The Buccaneers
2 journalers for this copy...
I got this softcover from the charity-sale bin at Hannaford's, and was glad of another release copy. (I enjoyed the 1995 BBC mini-series version of the story.) This was Wharton's last novel, and was completed after her death by Marion Mainwaring from the notes she left.
I enjoyed the book, but it did feel sketchy; don't know if Wharton was going for a more fast-paced story than some of her other novels, or if she meant to flesh it out more. It's an entertaining account of several American girls of varying degrees of nouveau-riche-ness going to England and marrying into the peerage - lots of class-related issues (and humor), and some relationship guidelines of the "be careful what you wish for" variety... I admit to having sympathy for the young Duke of Tintagel, a sober and retiring man who'd rather spend his time repairing clocks than running a great estate or attending gala events; when he meets one of the American girls unexpectedly and she takes him for a commoner, he has the chance to find out what it would be like to talk to a girl who wasn't trying to nab him for his title: "For a fleeting second the Duke tried to feel what it would be like to be a Mr. Robinson... a man who might wind his own clocks when he chose. It did not feel as agreeable as the Duke had imagined - and he hastily re-became a duke." {snerk!}
The romantic complications get more tangled as the story goes on, and perhaps it's the sheer number of main characters that makes this seem to be a faster-paced story - most of Wharton's books deal with one or two main characters and get very introspective indeed. I like 'em all, though!
I enjoyed the book, but it did feel sketchy; don't know if Wharton was going for a more fast-paced story than some of her other novels, or if she meant to flesh it out more. It's an entertaining account of several American girls of varying degrees of nouveau-riche-ness going to England and marrying into the peerage - lots of class-related issues (and humor), and some relationship guidelines of the "be careful what you wish for" variety... I admit to having sympathy for the young Duke of Tintagel, a sober and retiring man who'd rather spend his time repairing clocks than running a great estate or attending gala events; when he meets one of the American girls unexpectedly and she takes him for a commoner, he has the chance to find out what it would be like to talk to a girl who wasn't trying to nab him for his title: "For a fleeting second the Duke tried to feel what it would be like to be a Mr. Robinson... a man who might wind his own clocks when he chose. It did not feel as agreeable as the Duke had imagined - and he hastily re-became a duke." {snerk!}
The romantic complications get more tangled as the story goes on, and perhaps it's the sheer number of main characters that makes this seem to be a faster-paced story - most of Wharton's books deal with one or two main characters and get very introspective indeed. I like 'em all, though!
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Town Common in Ashby, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, December 30, 2018
I left this book, bagged against the elements, on the gazebo near the town common; hope someone enjoys it!
[See other recent releases in MA here.]
*** Released for the 2018 Movie release challenge. ***
[See other recent releases in MA here.]
*** Released for the 2018 Movie release challenge. ***
Found this book Downtown, pretty cool