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A review by melindamoor
The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden
4.0
Warning!: contains elements of casual and matter-of-fact Victorian antisemitism that was a product of its time but offends the modern reader.
"The only thing more gratifying to find than a good book is a good book which has been neglected." Phyllis Rose, literary biographer
3,75 stars rounded up for this light and entertaining Victorian comedy of manners, published in 1859. It very much reads as if it were the literary child (or at least a cousin once removed) of
[ai:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588941810p2/1265.jpg] and
[ai:Oscar Wilde|3565|Oscar Wilde|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1521044377p2/3565.jpg]
"Aunt Sarah's good sense stepped in: she thought it better that young married women should have a fixed income, whatever it might be called, pin-money or allowance. They knew then what they ought to spend, and all their little charities, or any presents they wished to give, would be the fruits of their own self-denial, and she even hinted that the most devoted and liberal husbands would, after a certain term of married life, object to milliners' bills, and become possessed with an insane idea that their wives were extravagant and always asking for money. And although Colonel Hilton said it was impossible he could ever be such a brute as that, yet he thought Aunt Sarah's advice sensible."
I very much tend to agree with Miss Rose, especially as it concerns [a:Emily Eden|141789|Emily Eden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1333222891p2/141789.jpg], who was totally unknown to me until Goodreads was kind enough to recommend it to me, because "I liked Jane Austen's books". So, a big THANK YOU goes to Goodreads.
Emily Eden was born in 1797 when Jane Austen had probably already finished First Impressions. How exciting. :)
Apparently Jane Austen was EE's favourite author and her influence can definitely be discovered in [b:The Semi-Detached House|10301752|The Semi-Detached House|Emily Eden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358731923l/10301752._SX50_.jpg|11205015].
Undoubtedly, it is lighter and the social sphere is higher. Its set is the Victorian aristocracy to which Emily Eden belonged -her father was the 1st Baron Auckland-. There are some great portrayals, memorable characters, some -though usually- light and witty social observance, and a potential to even more.
The story tells about the unlikely relations between two families from different social classes.
The lovely, young Lady Chester -recently and happily married- is about to have a baby so she is not allowed to accompany her husband to Berlin on a diplomatic mission.
He leaves her in a semi-detached house whose other half is occupied by a solidly middle-class family, the wife and daughters of a sea captain. The Chesters and Hopkinsons take to each other despite their different backgrounds.
Their foil comes in the person of the ostentatious, nouveau riche, social climbers Baron and Baroness Sampson, who are of Jewish origin. Here, there were also resemblances to [b:The Way We Live Now|149785|The Way We Live Now|Anthony Trollope|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453026230l/149785._SY75_.jpg|2152551] by [a:Anthony Trollope|20524|Anthony Trollope|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1199114248p2/20524.jpg].
Phyllis Rose calls it ''The Merchant of Venice' in English country dress."
"The only thing more gratifying to find than a good book is a good book which has been neglected." Phyllis Rose, literary biographer
3,75 stars rounded up for this light and entertaining Victorian comedy of manners, published in 1859. It very much reads as if it were the literary child (or at least a cousin once removed) of
[ai:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588941810p2/1265.jpg] and
[ai:Oscar Wilde|3565|Oscar Wilde|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1521044377p2/3565.jpg]
"Aunt Sarah's good sense stepped in: she thought it better that young married women should have a fixed income, whatever it might be called, pin-money or allowance. They knew then what they ought to spend, and all their little charities, or any presents they wished to give, would be the fruits of their own self-denial, and she even hinted that the most devoted and liberal husbands would, after a certain term of married life, object to milliners' bills, and become possessed with an insane idea that their wives were extravagant and always asking for money. And although Colonel Hilton said it was impossible he could ever be such a brute as that, yet he thought Aunt Sarah's advice sensible."
I very much tend to agree with Miss Rose, especially as it concerns [a:Emily Eden|141789|Emily Eden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1333222891p2/141789.jpg], who was totally unknown to me until Goodreads was kind enough to recommend it to me, because "I liked Jane Austen's books". So, a big THANK YOU goes to Goodreads.
Emily Eden was born in 1797 when Jane Austen had probably already finished First Impressions. How exciting. :)
Apparently Jane Austen was EE's favourite author and her influence can definitely be discovered in [b:The Semi-Detached House|10301752|The Semi-Detached House|Emily Eden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358731923l/10301752._SX50_.jpg|11205015].
Undoubtedly, it is lighter and the social sphere is higher. Its set is the Victorian aristocracy to which Emily Eden belonged -her father was the 1st Baron Auckland-. There are some great portrayals, memorable characters, some -though usually- light and witty social observance, and a potential to even more.
The story tells about the unlikely relations between two families from different social classes.
The lovely, young Lady Chester -recently and happily married- is about to have a baby so she is not allowed to accompany her husband to Berlin on a diplomatic mission.
He leaves her in a semi-detached house whose other half is occupied by a solidly middle-class family, the wife and daughters of a sea captain. The Chesters and Hopkinsons take to each other despite their different backgrounds.
Their foil comes in the person of the ostentatious, nouveau riche, social climbers Baron and Baroness Sampson, who are of Jewish origin. Here, there were also resemblances to [b:The Way We Live Now|149785|The Way We Live Now|Anthony Trollope|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453026230l/149785._SY75_.jpg|2152551] by [a:Anthony Trollope|20524|Anthony Trollope|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1199114248p2/20524.jpg].
Phyllis Rose calls it ''The Merchant of Venice' in English country dress."