrait or a study of a disastrous marriage, and not as if it was a complete novel itself. Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying Vera is a bad book at all, but it’s not likely that great novel I’d expected to find. However, it's important to point out that the real message in Vera is so powerful, you as a witness are able to feel many parts of the story � hopefully no one of you is living a similar marriage or relationship to Lucy's case; otherwise, I hope you can find an answer, solace, or even a friend in such a book.
Lastly, I don’t want to rule out the possibility of reading other novels by Arnim in the distant future; perhaps this time it could be a better reading experience � we’ll see.
“Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay...�
January 11, 2025
I know I'll never write anything so good again-I daresay more popular among the masses, but not so really good.
I've now read four of von Arnim's books - two of them the well known & loved & & I would agree with von Arnim's assessment. The book became progressively harder & harder to put down.
Twenty two year old Lucy meets middle aged Everard Wemyss when he was recently bereaved by the death of his wife, Vera. Lucy is in shock after the unexpected death of her father. Their relationship progresses rapidly Lucy's Aunt Dot is very uneasy about the proposed marriage but is reluctant to intervene in the face of Lucy's happiness. Everard's controlling, indeed stifling, character becomes evident on their honeymoon where Lucy never gets
This beautifully written but ultimately terrifying book has one page after another of quotable quotes. Vera is one of the books that supposedly inspired one of Daphne Du Maurier's masterpieces but it is a source of inspiration only - the tales are quite different.
My enjoyment was enhanced by the introduction by Xandra Hardie. But, I read most of it after completing my read. I wish books had afterwards rather than introductions. I'd rather form my own conclusions.
This is my first completed read for 2025 - & it is going to be hard to surpass.
June 16, 2019
This book was very enjoyable, until the end when for me, it fell flat. I expected so much more! The book was very suspenseful throughout, leaving me wondering "how is the author going to wrap things up???" Truly lame ending. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief and not in a good way!
April 11, 2022
Subtle and impactful, then the ending you hoped wouldn’t happen. Von Arnim’s abilities in dissecting male/female relationships are so skillful the reader happily follows her down her sweet, rosy path…until it’s too late.
This book should be required reading in every psychology course.
This book should be required reading in every psychology course.
March 9, 2021
I am certain that DuMaurier must have read this book because Rebecca - written around a decade later- has lots of similarities.
Vera is Rebecca, a wife we never see and only exists through the recollection of he husband and the rooms and objects she leaves behind. Like Rebecca she too has met her end in circumstances that are open to interpretation and, like Maxim, Everard Wemyss has rapidly found himself a new bride less than half his age.
While Rebecca was full of dark brooding and Gothic overtones this is almost a comedy of manners. Until it isn't and the ending is like a sudden braking during a pleasant drive, a shock that makes you aware once more of what is actually going on.
Wemyss initially is a buffoon, a man who doesn't believe in dwelling or giving way to sadness. We see his good points through Lucy's eyes, he is warm and affectionate, he speaks plainly, he is wealthy and willing to share his life with her. Through the eyes of others' he is less endearing, clearing rooms with his braggadocio, being less than respectful to Lucy's aunt when she questions some of his decisions.
Once married and on his home turf we see him as he truly is, the buffoonery and eccentricities are an excuse for what we know today is coercive control, he married a child who as the book continues increasingly resembles (physically and behaviourly) one.
The ending will stay with me for some time to come.
Vera is Rebecca, a wife we never see and only exists through the recollection of he husband and the rooms and objects she leaves behind. Like Rebecca she too has met her end in circumstances that are open to interpretation and, like Maxim, Everard Wemyss has rapidly found himself a new bride less than half his age.
While Rebecca was full of dark brooding and Gothic overtones this is almost a comedy of manners. Until it isn't and the ending is like a sudden braking during a pleasant drive, a shock that makes you aware once more of what is actually going on.
Wemyss initially is a buffoon, a man who doesn't believe in dwelling or giving way to sadness. We see his good points through Lucy's eyes, he is warm and affectionate, he speaks plainly, he is wealthy and willing to share his life with her. Through the eyes of others' he is less endearing, clearing rooms with his braggadocio, being less than respectful to Lucy's aunt when she questions some of his decisions.
Once married and on his home turf we see him as he truly is, the buffoonery and eccentricities are an excuse for what we know today is coercive control, he married a child who as the book continues increasingly resembles (physically and behaviourly) one.
The ending will stay with me for some time to come.
November 2, 2021
Este libro, pese a ser del que más orgullosa se sentía su autora, fue publicado de forma anónima en 1921. ¿El motivo? Evitar un escándalo, ya que la historia recogida en él era prácticamente autobiográfica. Mi principal conflicto con esta novela es que tanto la trama como los personajes carecen de matices o de una evolución dramática clara. Lo blanco es blanco y lo negro es negro, de principio a fin. Y esto, unido al uso de un narrador omnisciente que no deja nada a la imaginación, hace que todo resulte transparente desde el principio. Eso a mí, particularmente, me mató cualquier posible suspense. Es cierto que, el carácter semiautobiográfico permite explorar una situación real, identificable, que se muestra en todo su esplendor y que además era (y sigue siendo) un tabú. En ese sentido, aplaudo a la autora y me parece muy valiente por haber exorcizado los fantasmas de su segundo matrimonio de manera pública ¡y más en esa época! Pero lo malo de acercarse tanto a la verdad es que te aleja de la ficción y sus exigencias. Cuando escribimos sobre nuestra propia experiencia corremos el riesgo de crear personajes planos, sin apenas contradicciones, que no son lo suficientemente complejos. Y es lo que me ha ocurrido con 'Vera' (exceptuando a la tía Entwhistle, a ella sí la indulto).
RESEÑA COMPLETA:
RESEÑA COMPLETA:
November 20, 2020
Available free at Librivox, here:
This book has a creeping, ever increasing sense of foreboding. It’s a psychological drama. Although not an action filled thriller, a thriller none the less. An impending, threatening nightmare looms, not in the night, but in the day, in what the future will bring.
Lucy Entwhistle is twenty two. The day on which the book opens her father unexpectedly dies. Lucy’s mother longtime dead, father and daughter had become extremely close. It is July and they are in Cornwall over the season when the death occurs. Lucy is stunned, dazed--her life’s soul mate is gone, gone forever. The world has blown out from under her feet. She is pretty, sweet and naïve. Her entire life, she has been pampered and protected by her father.
Everard Wemyss is forty five. A complete stranger to Lucy, he happens by her residence the day her father dies. He notes her distress. In her dazed state, he steps in and helps. He too has recently lost a loved one—his wife, Vera. He has pulled himself through an inquest. Has Vera accidentally fallen out of a window or not? What lies behind her death?
Lucy falls in love with Everard, and Everard falls for her. He calls her his “little baby�. They marry. She goes to live with him in his house—the house where Vera died. Nothing of hers has been removed. Even a mammoth photo of her still adorns the wall. Veera’s presence lurks in every room.
This is a character study of Edvard and Lucy. The more we learn, the creepier it gets.
In love, one’s perceptions are clouded. Will Lucy’s vision clear?
The ending is perfect!
The story is made more creepy in knowing that it is based on the author’s disastrous second marriage to Frank Russell. Frank Russell is the elder brother of the famed British philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell.
The novel shines a light on the situation of and the vulnerability of many a young woman at the beginning of the 20th century. It has a darker tone than others by the author. The humor found is wry, it is in the author’s clever wording. The author considered this novel to be her best.
Librivox informs us that Greg W. is the narrator. Words are spoken clearly and distinctly, and so I give the narration performance three stars. It is not read with flair but is acceptable.
*
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 2 stars
* TBR
* TBR by
* TBR by
This book has a creeping, ever increasing sense of foreboding. It’s a psychological drama. Although not an action filled thriller, a thriller none the less. An impending, threatening nightmare looms, not in the night, but in the day, in what the future will bring.
Lucy Entwhistle is twenty two. The day on which the book opens her father unexpectedly dies. Lucy’s mother longtime dead, father and daughter had become extremely close. It is July and they are in Cornwall over the season when the death occurs. Lucy is stunned, dazed--her life’s soul mate is gone, gone forever. The world has blown out from under her feet. She is pretty, sweet and naïve. Her entire life, she has been pampered and protected by her father.
