rachelgertrude's review
4.0
The fact that this was a novel about Lord Byron was not the reason I wanted to read it... I think it was because I liked the cover!
To everyone else, Annabella at the beginning of the novel is praised by everyone for her "angelic goodness." But below the surface of appearances, Markovits allows the reader to see more than this. She is quiet, unusually intelligent, and also has a constant struggle with vanity. She has a high sense of her value and merits, and tends to see herself as somewhat superior to others.
Which is exactly what attracts her to Lord Byron, the poet of the century. He is a brooding figure in social gatherings who seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, and feel things more deeply than others. She believes that they are "superior souls." She also believes that because she is so filled with this angelic goodness, that some of it will rub off on him if they are married.
Annabella soon discovers her mistake - she cannot make Lord Byron a better man. If anything, the marriage causes her to let go of that pride in her own goodness, as she recognizes how weak she truly is.
Though the writing was at times inscrutable, Markovits showed the transformation of Annabella's character with remarkable depth and insight. Sometimes when I read novels about historical figures, I have that nagging question, "But is that REALLY how it happened?" In this case, I think he painted Annabella's character, for all of its virtues and flaws, much as it would have been.
I had to wonder, when I finished the book, at the idea that Annabella and Byron were "mismatched." In being their real selves, they could not have been happily married to each other. But at the same time, I think nobody but a Lord Byron could have probably humbled Annabella in ways that would have helped her to grow. It seemed like all of her other suitors were so convinced of her goodness, that she could have easily retained all the weaknesses of her character without ever being challenged. Although Lord Byron was in many ways abusive and manipulative, her marriage to him did cause Annabella to grow and change in positive ways.
To everyone else, Annabella at the beginning of the novel is praised by everyone for her "angelic goodness." But below the surface of appearances, Markovits allows the reader to see more than this. She is quiet, unusually intelligent, and also has a constant struggle with vanity. She has a high sense of her value and merits, and tends to see herself as somewhat superior to others.
Which is exactly what attracts her to Lord Byron, the poet of the century. He is a brooding figure in social gatherings who seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, and feel things more deeply than others. She believes that they are "superior souls." She also believes that because she is so filled with this angelic goodness, that some of it will rub off on him if they are married.
Annabella soon discovers her mistake - she cannot make Lord Byron a better man. If anything, the marriage causes her to let go of that pride in her own goodness, as she recognizes how weak she truly is.
Though the writing was at times inscrutable, Markovits showed the transformation of Annabella's character with remarkable depth and insight. Sometimes when I read novels about historical figures, I have that nagging question, "But is that REALLY how it happened?" In this case, I think he painted Annabella's character, for all of its virtues and flaws, much as it would have been.
I had to wonder, when I finished the book, at the idea that Annabella and Byron were "mismatched." In being their real selves, they could not have been happily married to each other. But at the same time, I think nobody but a Lord Byron could have probably humbled Annabella in ways that would have helped her to grow. It seemed like all of her other suitors were so convinced of her goodness, that she could have easily retained all the weaknesses of her character without ever being challenged. Although Lord Byron was in many ways abusive and manipulative, her marriage to him did cause Annabella to grow and change in positive ways.
bookmage's review
2.0
Oh my goodness. The way it was written, I was absolutely CONVINCED that it was 19th century. But even though I am familiar with that writing style, and even like it, in some cases, I was thoroughly confused. I really had no idea what was going on in the main character, Annabella's, head. It was like he buried the story and the characters in lots of flowery prose. I found myself getting lost in a paragraph, not in a good way either. In a way that was like, I wonder what I'm reading about now. And even though I love Lord Byron, the book jacket was a lot clearer on the story and promised a lot that I feel the book didn't deliver on. If I hadn't read that blurb on that jacket, I would never have understood what was supposed to be happening between the characters.
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