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Available
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Duke Classics
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Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML: Constance Fenimore Woolson was the great niece of James Fenimore Cooper and a close friend and correspondent of Henry James. A successful short story and novel writer Woolson was one of the "local color", or American literary regionalism authors popular in late-nineteenth century America. She travelled a great deal through America and Europe where she gathered material for her works. Woolson's stories focus on character, dialects, customs and landscape that are unique to a region. Her tales are often imbued with a sense of nostalgia for a world not yet in step with the modern world of development..
User reviews
LibraryThing member japaul22
Anne is a novel by American author Constance Fenimore Woolson published in 1881. Woolson's works have fallen into obscurity, but I learned about her on a summer vacation to Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. She spent a lot of time on the island, included it in her writings, and has a memorial
I started with Anne because it was Woolson's first novel and supposed to be her most popular and accessible. I went into it honestly thinking it might be sort of a slog, but I ended up absolutely loving it! When we meet Anne, she is a teenager living on Mackinac Island with a blended family and in near poverty. But she is happy - she loves the island and there is some really excellent nature writing here by Woolson. When Anne's father dies, she becomes engaged to her childhood sweetheart and they both go off into the world to try to make some money. Anne is sponsored by her wealthy and hard-hearted Aunt to attend a finishing school in New York with the idea that this will set her up to teach and that will be the end of her relationship with her aunt. But Anne is a lovely person, and she meets friends in high places and begins developing complicated relationships in this higher society circle.
I was really sad when Anne left the island and worried that losing that setting would make the rest of the book uninteresting, but Woolson sets up a beautiful romance in the middle of the book that includes all the typical drama of the era. There are misunderstandings, hidden feelings, and missed chances between several potential couples. And I was totally enamored. And then the Civil War happens, providing another great background/setting for the action.
I will admit that the last fifth of the book takes a plot turn that is a bit far-fetched, but it is not out of line with many novels of the era.
I'm sad that this book is not in print and isn't more widely read. If I had to compare her writing with someone, I'd say she has the technique and drama of a [[Charlotte Brontë]] and the keen observation of [[Anthony Trollope]]. I would really like to read more of her books and hope I can find them! Please give her a try if you are a fan of this era of writing!
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there. Now she is best known as the niece of [[James Fenimore Cooper]] and the good friend of [[Henry James]]. I read an excellent biography of Woolson last year, [Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist] by [[Anne Boyd Rioux]], and wanted to read some of Woolson's novels. I started with Anne because it was Woolson's first novel and supposed to be her most popular and accessible. I went into it honestly thinking it might be sort of a slog, but I ended up absolutely loving it! When we meet Anne, she is a teenager living on Mackinac Island with a blended family and in near poverty. But she is happy - she loves the island and there is some really excellent nature writing here by Woolson. When Anne's father dies, she becomes engaged to her childhood sweetheart and they both go off into the world to try to make some money. Anne is sponsored by her wealthy and hard-hearted Aunt to attend a finishing school in New York with the idea that this will set her up to teach and that will be the end of her relationship with her aunt. But Anne is a lovely person, and she meets friends in high places and begins developing complicated relationships in this higher society circle.
I was really sad when Anne left the island and worried that losing that setting would make the rest of the book uninteresting, but Woolson sets up a beautiful romance in the middle of the book that includes all the typical drama of the era. There are misunderstandings, hidden feelings, and missed chances between several potential couples. And I was totally enamored. And then the Civil War happens, providing another great background/setting for the action.
I will admit that the last fifth of the book takes a plot turn that is a bit far-fetched, but it is not out of line with many novels of the era.
I'm sad that this book is not in print and isn't more widely read. If I had to compare her writing with someone, I'd say she has the technique and drama of a [[Charlotte Brontë]] and the keen observation of [[Anthony Trollope]]. I would really like to read more of her books and hope I can find them! Please give her a try if you are a fan of this era of writing!
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Original publication date
1882
DDC/MDS
| Fic Gen Woolson |