Everard Wemyss is forty five. A complete stranger to Lucy, he happens by her residence the day her father dies. He notes her distress. In her dazed state, he steps in and helps. He too has recently lost a loved one—his wife, Vera. He has pulled himself through an inquest. Has Vera accidentally fallen out of a window or not? What lies behind her death?
Lucy falls in love with Everard, and Everard falls for her. He calls her his “little baby�. They marry. She goes to live with him in his house—the house where Vera died. Nothing of hers has been removed. Even a mammoth photo of her still adorns the wall. Veera’s presence lurks in every room.
This is a character study of Edvard and Lucy. The more we learn, the creepier it gets.
In love, one’s perceptions are clouded. Will Lucy’s vision clear?
The ending is perfect!
The story is made more creepy in knowing that it is based on the author’s disastrous second marriage to Frank Russell. Frank Russell is the elder brother of the famed British philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell.
The novel shines a light on the situation of and the vulnerability of many a young woman at the beginning of the 20th century. It has a darker tone than others by the author. The humor found is wry, it is in the author’s clever wording. The author considered this novel to be her best.
Librivox informs us that Greg W. is the narrator. Words are spoken clearly and distinctly, and so I give the narration performance three stars. It is not read with flair but is acceptable.
*
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 2 stars
* TBR
* TBR by
* TBR by
August 12, 2016
Having read, and loved The Enchanted April by this author, I decided to read another of her books, and chose Vera....It couldn't have been more different......
This is a dark and disturbing story of how a lovely young woman is drawn into a nightmare situation which everyone, including the reader, can see is very wrong.
It's a classic example of how love is sometimes blind.
As the menace grows with every page it becomes hard not to dread the outcome
If I'd been given this book to read without knowing who the author was, I'd have sworn it was Daphne du Maurier
This is a dark and disturbing story of how a lovely young woman is drawn into a nightmare situation which everyone, including the reader, can see is very wrong.
It's a classic example of how love is sometimes blind.
As the menace grows with every page it becomes hard not to dread the outcome
If I'd been given this book to read without knowing who the author was, I'd have sworn it was Daphne du Maurier
November 23, 2021
No sabía cómo evaluar este libro porque por un lado me costaba leerlo y por otro lado me costaba dejarlo. De ahí, que valorándolo en conjunto, se lleve en realidad 3,5 estrellas.
La obra narra la historia de Lucy, una joven inglesa de vacaciones en Francia, que acaba de ver morir a su padre y se siente sola en el mundo. Por otro lado tenemos a Wemyss, un enérgico cuarentón que ha perdido a Vera, su esposa, en extrañas circunstancias, y está desolado. Lo que al principio parece una relación de amistad y de mutuo consuelo, se transforma gradualmente en un cortejo apasionado, y al cabo de poco tiempo, en matrimonio. No obstante, lo que Wemyss había llamado amor se convierte en un ejercicio de posesión.
Probablemente nunca había conocido a un personaje principal tan repugnante y tóxico en mi aventura de lectura como Wemyss. Es un hombre de mal genio e inmaduro, vengativo, posesivo, maníaco, orgulloso y susceptible. En serio, durante mucho tiempo nada ha despertado en mí emociones negativas tan fuertes como él.
Se trata de un libro intensamente oscuro y tragicómico, corto, pero con una construcción precisa que construye el horror de un hombre inmaduro y cruel que desconoce su egoísmo. Von Arnim desarrolla una imagen intensamente vívida de lo que será un matrimonio potencialmente fatal para su heroína, dándonos pistas, pero las que la heroína decide no ver.
Aunque el final para mí gusta fue un poco decepcionante, ¡vale la pena leer!
La obra narra la historia de Lucy, una joven inglesa de vacaciones en Francia, que acaba de ver morir a su padre y se siente sola en el mundo. Por otro lado tenemos a Wemyss, un enérgico cuarentón que ha perdido a Vera, su esposa, en extrañas circunstancias, y está desolado. Lo que al principio parece una relación de amistad y de mutuo consuelo, se transforma gradualmente en un cortejo apasionado, y al cabo de poco tiempo, en matrimonio. No obstante, lo que Wemyss había llamado amor se convierte en un ejercicio de posesión.
Probablemente nunca había conocido a un personaje principal tan repugnante y tóxico en mi aventura de lectura como Wemyss. Es un hombre de mal genio e inmaduro, vengativo, posesivo, maníaco, orgulloso y susceptible. En serio, durante mucho tiempo nada ha despertado en mí emociones negativas tan fuertes como él.
Se trata de un libro intensamente oscuro y tragicómico, corto, pero con una construcción precisa que construye el horror de un hombre inmaduro y cruel que desconoce su egoísmo. Von Arnim desarrolla una imagen intensamente vívida de lo que será un matrimonio potencialmente fatal para su heroína, dándonos pistas, pero las que la heroína decide no ver.
Aunque el final para mí gusta fue un poco decepcionante, ¡vale la pena leer!
June 9, 2021
Angustioso y terrorífico, más sabiendo que la autora se basa en experiencias propias. Muy recomendable.
August 25, 2015
Lucy Entwhistle's beloved father has just died. She is still in shock when she meets Mr Wemyss in a chance encounter. He quickly moves in on Lucy and is suddenly attending to all her needs. He organises her Father's funeral, gives her the support she needs and manages to manipulate and dominate with his show of care and protection.
Wemyss is self-absorbed, childish and greatly troubled. He manages to hide his true character from Lucy and she is blinded in her growing love for her new saviour. Lucy's new life begins to crumble. She wakes up to Wemyss as his temperament swings between energy, talk and attention to critical silence, coldness and sulking. He craves love, attention and admiration, but he cannot get the perfection he demands. He gleefully causes scenes and is petty and aloof. He thrives on diminishing others and expects total devotion and submission.
Vera is a shadow throughout the novel. She is Wemyss' first wife and her death and spirit are embedded in their home and intrudes in their relationship.
I admit this sounds very heavy, but von Arnim writes wonderfully and creates a brilliant story. Although the novel tackles some very disturbing issues, she shows sensitivity and writes with a light, thoughtful style. A new favourite!
Wemyss is self-absorbed, childish and greatly troubled. He manages to hide his true character from Lucy and she is blinded in her growing love for her new saviour. Lucy's new life begins to crumble. She wakes up to Wemyss as his temperament swings between energy, talk and attention to critical silence, coldness and sulking. He craves love, attention and admiration, but he cannot get the perfection he demands. He gleefully causes scenes and is petty and aloof. He thrives on diminishing others and expects total devotion and submission.
Vera is a shadow throughout the novel. She is Wemyss' first wife and her death and spirit are embedded in their home and intrudes in their relationship.
I admit this sounds very heavy, but von Arnim writes wonderfully and creates a brilliant story. Although the novel tackles some very disturbing issues, she shows sensitivity and writes with a light, thoughtful style. A new favourite!
September 11, 2014
This is a terrific, chilling portrait of a controlling, bullying monster, the gentle innocent he marries and will probably destroy, and her only hope, all but extinguished by the end of the book - her aunt.
Such men still live amongst us, though fortunately there is more help available for their victims if they are able to escape the tyranny, than was the case back in 1920.
The psychology seems to me to be spot on, and as von Arnim was using her second husband as the model, she had experienced the modus operandi at first hand. Luckily she was able to extract herself from the marriage. Not all women are so fortunate.
Highly recommended and a big thank you to Nancy for telling me about it.
Such men still live amongst us, though fortunately there is more help available for their victims if they are able to escape the tyranny, than was the case back in 1920.
The psychology seems to me to be spot on, and as von Arnim was using her second husband as the model, she had experienced the modus operandi at first hand. Luckily she was able to extract herself from the marriage. Not all women are so fortunate.
Highly recommended and a big thank you to Nancy for telling me about it.
September 17, 2021
"Sería fantástico, verdaderamente fantástico, salir corriendo por esa puerta hacia el exterior, hacia el calor y la luz del sol, y alejarse más y más.."
