Dinitia Smith

The Prince, Dinitia Smith
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Themes from a well-known classic, “The Golden Bowl”, written by Henry James more than a century ago, are made pertinent today in this new version written by an author that brings them into the 21st century. She proves they are still relevant. Wealth vs. poverty, strength vs. weakness, loyalty vs. infidelity, compassion vs. indifference, kindness vs. cruelty, retribution vs. forgiveness, all subtly vie for space between the pages.
Dinitia Smith has surrounded the characters with modern day issues in order to place them into our current time frame. Issues like art, immigration, the environment, tolerance, and loyalty are concerns of the very wealthy, very important, Henry Woodford. To him, appearances are also of the utmost importance, and he values manners and good breeding. When an Italian prince, Federico Pallavicino, with dwindling fortunes and nothing to recommend him but his title, is introduced to Henry’s daughter, Emily, a soft spoken, unassuming but beautiful and agreeable young woman, by Jean Gavron, whose biggest client is Henry, is it a match made in heaven or is it a match based on convenience and good fortune?
Henry Woodford is a remarkable man. He is not only a man with vast wealth and property, he is also kind. As a lawyer, he did pro bono work for immigrants. Prince Federico is also kind and compassionate. He coached a soccer team of migrant children. Emily Woodford is a young woman who appreciates that kindness, but is also one of the idle rich. Still, she can solve all of the problems of the prince, who finds himself the object of her love. He also believes that he is in love with her. There is one catch. The prince had already been introduced to Christina, another beautiful young woman, by the very same Jean. Christina was also Emily’s good friend. So, the plot begins to thicken.
Although Christina and Federico had been involved in a passionate love affair, it had ended. Should the prince tell Emily about his former relationship with her friend Christina or keep it a secret? The situation grows far more complicated when Jean, once again, makes another match. This time she reunites Emily’s father Henry, with Emily’s friend Christina. She does not reveal any former relationships to any of them, as she makes these matches. Does Christina still carry a torch for Federico? While reading this novel, two thoughts came to my mind. One, was “what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive,” and the other was that “no good deed goes unpunished”. As these characters roam through the pages of the novel, the reader is drawn into their inner thoughts, but the characters are very careful to conceal them from each other.
This is a great book for a discussion group. How does one feel about May/December relationships? How does one feel about temptation and infidelity? Who should be blamed for the infidelity, the one tempting or the one tempted? How does one feel about marriages of convenience? Do the characters have legitimate reasons for their behavior, be it well-meaning or cruel? Are they conniving or innocent? Does anyone deserve forgiveness? Should they tell the truth or keep confidences? Does the reader have to like the characters to enjoy the story? What makes a true friend? Was the relationship between father and daughter too close, and therefore, was it the harbinger of the relationship that would develop between the father and the daughter’s friend? What was the real meaning of the vase, a possible lachrymatory? Was it a foreshadowing of the cracks to come in relationships? Is revenge ever justifiable?
So, while the book is written about another book and is therefore familiar, it gives rise to far more profound questions and thoughts than one would think. It raises so many discussion ideas and issues to think about. For certain, broken promises and choices we make will always be germane. Is it best to deal with them with vengeance or with grace?… (más)

George Eliot's marriage near the end of her life to a significantly younger man is something of a mystery - why did she choose to marry and what happened on the couple's honeymoon? This novel attempts to explain what the couple experienced in their brief marriage and place it in the larger context of Eliot's life. I've enjoyed the fiction I've read by Eliot and elements of her stories are apparent in this semi-biographical novel. Moreover, I appreciate the author's attempts to unpack Eliot's relationships and particularly her motives for marrying John Cross. This novel is likely to be appreciated by those intrigued by this nineteenth-century author.… (más)

This is a frustrating novelistic treatment of the life of George Eliot, opening in Venice as the 60-year-old novelist is beginning her honeymoon with her 20-year-younger husband John Cross, whose behavior become increasingly erratic (resulting in a suicide attempt). Long flashbacks flesh out Marian Evans's arrival to this point -- a sad sequence of seeking love and affection from a series of unavailable (usually married) men. -- All comes together into a relatively satisfactory resolution (hence the 3rd star in the rating), but the fact remains that I felt like throttling almost all the characters from time to time!… (más)

I kept forgetting it was a novelized biography. Her story felt very real and I loved this George Eliot every bit as much as I expected to, maybe more.

Fun things I didn't know, or had forgotten, about George Eliot:
(1) She was pretty darn famous in her day. Like, she wore a big lace mantilla (the original oversized sunglasses) so that people wouldn't recognize her. How many authors would you recognize on the street?
(2) She wrote SO. MANY. great novels. Not just [b:The Mill on the Floss|256658|The Mill on the Floss|George Eliot|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|3277447], not just [b:Middlemarch|271277|Middlemarch (Penguin Audiobooks)|George Eliot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1173306085s/271277.jpg|1461747], but [b:Adam Bede|256651|Adam Bede|George Eliot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348557826s/256651.jpg|21503633], [b:Silas Marner|383696|Silas Marner|George Eliot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347255685s/383696.jpg|3049535] (my personal favorite), [b:Scenes of Clerical Life|627572|Scenes of Clerical Life|George Eliot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365462421s/627572.jpg|3125343],[b:Daniel Deronda|775596|Daniel Deronda|George Eliot|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|313957],[b:Felix Holt the Radical|811375|Felix Holt the Radical|George Eliot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349023556s/811375.jpg|1513414]... It was really fun to see these put into the context of her life: what order she wrote them in, how she felt about each one during and after writing it, and how she sought out inspiration.
(3) She was the original cougar. By which I mean, she married a man roughly twenty years younger than she was ... when she was about 60 years old.

All in all, this was a lovely read, and I felt an enormous welling of sympathy for Eliot ... or I should say, for Marian Evans Lewes.

I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.… (más)