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A review by jenn756
The Life and Death of Harriett Frean by May Sinclair
5.0
Short. Succinct. Brilliant. I am eternally grateful to the 1001 books lists bringing to my attention novels such as this, which I would never have heard of otherwise. It is only 80 pages or so, but so skilfully written it covers ground that other writers would have taken hundreds of pages to write. It is perfect in its shortness.
Other commentators have remarked on how sad Harriet Frean’s life is - a life constricted by convention and propriety, the need to keep up appearances – the typical lot of a Victorian woman in fact. She is a small child in the 1850s, when her mother wore crinolines and she is told to be beautiful. She lives in a well-heeled family, and life slips by and past her as she grows up and grows old. Opportunities are lost along the way, she mistakes selfishness for propriety, and that’s all really. The clever thing about Sinclair is she can subtly change the personality of Harriet as she ages.
But when you are confronted by a life laid out and exposed like that it makes you question if your life would fare any better if it was laid out too. I’ve got a few more kids and foreign holidays maybe, but honestly what else is there?!
Other commentators have remarked on how sad Harriet Frean’s life is - a life constricted by convention and propriety, the need to keep up appearances – the typical lot of a Victorian woman in fact. She is a small child in the 1850s, when her mother wore crinolines and she is told to be beautiful. She lives in a well-heeled family, and life slips by and past her as she grows up and grows old. Opportunities are lost along the way, she mistakes selfishness for propriety, and that’s all really. The clever thing about Sinclair is she can subtly change the personality of Harriet as she ages.
But when you are confronted by a life laid out and exposed like that it makes you question if your life would fare any better if it was laid out too. I’ve got a few more kids and foreign holidays maybe, but honestly what else is there?!