No iba a hacer reseña porque he decidido no reseñar las novelas que no me entusiasman, pero bueno, he pensado que cómo tiene algunos detalles interesantes, ahí voy. Imagino que esta novela tuvo que suponer todo un escándalo en su época, porque aunque en un principio se publicó anónimamente, pronto salió a relucir su autora y casi todo el mundo reconoció en el retrato de Everard Wemyss a su segundo marido, Frank Russell, aristócrata y hermano del filósofo Betrand Russell. Para Russell fue su tercer matrimonio, y para Elizabeth Arnim su segundo: solo duraron ocho meses casados antes de que ella lo abandonara.
El caso es que si nos detenemos a analizar el argumento de esta novela publicada en 1921, es cierto que tuvo que ser un escándalo no solo porque la buena sociedad de la época reconociera al modelo real en el que se basaba la autora para retratar a su protagonista masculino y lo convirtiera en un puro salseo, sino por todo el tratamiento de la historia. Elizabeth von Arnim no se corta un pelo a la hora de elaborar un perfil de libro de lo que es un sociópata controlador y egocéntrico, casado en segundas nupcias con Lucy, una jovencita ingenua, que incluso aparenta menos edad de los veintidos años que tiene, (ese carácter aniñado quizá sea el detalle que más atraiga a su futuro marido de Lucy, puede que un guiño vengativo de la Arnim a su ex). Wemyss comienza a ejercer poco a poco un control devastador sobre una mujer que cada vez se vuelve más sumisa, ciega a sus avances, aunque la autora se encarga de que el lector lo conozco desde la primera página. Los pasos que Elizabeth von Arnim va narrando en la evolución de este perfil depredador son de lo más certeros y ahora que todo esto de la violencia doméstica se ha visiblizado tanto, es realmente sorprendente que justo en aquella época, cuando la toxicidad de las relaciones de pareja y la tirania ejercida en el ámbito doméstico parecían inexistentes, Elizabeth von Arnim tuviera los ovarios para sacarlo a la luz, exponiendo toda una realidad invisible tras las puertas de casa.
Viudo de cuarenta y tantos que conoce a jovencita ingenua y se casa con ella, todo esto emsombrecido por la extraña muerte en accidente de la primera esposa, Vera. A partir de aquí Elizabeth von Arnim construye una novela donde una joven se siente cada vez más anulada, más enjaulada y más aterrada en el hogar. Es una novela que cada vez se vuelve más oscura y claustrofóbica y realmente puede enganchar, aunque yo reconozco que no terminé de engancharme.
La verdad es que es una novela que se me ha hecho bastante cuesta arriba, Elizabeth von Arnim es bastante repetitiva y una pega que le veo es que el retrato psicológico de Lucy brilla un tanto por su ausencia sobre todo a medida que la historia avanza y se vuelve más claustrofóbica. Es cierto que hay momentos conseguidos, en su segunda parte, pero en general es una novela que me ha costado terminar: donde se repiten escenas una y otra vez o se alargan otras. El universo de la novela se constriñe casi solo a dos o tres personajes y quizás hubiera estado bien que otros personajes como los criados y algún otro secundario hubiera tenido algo más de protagonismo dando algún matiz más a la historia. La narrativa de Elizabeth von Arnim llegado un punto resulta algo plana, sin matices a la hora de hacer evolucionar la historia. Vemos a los personajes desde un principio tal como son, pero no deja resquicios a poder bucear entre lineas. En fin, que me ha decepcionado bastante sobre todo en su segunda parte, contrariamente al resto de las opiniones, aunque admito que el final sí que me ha sorprendido.
No iba a hacer reseña porque he decidido no reseñar las novelas que no me entusiasman, pero bueno, he pensado que cómo tiene algunos detalles interesantes, ahí voy. Imagino que esta novela tuvo que suponer todo un escándalo en su época, porque aunque en un principio se publicó anónimamente, pronto salió a relucir su autora y casi todo el mundo reconoció en el retrato de Everard Wemyss a su segundo marido, Frank Russell, aristócrata y hermano del filósofo Betrand Russell. Para Russell fue su tercer matrimonio, y para Elizabeth Arnim su segundo: solo duraron ocho meses casados antes de que ella lo abandonara.
El caso es que si nos detenemos a analizar el argumento de esta novela publicada en 1921, es cierto que tuvo que ser un escándalo no solo porque la buena sociedad de la época reconociera al modelo real en el que se basaba la autora para retratar a su protagonista masculino y lo convirtiera en un puro salseo, sino por todo el tratamiento de la historia. Elizabeth von Arnim no se corta un pelo a la hora de elaborar un perfil de libro de lo que es un sociópata controlador y egocéntrico, casado en segundas nupcias con Lucy, una jovencita ingenua, que incluso aparenta menos edad de los veintidos años que tiene, (ese carácter aniñado quizá sea el detalle que más atraiga a su futuro marido de Lucy, puede que un guiño vengativo de la Arnim a su ex). Wemyss comienza a ejercer poco a poco un control devastador sobre una mujer que cada vez se vuelve más sumisa, ciega a sus avances, aunque la autora se encarga de que el lector lo conozco desde la primera página. Los pasos que Elizabeth von Arnim va narrando en la evolución de este perfil depredador son de lo más certeros y ahora que todo esto de la violencia doméstica se ha visiblizado tanto, es realmente sorprendente que justo en aquella época, cuando la toxicidad de las relaciones de pareja y la tirania ejercida en el ámbito doméstico parecían inexistentes, Elizabeth von Arnim tuviera los ovarios para sacarlo a la luz, exponiendo toda una realidad invisible tras las puertas de casa.
Viudo de cuarenta y tantos que conoce a jovencita ingenua y se casa con ella, todo esto emsombrecido por la extraña muerte en accidente de la primera esposa, Vera. A partir de aquí Elizabeth von Arnim construye una novela donde una joven se siente cada vez más anulada, más enjaulada y más aterrada en el hogar. Es una novela que cada vez se vuelve más oscura y claustrofóbica y realmente puede enganchar, aunque yo reconozco que no terminé de engancharme.
La verdad es que es una novela que se me ha hecho bastante cuesta arriba, Elizabeth von Arnim es bastante repetitiva y una pega que le veo es que el retrato psicológico de Lucy brilla un tanto por su ausencia sobre todo a medida que la historia avanza y se vuelve más claustrofóbica. Es cierto que hay momentos conseguidos, en su segunda parte, pero en general es una novela que me ha costado terminar: donde se repiten escenas una y otra vez o se alargan otras. El universo de la novela se constriñe casi solo a dos o tres personajes y quizás hubiera estado bien que otros personajes como los criados y algún otro secundario hubiera tenido algo más de protagonismo dando algún matiz más a la historia. La narrativa de Elizabeth von Arnim llegado un punto resulta algo plana, sin matices a la hora de hacer evolucionar la historia. Vemos a los personajes desde un principio tal como son, pero no deja resquicios a poder bucear entre lineas. En fin, que me ha decepcionado bastante sobre todo en su segunda parte, contrariamente al resto de las opiniones, aunque admito que el final sí que me ha sorprendido.
August 14, 2015
As a big fan of Elizabeth von Arnim's light and uplifting novels ( being my favorite), I was very curious how she would handle this "exploration of sex and violence" as the description of the VMC edition summarizes Vera.
Now that I have read it, I think "sex and violence" is a bit lurid, but it left a deep impression on me nonetheless and I bow my head to von Arnim for creating this masterpiece.
In a nutshell, this is the story of Wemyss, a man in his forties who has just lost his wife in an accident, and 22-year old Lucy, who has just lost her beloved father. They instantly feel drawn to each other in their shared grief. At least that is what Lucy thinks. As a reader we quickly see Wemyss for what he is - not a grieving widower, but a narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive bully, and all we can do is watch Lucy walk towards her doom, namely her marriage to him.
Von Arnim gives us such a realistic account of emotional abuse that it was hard for me to take at times. The fact that she based this on her own marriage adds another level of creepiness.
Von Arnim's characteristic wit offers some comic relief throughout the book, but it is still one of the scariest, most depressing books I have read. The mere fact that people as disturbed and powerful as Wemyss exist in real life gives me nightmares, and I am so glad that we live in a time where it has become harder for men like Wemyss to exercise power over women like that (at least in the western world).
