Reviews

Erloschenes Feuer, by Vita Sackville-West

eheslosz's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

interesting and fun to begin with. vaguely feminist potential. ended up quite dull and forgettable. vita is a great character but a mediocre writer.

sophiefreeman's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

If you enjoy Virginia Woolf's writing you will enjoy this book. Very little occurs plot-wise but we follow the thoughts and memories of Lady Slane as she reminisces about her life. This has a strong feminist angle, as one of the main concepts Lady Slane grapples with is how her life would've turned out if she hadn't married her husband. Throughout her life she played the role of the perfect wife, and suppressed her own thoughts and personality for the sake of her husband and his career. Now her husband is dead, she finally has the freedom to live and think for herself. This is a gorgeously written novel, relatively fast-paced, that I would thoroughly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

tempestades_y_belleza's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

cecileegbgn's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

mazza57's review against another edition

4.0

Lady Slane is released from a lifetime of feeling trapped in conventional society, whilst always wishing she could have been an artist of importance, by the death of her husband. After the funeral she makes the decision to isolate herself (and her French ladies maid) in a rented house in Hampshire. She bans her grandchildren and great grandchildren from visiting, her children - mainly egotistic, self centred, chips of Lord Slade's block make no real effort to keep in touch. Lady Slade establishes friendships with her landlord, her builder and an old acquaintance. This is a beautifully written classic novel, short but powerfully written. The only problem is that all the Maid's dialogue is written in French the idea of what she is saying can in the main be interpreted but some remains unknown.

tina94's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

wendoxford's review against another edition

4.0

88 year old Lady Slane can, at last, become her true self when her husband (ex Viceroy of India, ex PM) dies. Instead of being prostrate with helplessness and grief, she rejects her patronising children's efforts to manage her and sets off on a small late life adventure of independence.
A subtle invective against Victorian values, being old, being a woman and frustrated dreams (albeit from a moneyed perspective!)
A really "good read"

wigglybones's review against another edition

inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition

2.0

Not my favorite book. I suspect someday I'll forget I ever read it.

honeyblonde02's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No