Fowles, John. The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Little, Brown, and Company, 1969.
Reason read: there is something called a Swan Upping in England every July. Read in honor of that event.
John Fowles approaches the story of The French Lieutenant’s Woman as if he is a modern man looking into a Victorian crystal ball and sharing what he sees with his readers. His technique allows him to make lengthy comments on society, religion, science, politics and economy of the time. He can (and often does) insert himself into the story and even imagines various endings to the romantic saga. Fowles begins his tale by introducing us to Charles Smithson, a thirty-two year old independently wealthy wannabe natural scientist. Charles has impulsively become engaged to the young and beautiful Ernestina Freeman. Ernestina (Tina) also has wealth in her family, being the daughter of a savvy dry goods merchant. As the saying goes, every good romance needs some sort of tension. Enter Sarah Woodruff, an older and mysterious redhead. Rumor has it she was abandoned after a torrid affair with a French naval officer. The entire town of Lyme Regis thinks of her as a whore; utterly damaged goods. And yet Charles cannot help but be drawn to this silent and haunted woman who waits on the quay quietly staring out to sea. As much as he tries to keep his distance, there is something about the French lieutenant’s woman he cannot resist. What is redemption in the heart of an atheist? Fowles imagines three different possibilities for the love triangle’s conclusion. Everyone roots for passion, but I am not convinced there is a happy ending to satisfy all.
Confessional: for the longest time I kept calling the book The French Lieutenant’s Wife instead of Woman. I have no idea why. Here is an interesting tidbit – my husband also thought the same thing.
Another confessional: I did not care one whit about Charles. As Noah Kahan says, I kept “rooting for [his] downfall.”
As an aside, I have to wonder if Josh Ritter read The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Was he inspired by John Fowles’s description of Sarah’s eyes, “…they bubbled as the best champagne bubbles” (p 75).
Lines I Loved, “People sink out of sight, drown in the shadow of closer things” (p 337) and “Love had left the world” (p 429).
Author fact: Fowles has written a great deal but I am only reading The French Lieutenant’s Woman for the Challenge.
Book trivia: The French Lieutenant’s Woman was made into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. I have to put this one on my list because I love Meryl (who doesn’t?).
Music: “As Sylvia Was Walking.”
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the chapter called “Lyme Regis” (p 134).
~*LunaSea*~ 