Highly, highly recommended.
Now that I have read it, I think "sex and violence" is a bit lurid, but it left a deep impression on me nonetheless and I bow my head to von Arnim for creating this masterpiece.
In a nutshell, this is the story of Wemyss, a man in his forties who has just lost his wife in an accident, and 22-year old Lucy, who has just lost her beloved father. They instantly feel drawn to each other in their shared grief. At least that is what Lucy thinks. As a reader we quickly see Wemyss for what he is - not a grieving widower, but a narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive bully, and all we can do is watch Lucy walk towards her doom, namely her marriage to him.
Von Arnim gives us such a realistic account of emotional abuse that it was hard for me to take at times. The fact that she based this on her own marriage adds another level of creepiness.
Von Arnim's characteristic wit offers some comic relief throughout the book, but it is still one of the scariest, most depressing books I have read. The mere fact that people as disturbed and powerful as Wemyss exist in real life gives me nightmares, and I am so glad that we live in a time where it has become harder for men like Wemyss to exercise power over women like that (at least in the western world).
Highly, highly recommended.
April 22, 2021
Pornografia Marrone (Cinque lettere)
Ho deciso di leggere il libro perché mi piaceva il volto in copertina e perché von Arnim nel mio domino personale si attaccava ad Armin van Buuren
Difficilmente le mie motivazioni e le mie associazioni sarebbero potute risultare più distanti dall’opera.
Mi spiace se ferirò la sensibilità di alcuni, ma non ho intenzione di censurarmi, dunque lasciate perdere il mio commento qualora abbiate apprezzato il libro. Nell’incipit il padre della ventiduenne Lucy muore improvvisamente durante una vacanza in Cornovaglia. Il lutto di Lucy si interseca con quello del quarantacinquenne Everard che da poco ha perso la moglie. La situazione iniziale per quanto paradossale (Everard organizzerà il funerale del padre di Lucy pur non avendo nulla a che vedere con lui) dà modo di riflettere su quali siano i doveri di chi riamane nei confronti di chi ci ha lasciato per sempre
Ma ora capiva di non poterne più di morte e di atmosfere funebri. Aveva avuto una reazione, e le sue reazioni erano forti. Voleva starsene lontano dal dolore, ritrovarsi di nuovo con gente normale e allegra, farla finita con situazioni nelle quali una risata era il più osceno dei suoni. Eccolo lì, con la testa affondata in un nero pantano, così si sentiva�
La morte gli sembrava anormale. Il semplice fatto che capitasse una sola volta a ciascuno gli dimostrava quanto fosse eccezionale, pensava Wemyss, profondamente disgustato dalla sua esistenza.
Per quanto tempo bisogna portare il lutto? In rete ho trovato una serie di vecchie parametrazioni che stabilivano che stile di vita e che abbigliamento andasse tenuto in caso la perdita fosse stata del coniuge, dei genitori o dei figli. Il lutto talvolta può rappresentare un’inaspettata fonte di energia e motivazione personale, può dopare chi lo ha subito, possono scattare meccanismi per i quali si voglia cercare di vivere anche per chi c’� stato strappato.
Questo però non è un libro sul lutto, è un libro scritto nel peggiore dei modi leggibili da una donna che ha voluto rappresentare la pericolosità dell’amore cieco di altre donne verso uomini che non lo meritano, ma lo ha fatto con una prosa sfinente, zeppa di dettagli e di espressioni esasperanti. In una bella introduzione alla Morante lessi di un concetto che prendeva il nome di pornografia rosa. Ce ne fosse di pornografia rosa in questo libro.. questa è pornografia marrone:
Non potremo sapere dove finisce l’uno e inizia l’altro. Questo, cuoricino, è il vero matrimonio. Che ne pensi?
Che cosa si è messa in testa ora la mia gattina? � disse lui, baciandole i capelli e osservandosi mentre lo faceva.
Il mio cuoricino non farà nulla che rovini i piani del suo Everard dopo tutto il daffare che si è dato, vero? �
Chi è la mia sciocca scemottina � domandò. � Dimmi chi è la mia sciocca scemottina. Veloce. Dimmi� � E la prese per la vita facendola saltare su e giù.
Poi il pezzo di letteratura con la L maiuscola
Chesterton, in ginocchio, stava raccogliendo il pane imburrato che era atterrato � un’abitudine che aveva notato propria del pane imburrato in tutte le circostanze del genere � con il lato imburrato sul pavimento.
E questa cosa sarebbe, la legge di Murphy? Burro nel brodo della narrazione per allungarlo?
Dalla fine dell’incipit in avanti il libro ambisce ad essere la versione seria di Fosca e Raniero, con tanto di Dora (morta) nei panni di Scilla
Elizabeth von Arnim fa di più, inserisce anche la zia-zitella ficcanaso e ciò invece di far aumentare la rabbia nei confronti di Everard-Raniero (esimia testa di ca-rtone) quasi induce il lettore a giustificarne gli inqualificabili comportamenti. Ho il dubbio che sia un romanzo adatto ad una sensibilità di cui sono sprovvisto, ho la certezza che non leggerò mai più nulla di Elizabeth von Arnim.
Ho deciso di leggere il libro perché mi piaceva il volto in copertina e perché von Arnim nel mio domino personale si attaccava ad Armin van Buuren
Difficilmente le mie motivazioni e le mie associazioni sarebbero potute risultare più distanti dall’opera.
Mi spiace se ferirò la sensibilità di alcuni, ma non ho intenzione di censurarmi, dunque lasciate perdere il mio commento qualora abbiate apprezzato il libro. Nell’incipit il padre della ventiduenne Lucy muore improvvisamente durante una vacanza in Cornovaglia. Il lutto di Lucy si interseca con quello del quarantacinquenne Everard che da poco ha perso la moglie. La situazione iniziale per quanto paradossale (Everard organizzerà il funerale del padre di Lucy pur non avendo nulla a che vedere con lui) dà modo di riflettere su quali siano i doveri di chi riamane nei confronti di chi ci ha lasciato per sempre
Ma ora capiva di non poterne più di morte e di atmosfere funebri. Aveva avuto una reazione, e le sue reazioni erano forti. Voleva starsene lontano dal dolore, ritrovarsi di nuovo con gente normale e allegra, farla finita con situazioni nelle quali una risata era il più osceno dei suoni. Eccolo lì, con la testa affondata in un nero pantano, così si sentiva�
La morte gli sembrava anormale. Il semplice fatto che capitasse una sola volta a ciascuno gli dimostrava quanto fosse eccezionale, pensava Wemyss, profondamente disgustato dalla sua esistenza.
Per quanto tempo bisogna portare il lutto? In rete ho trovato una serie di vecchie parametrazioni che stabilivano che stile di vita e che abbigliamento andasse tenuto in caso la perdita fosse stata del coniuge, dei genitori o dei figli. Il lutto talvolta può rappresentare un’inaspettata fonte di energia e motivazione personale, può dopare chi lo ha subito, possono scattare meccanismi per i quali si voglia cercare di vivere anche per chi c’� stato strappato.
Questo però non è un libro sul lutto, è un libro scritto nel peggiore dei modi leggibili da una donna che ha voluto rappresentare la pericolosità dell’amore cieco di altre donne verso uomini che non lo meritano, ma lo ha fatto con una prosa sfinente, zeppa di dettagli e di espressioni esasperanti. In una bella introduzione alla Morante lessi di un concetto che prendeva il nome di pornografia rosa. Ce ne fosse di pornografia rosa in questo libro.. questa è pornografia marrone:
Non potremo sapere dove finisce l’uno e inizia l’altro. Questo, cuoricino, è il vero matrimonio. Che ne pensi?
Che cosa si è messa in testa ora la mia gattina? � disse lui, baciandole i capelli e osservandosi mentre lo faceva.
Il mio cuoricino non farà nulla che rovini i piani del suo Everard dopo tutto il daffare che si è dato, vero? �
Chi è la mia sciocca scemottina � domandò. � Dimmi chi è la mia sciocca scemottina. Veloce. Dimmi� � E la prese per la vita facendola saltare su e giù.
