Robert M. (shotokanchef) reviewed on 9/16/2009 + 813 more book reviews

Read carefullyâyou may want to take notes of things that are poorly, or not, explained. Be prepared to reread sections to understand who is speaking, or to whom or to what a reference is made. His is another English novel using the clergyânot one, but twoâas a vehicle to manipulate the main characters. Not to outdo Trollope, one is looked upon kindly by the female characters, but the other is a pompous meddler who can't seem to keep his mouth shut about his acquaintances and confidences. Anyway, two lady travelers (Lucy, a young woman, and Miss Bartlett, her cousin and chaperon) in Florence (Italy) are disappointed that their rooms at a pension are not what they had been promised. They make an exchange for rooms with a view of the Arno. Thus the stage is set for events that will challenge Edwardian convention. Lucy is witness to a strange murder in which the victim is âhit lightly on the chest,â turns to her, opens his mouth, and proceeds to drool blood on her package of pictures, but evidently not on her person. The author does not explain this directly; he forces the reader to interpolate this through subsequent narrative. She is rescued from a swoon by one of the pension residents: a young man who continues to float in and out of her life. They leave the scene without her being identified as a witness to the tragedy. Throughout the novel âroomâ and âviewâ pop up. âRoomâ would represent the confinement of Edwardian convention, while âviewâ denotes intellectual freedom. The characters are also tied to these views. E.g., Miss Bartlett is conventional (room); Lucy seeks freedom (view). Beyond this Lucy is plagued with doubts of love for two of the main characters. Towards both, she âplucks the daisy petalsâ throughout. I love him; I love him not. She does not settle her conundrum until the final pages. With whom will Lucy live happily ever after? This is serious, sometimes tiring, reading. To parody Dickens, one might subtitle it âNot To Be Read For Entertainment,â or âTo Be Read For Intelligent Enlightenment.â

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