I knew that Emily Eden had written letters from India and they were highly regarded. I first encountered her, though, in William Dalrymple's book "Return of the King" which was the account of the first Anglo-Afghan war. Lord Eden was appointed the Governor General and his two sisters- Emily and Fanny- accompanied him to India. The war was a disaster and Lord Eden returned back to England where, fortunately, he soon died.
That Emily Eden also had written novels was something I learnt from the blog Redeeming Qualities. Her novels are not available at Project Gutenberg though they do have her letters. Then I discovered Hathi Trust Digital Library and wonders! They do have both her novels. This past week I read both of them- The semi-detached house and The semi-attached couple.
In the introduction to The semi-attached couple, Emily Eden is compared to Jane Austen and indeed the book follows somewhat the story plot line of Pride and Prejudice, though Mrs. Douglas nowhere is close to Mrs. Bennett. Mrs. Bennett was obsessed with marrying her daughters off while Mrs. Douglas is obsessed with running every one down. Marriage of her two daughters is incidental and Mrs. Douglas is actually very clear-sighted about it. But, Emily Eden does not do romance very well. The book begins with marriage where the at least the female protagonist is not very sure about her feelings. The book, of course, ends with everything arranged satisfactorily but it was not very interesting.
The semi-detached house, on the other hand, is a hoot. I think Emily Eden had a fun time writing the story. It has bunch of nice people from two spectrum of society. But as they are all nice, they get along very well. There is not much of a plot line but it was an enjoyable read. It is one of those books that I know I will re-read.
That Emily Eden also had written novels was something I learnt from the blog Redeeming Qualities. Her novels are not available at Project Gutenberg though they do have her letters. Then I discovered Hathi Trust Digital Library and wonders! They do have both her novels. This past week I read both of them- The semi-detached house and The semi-attached couple.
In the introduction to The semi-attached couple, Emily Eden is compared to Jane Austen and indeed the book follows somewhat the story plot line of Pride and Prejudice, though Mrs. Douglas nowhere is close to Mrs. Bennett. Mrs. Bennett was obsessed with marrying her daughters off while Mrs. Douglas is obsessed with running every one down. Marriage of her two daughters is incidental and Mrs. Douglas is actually very clear-sighted about it. But, Emily Eden does not do romance very well. The book begins with marriage where the at least the female protagonist is not very sure about her feelings. The book, of course, ends with everything arranged satisfactorily but it was not very interesting.
The semi-detached house, on the other hand, is a hoot. I think Emily Eden had a fun time writing the story. It has bunch of nice people from two spectrum of society. But as they are all nice, they get along very well. There is not much of a plot line but it was an enjoyable read. It is one of those books that I know I will re-read.