Poi il pezzo di letteratura con la L maiuscola
Chesterton, in ginocchio, stava raccogliendo il pane imburrato che era atterrato � un’abitudine che aveva notato propria del pane imburrato in tutte le circostanze del genere � con il lato imburrato sul pavimento.
E questa cosa sarebbe, la legge di Murphy? Burro nel brodo della narrazione per allungarlo?
Dalla fine dell’incipit in avanti il libro ambisce ad essere la versione seria di Fosca e Raniero, con tanto di Dora (morta) nei panni di Scilla
Elizabeth von Arnim fa di più, inserisce anche la zia-zitella ficcanaso e ciò invece di far aumentare la rabbia nei confronti di Everard-Raniero (esimia testa di ca-rtone) quasi induce il lettore a giustificarne gli inqualificabili comportamenti. Ho il dubbio che sia un romanzo adatto ad una sensibilità di cui sono sprovvisto, ho la certezza che non leggerò mai più nulla di Elizabeth von Arnim.
August 13, 2022
It is a tale comprised principally of three characters, a submissive young lady named Lucy whose father has just died, her maiden aunt and manipulative narcissist who may have caused the very recent death of his first wife and who now lures Lucy into a hasty marriage.
Although it has been described as a tragi-comedy, I did not find it funny. It is a creepy book, in the same kind of foreboding sense as Rebecca, and since I have known men who are narcissists, it seemed really creepy to me. I wanted to get Lucy to wake up and remove herself from the situation.
This is the first book I have read by this author. In fact, until recently, she was completely unknown to me. I wondered how autobiographical the novel might be. Was Everard modeled after the author’s first husband? But no, although the first may not have been a prince among men, it was her second husband, Frank Russell, who apparently inspired her to write Vera. The author has an interesting background, as follows.
From Wikipedia: (Mary Annette Beauchamp,) “Born in Australia, she married a German aristocrat and her earliest works are set in Germany. Her first marriage made her Countess von Arnim-Schlagenthin and her second Elizabeth Russell, Countess Russell. After her first husband's death, she had a three-year affair with the writer H. G. Wells, then later married Frank Russell, elder brother of the Nobel prize-winner and philosopher Bertrand Russell. She was a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield. Though known in early life as May, her first book introduced her to readers as Elizabeth, which she eventually became to friends and finally to family. Her writings are ascribed to Elizabeth von Arnim.[1] She used the pseudonym Alice Cholmondeley only for a novel, Christine, published in 1917.�
She also knew E. M. Forster and Hugh Walpole, who both tutored her children. She moved to the US on the brink of World War II.
I didn’t exactly enjoy this book, but it was well written. I am not ready to jump into another by this author, but maybe later. I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Although it has been described as a tragi-comedy, I did not find it funny. It is a creepy book, in the same kind of foreboding sense as Rebecca, and since I have known men who are narcissists, it seemed really creepy to me. I wanted to get Lucy to wake up and remove herself from the situation.
This is the first book I have read by this author. In fact, until recently, she was completely unknown to me. I wondered how autobiographical the novel might be. Was Everard modeled after the author’s first husband? But no, although the first may not have been a prince among men, it was her second husband, Frank Russell, who apparently inspired her to write Vera. The author has an interesting background, as follows.
From Wikipedia: (Mary Annette Beauchamp,) “Born in Australia, she married a German aristocrat and her earliest works are set in Germany. Her first marriage made her Countess von Arnim-Schlagenthin and her second Elizabeth Russell, Countess Russell. After her first husband's death, she had a three-year affair with the writer H. G. Wells, then later married Frank Russell, elder brother of the Nobel prize-winner and philosopher Bertrand Russell. She was a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield. Though known in early life as May, her first book introduced her to readers as Elizabeth, which she eventually became to friends and finally to family. Her writings are ascribed to Elizabeth von Arnim.[1] She used the pseudonym Alice Cholmondeley only for a novel, Christine, published in 1917.�
She also knew E. M. Forster and Hugh Walpole, who both tutored her children. She moved to the US on the brink of World War II.
I didn’t exactly enjoy this book, but it was well written. I am not ready to jump into another by this author, but maybe later. I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
June 12, 2020
The names are striking in this book. Lucy of course means "light" (as in luminous, not as in weight), and we can see how it fits her. As time goes on, the reader might realize that more attention should be paid to Lucy's counterpart. For several chapters, we know only his last name, "Wemyss." It means "cave",
But Lucy is not blameless. She enjoys being called "baby" and being treated as one.
But Lucy is not blameless. She enjoys being called "baby" and being treated as one.
September 5, 2022
“Tu sei diversa. Sei la mia bambina."
La giovane e innocente Lucy Entwhistle ha appena perso l’amato padre quando incontra per caso il vedovo Everard Wemyss.
Maturo, premuroso e attento, Wemyss la protegge e la guida proprio come faceva suo papà
Quando, dopo un veloce fidanzamento le chiede di sposarlo, Lucy, confusa e indifesa, accetta.
Tuttavia, un'ombra incombente offusca la sua felicità: il fantasma di Vera, la prima moglie di Wemyss, morta in circostanze misteriose poco tempo prima.
Ma è solo quando la coppia torna dal viaggio di nozze per stabilirsi nella sinistra residenza di The Willows che Lucy inizia davvero a chiedersi: cosa è successo a Vera?
Una grande casa sul fiume , il fantasma di un'ex moglie.
“Ovunque vagassero gli occhi si rimaneva invischiati in un brutto ricordo.�
Le somiglianze con" Rebecca, la prima moglie" di Daphne du Maurier si fermano qui, perché Elizabeth von Arnim è principalmente interessata al funzionamento del matrimonio e alla tensione che costruisce lentamente con piccoli dettagli.
Everard non è più l'uomo affascinante degli inizi: è diventato intransigente, esigente, tirannico e capriccioso, si aspetta che la moglie sia docile, gentile e devota e non smette mai di stancarla con i suoi sbalzi d'umore e le sue continue richieste di affetto.
Inerme, Miss Entwistle, la zia di Lucy, un personaggio intelligente, attento e più complesso di quanto sembri a prima vista, cerca di resistere a quella tempesta per il bene della nipote senza cedere alla rabbia e alla desolazione , cosa che invece a me personalmente è successo nel corso della lettura
Ispirato dall'esperienza dell’autrice e pubblicato in forma anonima nel 1921, Vera esplora il lato più oscuro e inquietante del matrimonio.
È un'analisi spaventosa e purtroppo attuale dell'ingenuità di una giovane donna innamorata che cade nelle mani di un uomo patologicamente narcisista.
� Aveva paura di lui. Tutti quei baci li subiva passivamente. Forse già da tempo aveva inconsciamente paura di lui.�
Vera è un romanzo in cui ci sono echi che hanno il suono dell’angoscia, destinati a moltiplicarsi pagina dopo pagina senza mai materializzarsi, perché l’intangibile finisce per diventare una densa oppressione che intrappola e distrugge.
Le vite di Vera e Lucy pur non avendo mai coinciso nel tempo e nello spazio, sono guidate verso lo stesso destino da un uomo cattivo, capace di creare un filo invisibile di tossicità dolore e controllo assoluto anche sulla servitù, che maltratta arrivando a cronometrarne ogni loro passo
Con Vera Elizabeth von Armin ha denunciato l’abuso psicologico la tirannia maschile e la cieca sottomissione di una donna lasciandoci immaginare cosa ne sarà della sua vita accanto a un dispotico marito
È un romanzo rappresentato con un realismo oscuro, freddo e asettico in cui non c'è spazio per le concessioni e che grazie alla scrittura sublime trasmette paura e angoscia senza bisogno di sangue o violenza fisica.
Ci si sente impotenti di fronte a Lucy che non crolla né apre gli occhi davanti all’evidenza, ma ossessivamente giustifica Everard ripetendo che " se c’� l’amore, si trova anche un modo per dominare gli eventi "
La giovane e innocente Lucy Entwhistle ha appena perso l’amato padre quando incontra per caso il vedovo Everard Wemyss.
Maturo, premuroso e attento, Wemyss la protegge e la guida proprio come faceva suo papà
Quando, dopo un veloce fidanzamento le chiede di sposarlo, Lucy, confusa e indifesa, accetta.
