Emily Hudson
After the start of the Civil War, Emily Hudson - an orphan who lost her family to consumption and fever - finds herself the begrudged guest at the home of her relatives in Newport. Emily's longing to be an artist is dismissed by her puritanical uncle, who wants nothing more than to rid himself of her through marriage. Her only friend is her aesthete cousin, William, an ailing young writer. When a promising engagement to the eligible Captain Lindsay is broken, William rescues Emily from an uncertain future by taking her to England. Lonely and desperate to escape her cousin - once her confidante, now her obsessively controlling patron - Emily sets out alone to meet her destiny in the eternal city of Rome.
Reminiscent of the novels of Edith Wharton, Emily Hudson is an exquisitely told tale about a heroine struggling to be true to herself, and also find love in a society where only marriage or an independent income guaranteed a woman the freedom to do as she pleased.
Review: This book exceeded my expectations and the ending surprised me. Emily Hudson is a novel told in alternating epistolary and narrative style about a young woman who experiences a series of trials and a world that continually thwarts her true desires. Orphaned at a young age, dismissed from boarding school, disapproved of by her uncle, and constantly making faux paus that encourage the wrath of her family, Emily is a headstrong young lady who wishes to be an artist and choose her own path in life.
I did feel at a disadvantage because I am not familiar with the Henry James' story that inspired this novel and so cannot comment on the similarity in this novel and was unable to recognize where the novel followed or diverged from its source.
From the very beginning, it is clear that Emily's personality is at odds with the social conventions expected of women at that time period. The book opens with Emily being asked to leave her boarding school because of her "extravagant friendship" with another student and her other many faults: "she is too vigorous, too quick to question, and her temper is variable. You will not find any consistency in her behavior. She is by turns bewildered, good-humored, angered, merry, pained and aloof. She always says what comes into her head, as if she has a right to her peculiar thoughts. She laughs loudly. She is untidy. She almost expects to make an impression. She suffers from a lack of meekness, a lack of decorum, a lack of discipline. It is as if she is surprised that there are rules by which she must be controlled" (5-6). Yet despite everyone's judgment that Emily has no discipline or control, I was impressed by Emily's convictions to stay true to her desires and her ability to reject temptation. Although repeatedly tempted by Lord Firle, ultimately, Emily is able to make the right choice for herself; "Wrong for my soul. And I do not care to be ruined. I am to be an artist. Not some ruined, dying girl" (251).
Emily's cousin William seems to be the only relative and friend Emily has that is willing to come to her rescue. William offers to take Emily to England after a marriage proposal falls through. Yet unknown to Emily, William is deceiving Emily and manipulating the course of her life through several secret correspondences with those in Emily's life; "This letter is written without my cousin's knowledge, for reasons I am sure you will understand" (166). I was relieved when William's true character is revealed to Emily, because his generosity did not excuse his behavior.
It was odd to me that one of the main characters in the novel, Emily's boarding school friend Augusta, is not present until the last chapter of the novel. Emily writes letters to Augusta throughout the book, and despite the fact that the novel shows reply letters from other characters, none of Augusta's responses are featured. This is, of course, a great way for the author to directly write about Emily's private feelings, yet it did seem odd to never hear the voice of Emily's great friend and presumably a great influence on her life. Augusta's arrival in Rome to visit Emily at the end of the novel seemed like a long overdue meeting with her mysterious, yet faithful school friend. It was also interesting to have a book about an American in the Civil War for whom the war seems such a minimal event. Although she has several cousins in the war, Emily, and her overseas correspondence even, seem largely unaffected by the war.
I was surprised by the ending yet satisfied by it. It feels as if Emily got to truly explore who she was as a woman and confront her fears of illness and loneliness and was ready to welcome her fate by the conclusion of her story.
Stars: 3
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