Tuttavia, un'ombra incombente offusca la sua felicità: il fantasma di Vera, la prima moglie di Wemyss, morta in circostanze misteriose poco tempo prima.
Ma è solo quando la coppia torna dal viaggio di nozze per stabilirsi nella sinistra residenza di The Willows che Lucy inizia davvero a chiedersi: cosa è successo a Vera?
Una grande casa sul fiume , il fantasma di un'ex moglie.
“Ovunque vagassero gli occhi si rimaneva invischiati in un brutto ricordo.�
Le somiglianze con" Rebecca, la prima moglie" di Daphne du Maurier si fermano qui, perché Elizabeth von Arnim è principalmente interessata al funzionamento del matrimonio e alla tensione che costruisce lentamente con piccoli dettagli.
Everard non è più l'uomo affascinante degli inizi: è diventato intransigente, esigente, tirannico e capriccioso, si aspetta che la moglie sia docile, gentile e devota e non smette mai di stancarla con i suoi sbalzi d'umore e le sue continue richieste di affetto.
Inerme, Miss Entwistle, la zia di Lucy, un personaggio intelligente, attento e più complesso di quanto sembri a prima vista, cerca di resistere a quella tempesta per il bene della nipote senza cedere alla rabbia e alla desolazione , cosa che invece a me personalmente è successo nel corso della lettura
Ispirato dall'esperienza dell’autrice e pubblicato in forma anonima nel 1921, Vera esplora il lato più oscuro e inquietante del matrimonio.
È un'analisi spaventosa e purtroppo attuale dell'ingenuità di una giovane donna innamorata che cade nelle mani di un uomo patologicamente narcisista.
� Aveva paura di lui. Tutti quei baci li subiva passivamente. Forse già da tempo aveva inconsciamente paura di lui.�
Vera è un romanzo in cui ci sono echi che hanno il suono dell’angoscia, destinati a moltiplicarsi pagina dopo pagina senza mai materializzarsi, perché l’intangibile finisce per diventare una densa oppressione che intrappola e distrugge.
Le vite di Vera e Lucy pur non avendo mai coinciso nel tempo e nello spazio, sono guidate verso lo stesso destino da un uomo cattivo, capace di creare un filo invisibile di tossicità dolore e controllo assoluto anche sulla servitù, che maltratta arrivando a cronometrarne ogni loro passo
Con Vera Elizabeth von Armin ha denunciato l’abuso psicologico la tirannia maschile e la cieca sottomissione di una donna lasciandoci immaginare cosa ne sarà della sua vita accanto a un dispotico marito
È un romanzo rappresentato con un realismo oscuro, freddo e asettico in cui non c'è spazio per le concessioni e che grazie alla scrittura sublime trasmette paura e angoscia senza bisogno di sangue o violenza fisica.
Ci si sente impotenti di fronte a Lucy che non crolla né apre gli occhi davanti all’evidenza, ma ossessivamente giustifica Everard ripetendo che " se c’� l’amore, si trova anche un modo per dominare gli eventi "
August 29, 2021
Sensitive, caring, perceptive, selfless, kind, warm-hearted, sociable, hospitable - Everard Wemyss is none of these things. He is quite horrifically the opposite of them all. Following the death of his wife, Vera, he meets the lovely, caring, innocent soul that is Lucy Entwhistle. She has just lost her beloved father and turns, or is turned, to Wemyss for comfort.
Elizabeth von Arnim is writing about coercive control in the early 1920s, a century before it’s a phrase on everyone’s lips, brought into the public consciousness through tv documentaries and dramas. I discovered her writing through and, as always, I’m excited to have found a new author to read. This is very dark in comparison but her interpretation of the frailty of human nature is just as perceptive and the humour is just as dry. It’s of its time in many ways but, in others, it’s well ahead. 4.5 stars.
Elizabeth von Arnim is writing about coercive control in the early 1920s, a century before it’s a phrase on everyone’s lips, brought into the public consciousness through tv documentaries and dramas. I discovered her writing through and, as always, I’m excited to have found a new author to read. This is very dark in comparison but her interpretation of the frailty of human nature is just as perceptive and the humour is just as dry. It’s of its time in many ways but, in others, it’s well ahead. 4.5 stars.
February 27, 2022
Desde hace unos meses no paro de ver en redes publicaciones sobre Trotalibros, una editorial nueva y con un catalogo de lo más variado y escogido que me llama bastante la atención, para que mentir. Pero si hubo uno de sus trabajos que supe, si que si, que tenia que leer en cuanto vi que lo iban a publicar fue este “Vera� de Elizabeth Von Arnim. Con eso de que inspiro uno de mis libros preferidos, “Rebecca�, ya me tenía totalmente ganada y bien predispuesta.
Voy a intentar no comparar mucho las dos novelas en esta reseña. Es cierto que se ven puntos en común entre ambas, aunque no supieras la relación entre ambas es obvia la influencia de la obra de Von Arnim en la de Du Maurier en ciertos aspectos, y si te has leído uno no puedes evitar relacionarlo con la otra obra de forma automática. Sin embargo no puedo evitar señalar que hay una cosa que me ha llamado especialmente la atención sobre ambas novelas : en mi opinión, aunque fue escrita en 1921, casi 20 años antes que “Rebecca� , “Vera� es sorprendentemente más moderna. Si hay algo que siempre he reconocido en una de mis novelas preferidas es que “Rebeca� sería una obra impublicable hoy en día, incluso impensable de escribir. En cambio “Vera”es una novela que me ha sorprendido por su rabiosa actualidad, lo que cuenta es algo que desgraciadamente sigue sucediendo hoy en día, y la manera en que todo es representado y en que todo sucede en sus páginas me ha chocado particularmente, porque es algo que no ha cambiado hoy por hoy y que resulta perfectamente reconocible para el lector moderno. Es algo que no te gusta leer, porque sabes que es realidad en estado puro. Me ha chocado mucho la audacia de la autora al tratar un tema tabú para su época, y que lo haga de una forma tan directa. Aquí no se romantiza o se justifican el amor tóxico o ciertos actos contra la mujer como si sucedía en la obra de Du Maurier. Todo es representado con un oscuro, frío y aséptico realismo en el que no caben las concesiones, que te lleva hasta una tupida red de araña que va gestándose poco a poco a lo largo de la novela hasta acabar enredando completamente a la protagonista en su final.
Pero es mejor que vayamos por partes, poco a poco. La obra empieza en una villa de verano en Cornualles justo cuando nuestra protagonista, Lucy Entwhistle, acaba de perder a su adorado padre, el centro de su existencia. Aún está intentando asumir el golpe cuando, ese mismo día, conoce a Everad Wemyss, quien hace apenas unas semanas acaba de quedarse viudo en trágicas circunstancias. Su difunta esposa era la Vera que da título a la novela, cuya muerte está envuelta en dudas y misterios que junto a su figura seguirán flotando entre los protagonistas durante toda la obra. Wemyss, aprovechando la vulnerabilidad de Lucy, se autoproclama en su protector y apoyo. Logrará enamorarla locamente y no tardará en que consienta en casarse con él. La historia se centrará en el cortejo y compromiso entre ambos, su posterior matrimonio y sus primeros días de casados, con su luna de miel en Francia y su llegada a la casa de recreo del marido, The Willows.
Es una obra muy amena de leer, por su prosa sencilla y efectiva (no me ha resultado especialmente pulida, pero tampoco es horrible, ni mucho menos), sus diálogos ágiles y llenos de vida y su articulación en capítulos relativamente cortos. Reconozco que a lo largo de la lectura ha habido momentos en que me ha costado mucho seguir con ella. No por lo que se narra, que es muy duro y muchas veces muy difícil de digerir, sino porque he notado que muchos momentos la autora volvía a temas en los que ya había incidido anteriormente, y que todo lo que pasaba no hacía avanzar la trama. Ha habido ciertos momentos en los que me sentía como un impasse con esta obra, y notaba que no fluía correctamente. Esa es la gran queja que me deja esta lectura.
Pero es que ese es el kid de la cuestión con “Vera�. No es una novela de giros sorprendentes y de acontecimientos que resuenen. Todo empieza como un paseo campestre tranquilo y relajado que va acelerándose poco a poco hasta que todo termina por dejarte con la sensación de que te has precipitado en un acantilado muy alto y profundo. Es una novela de lo pequeño y de como puede acabar por ser nocivo, de la oscuridad que se puede esconder en lo cotidiano. Cotidiano, esa es la palabra. Porque “Vera� es un drama domestico, oscuro y realista en el que su protagonista acabara arrastrada y anulada por un marido psicológicamente maltratador y obsesionado por controlarlo todo, incluida su esposa.
Hay dos aspectos que me parecen increíblemente bien trazados por Von Arnim y que demuestran su habilidad como narradora.
En primer lugar su gran habilidad para crear una atmósfera que poco a poco, pasito a pasito a medida que va avanzando la lectura se vuelve más y más opresora, cuando atrapa totalmente a Lucy y hace sufrir absolutamente al lector al no ser capaz de ver la salida para su protagonista porque esta tampoco es capaz de verla. Para ello cada aspecto o elemento que aparece en la novela, y cada acto, frase y pensamiento de sus protagonistas se envuelve de un significado que puede no ser aparente a primera vista, pero que no por ello está menos cargado de fuerza y de intensidad, teniendo un peso fundamental para la obra y para dotarla de un propósito. Incluso los silencios son parte fundamental de la misma: los pensamientos que Lucy intenta controlar pero se le escapan inevitablemente como arena entre los dedos. La forma manipuladora y llena de aristas con la que Everad calla para mostrar su descontento y lograr angustiar a su esposa. La manera en que la tía Entwhistle se contiene para tratar de llevarse bien con el esposo de su adorada sobrina. Las cosas que no se dicen pero que sin palabras quedan nítidamente claras para el lector y los personajes, tan crueles que duelen como puñales. Los rumores que envuelven a Vera y su muerte, y su recuerdo, siempre presente. Lo que se sobrentiende que fue su vida conyugal. Lo premonitorio que resulta su figura y desenlace respecto a Lucy. “Vera� es una novela en la que hay ecos, que no tienen sonido nítido, pero replican hasta multiplicarse en mil y un chillidos de angustia que no acaba de concretarse. Lo intangible acaba convirtiéndose en una opresión espesa que atrapa y destroza.
Y es que los personajes son el segundo aspecto que me gustaría destacar. Hay tres grandes protagonistas en toda la obra, Lucy, Everad y la tía de la primera. El resto de secundarios, con algún caso excepcional, son pálidas sombras que apenas aportan nada a la trama, pueden ser perfectamente obviables para la misma. Los tres están perfectamente trazados, incluso tienen su propio tono a la hora de narrar (ya que la novela se cuenta desde su punto de vista, pasando libremente de uno a otro). Von Arnim sorprende por su habilidad para ponerse en la piel de cualquiera de ellos, de trasmitir con detalle y realismo lo que sienten y piensan en cada momento. Es increíble como va mostrándonos la vulnerabilidad de Lucy, sus miedos y su necesidad de afecto y compañía,como al encontrarse con Everad se enamora apasionadamente y cree que ha encontrado un alma gemela que la comprende y la cuida. Como se deja arrastrar por su juego manipulador. Es increíble también, y terrible, la forma en que se va adentrando la autora poco a poco en la mente de un maltratador psicológico (y como se insinúa al final de la novela, también posiblemente físico) y en su necesidad de controlar y manipular todo a su alrededor, de ser quien tenga en todo momento la batuta y el control de todas las personas y de todos los elementos a su alrededor, y de lo retorcido y sádico que puede llegar a ser. Y descorazonador como se pone en la piel de la tía Entwhistle, un personaje más inteligente, observador y complejo de lo que parece a simple vista, que ve sin querer creer en que está derivando todo y trata de capear el temporal por el bien de Lucy, y no dejarse llevar por la rabia y la desolación que la produce su matrimonio. Una rabia y desolación que el lector no puede dejar de compartir en ningún momento.
Y para acabar solo puedo decir que he cerrado “Vera� con una sensación de angustia e impotencia increíbles. Ha sido al finiquitarla cuando todo lo que he leído a lo largo de sus más de 300 páginas ha calado total y completamente en mí, cuando he sido consciente de la magnitud del drama que había terminado. Un drama que solo acaba de empezar para Lucy, que ya la envuelto totalmente y que pronostica para ella un final amargo y triste. Exactamente el mismo que su predecesora, la Vera que la horroriza e hipnotiza a partes iguales, porque ella sabe, en el fondo, que ambas son un todo. Que aunque nunca han coincidido en el tiempo y el espacio están destinadas a un mismo destino marcado por un mal hombre, que están unidas por un lazo invisible de toxicidad y dolor. El matrimonio no es el final del cuento, no da estabilidad y felicidad sino todo lo contrario, es una burla negra de lo que se supone que representa. En este caso es el inicio de un tormento duradero y la crónica de una muerte anunciada. Es un final que te deja con miedo y angustia sin necesidad de sangre o violencia física , que impacta totalmente al lector y le deja desconsolado.
Voy a intentar no comparar mucho las dos novelas en esta reseña. Es cierto que se ven puntos en común entre ambas, aunque no supieras la relación entre ambas es obvia la influencia de la obra de Von Arnim en la de Du Maurier en ciertos aspectos, y si te has leído uno no puedes evitar relacionarlo con la otra obra de forma automática. Sin embargo no puedo evitar señalar que hay una cosa que me ha llamado especialmente la atención sobre ambas novelas : en mi opinión, aunque fue escrita en 1921, casi 20 años antes que “Rebecca� , “Vera� es sorprendentemente más moderna. Si hay algo que siempre he reconocido en una de mis novelas preferidas es que “Rebeca� sería una obra impublicable hoy en día, incluso impensable de escribir. En cambio “Vera”es una novela que me ha sorprendido por su rabiosa actualidad, lo que cuenta es algo que desgraciadamente sigue sucediendo hoy en día, y la manera en que todo es representado y en que todo sucede en sus páginas me ha chocado particularmente, porque es algo que no ha cambiado hoy por hoy y que resulta perfectamente reconocible para el lector moderno. Es algo que no te gusta leer, porque sabes que es realidad en estado puro. Me ha chocado mucho la audacia de la autora al tratar un tema tabú para su época, y que lo haga de una forma tan directa. Aquí no se romantiza o se justifican el amor tóxico o ciertos actos contra la mujer como si sucedía en la obra de Du Maurier. Todo es representado con un oscuro, frío y aséptico realismo en el que no caben las concesiones, que te lleva hasta una tupida red de araña que va gestándose poco a poco a lo largo de la novela hasta acabar enredando completamente a la protagonista en su final.
Pero es mejor que vayamos por partes, poco a poco. La obra empieza en una villa de verano en Cornualles justo cuando nuestra protagonista, Lucy Entwhistle, acaba de perder a su adorado padre, el centro de su existencia. Aún está intentando asumir el golpe cuando, ese mismo día, conoce a Everad Wemyss, quien hace apenas unas semanas acaba de quedarse viudo en trágicas circunstancias. Su difunta esposa era la Vera que da título a la novela, cuya muerte está envuelta en dudas y misterios que junto a su figura seguirán flotando entre los protagonistas durante toda la obra. Wemyss, aprovechando la vulnerabilidad de Lucy, se autoproclama en su protector y apoyo. Logrará enamorarla locamente y no tardará en que consienta en casarse con él. La historia se centrará en el cortejo y compromiso entre ambos, su posterior matrimonio y sus primeros días de casados, con su luna de miel en Francia y su llegada a la casa de recreo del marido, The Willows.
Es una obra muy amena de leer, por su prosa sencilla y efectiva (no me ha resultado especialmente pulida, pero tampoco es horrible, ni mucho menos), sus diálogos ágiles y llenos de vida y su articulación en capítulos relativamente cortos. Reconozco que a lo largo de la lectura ha habido momentos en que me ha costado mucho seguir con ella. No por lo que se narra, que es muy duro y muchas veces muy difícil de digerir, sino porque he notado que muchos momentos la autora volvía a temas en los que ya había incidido anteriormente, y que todo lo que pasaba no hacía avanzar la trama. Ha habido ciertos momentos en los que me sentía como un impasse con esta obra, y notaba que no fluía correctamente. Esa es la gran queja que me deja esta lectura.
Pero es que ese es el kid de la cuestión con “Vera�. No es una novela de giros sorprendentes y de acontecimientos que resuenen. Todo empieza como un paseo campestre tranquilo y relajado que va acelerándose poco a poco hasta que todo termina por dejarte con la sensación de que te has precipitado en un acantilado muy alto y profundo. Es una novela de lo pequeño y de como puede acabar por ser nocivo, de la oscuridad que se puede esconder en lo cotidiano. Cotidiano, esa es la palabra. Porque “Vera� es un drama domestico, oscuro y realista en el que su protagonista acabara arrastrada y anulada por un marido psicológicamente maltratador y obsesionado por controlarlo todo, incluida su esposa.
Hay dos aspectos que me parecen increíblemente bien trazados por Von Arnim y que demuestran su habilidad como narradora.
En primer lugar su gran habilidad para crear una atmósfera que poco a poco, pasito a pasito a medida que va avanzando la lectura se vuelve más y más opresora, cuando atrapa totalmente a Lucy y hace sufrir absolutamente al lector al no ser capaz de ver la salida para su protagonista porque esta tampoco es capaz de verla. Para ello cada aspecto o elemento que aparece en la novela, y cada acto, frase y pensamiento de sus protagonistas se envuelve de un significado que puede no ser aparente a primera vista, pero que no por ello está menos cargado de fuerza y de intensidad, teniendo un peso fundamental para la obra y para dotarla de un propósito. Incluso los silencios son parte fundamental de la misma: los pensamientos que Lucy intenta controlar pero se le escapan inevitablemente como arena entre los dedos. La forma manipuladora y llena de aristas con la que Everad calla para mostrar su descontento y lograr angustiar a su esposa. La manera en que la tía Entwhistle se contiene para tratar de llevarse bien con el esposo de su adorada sobrina. Las cosas que no se dicen pero que sin palabras quedan nítidamente claras para el lector y los personajes, tan crueles que duelen como puñales. Los rumores que envuelven a Vera y su muerte, y su recuerdo, siempre presente. Lo que se sobrentiende que fue su vida conyugal. Lo premonitorio que resulta su figura y desenlace respecto a Lucy. “Vera� es una novela en la que hay ecos, que no tienen sonido nítido, pero replican hasta multiplicarse en mil y un chillidos de angustia que no acaba de concretarse. Lo intangible acaba convirtiéndose en una opresión espesa que atrapa y destroza.
Y es que los personajes son el segundo aspecto que me gustaría destacar. Hay tres grandes protagonistas en toda la obra, Lucy, Everad y la tía de la primera. El resto de secundarios, con algún caso excepcional, son pálidas sombras que apenas aportan nada a la trama, pueden ser perfectamente obviables para la misma. Los tres están perfectamente trazados, incluso tienen su propio tono a la hora de narrar (ya que la novela se cuenta desde su punto de vista, pasando libremente de uno a otro). Von Arnim sorprende por su habilidad para ponerse en la piel de cualquiera de ellos, de trasmitir con detalle y realismo lo que sienten y piensan en cada momento. Es increíble como va mostrándonos la vulnerabilidad de Lucy, sus miedos y su necesidad de afecto y compañía,como al encontrarse con Everad se enamora apasionadamente y cree que ha encontrado un alma gemela que la comprende y la cuida. Como se deja arrastrar por su juego manipulador. Es increíble también, y terrible, la forma en que se va adentrando la autora poco a poco en la mente de un maltratador psicológico (y como se insinúa al final de la novela, también posiblemente físico) y en su necesidad de controlar y manipular todo a su alrededor, de ser quien tenga en todo momento la batuta y el control de todas las personas y de todos los elementos a su alrededor, y de lo retorcido y sádico que puede llegar a ser. Y descorazonador como se pone en la piel de la tía Entwhistle, un personaje más inteligente, observador y complejo de lo que parece a simple vista, que ve sin querer creer en que está derivando todo y trata de capear el temporal por el bien de Lucy, y no dejarse llevar por la rabia y la desolación que la produce su matrimonio. Una rabia y desolación que el lector no puede dejar de compartir en ningún momento.
Y para acabar solo puedo decir que he cerrado “Vera� con una sensación de angustia e impotencia increíbles. Ha sido al finiquitarla cuando todo lo que he leído a lo largo de sus más de 300 páginas ha calado total y completamente en mí, cuando he sido consciente de la magnitud del drama que había terminado. Un drama que solo acaba de empezar para Lucy, que ya la envuelto totalmente y que pronostica para ella un final amargo y triste. Exactamente el mismo que su predecesora, la Vera que la horroriza e hipnotiza a partes iguales, porque ella sabe, en el fondo, que ambas son un todo. Que aunque nunca han coincidido en el tiempo y el espacio están destinadas a un mismo destino marcado por un mal hombre, que están unidas por un lazo invisible de toxicidad y dolor. El matrimonio no es el final del cuento, no da estabilidad y felicidad sino todo lo contrario, es una burla negra de lo que se supone que representa. En este caso es el inicio de un tormento duradero y la crónica de una muerte anunciada. Es un final que te deja con miedo y angustia sin necesidad de sangre o violencia física , que impacta totalmente al lector y le deja desconsolado.
June 17, 2017
Add Vera to the list of books that some naive (read: dumb) people think are love stories when in fact they are the furthest thing from it (other books on the list include Wuthering Heights and Lolita. It still blows my mind that people can think of Lolita as a love story and I haven't even read it yet). Elizabeth von Arnim's wit and, for lack of a better word, snark practically leap off the page of this novel that centres around one of the most dysfunctional relationships ever.
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When Lucy Entwhistle's father dies she is at a loss having spent her 22 years as his companion and caregiver; the very day of his death, Everard Wemyss walks into her life and thus the manipulation and power plays begin. When they marry, Lucy realises she'll be living in the shadow of Wemyss's late wife Vera, who died under suspicious circumstances - you can see how this novel was potentially the inspiration behind Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca!
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I kind of wish Lucy had been a bit more assertive, but I suppose von Arnim was trying to show how controlling and crazy Wemyss was. On the plus side, Lucy's 'spinster' aunt Dorothy Entwhistle was everything you could want in a woman character from the 1920s standing up to a bully in a man's world! I was cheering her on when she called Wemyss out on his controlling bullshit and sinister 'love' for Lucy.
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I think I would recommend this one for fans of du Maurier's Rebecca, because although the dark and brooding atmosphere isn't as powerful, von Arnim shares the same delightful ambiguity and mystery as a du Maurier novel! There are some similarities but there are major differences in characterisation, especially concerning the two husbands, Wemyss and De Winter. And yes, you will feel slightly nauseated at all the baby-talk between husband and wife, but it did make me giggle to think of von Arnim writing the words dripping with disdain!
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When Lucy Entwhistle's father dies she is at a loss having spent her 22 years as his companion and caregiver; the very day of his death, Everard Wemyss walks into her life and thus the manipulation and power plays begin. When they marry, Lucy realises she'll be living in the shadow of Wemyss's late wife Vera, who died under suspicious circumstances - you can see how this novel was potentially the inspiration behind Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca!
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I kind of wish Lucy had been a bit more assertive, but I suppose von Arnim was trying to show how controlling and crazy Wemyss was. On the plus side, Lucy's 'spinster' aunt Dorothy Entwhistle was everything you could want in a woman character from the 1920s standing up to a bully in a man's world! I was cheering her on when she called Wemyss out on his controlling bullshit and sinister 'love' for Lucy.
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I think I would recommend this one for fans of du Maurier's Rebecca, because although the dark and brooding atmosphere isn't as powerful, von Arnim shares the same delightful ambiguity and mystery as a du Maurier novel! There are some similarities but there are major differences in characterisation, especially concerning the two husbands, Wemyss and De Winter. And yes, you will feel slightly nauseated at all the baby-talk between husband and wife, but it did make me giggle to think of von Arnim writing the words dripping with disdain!
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