Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton was too short. Too brief. Period. It's a fictional account of the life of Margaret Lucas who was born in 1623, married and later became Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Covering her childhood, marriage and later exile, the book focusses on her infertility problems and her writing, which soon becomes her life's focus. Some of her prose was included in the novel, however I wasn't able to connect with her writing style yet readily acknowledge her book The Blazing World is considered to be one of the first in the science fiction genre.
In addition, I found it confusing that the narrative voice changes between first person and third person and then I was thrown for a loop when the reader is given a brief third person perspective from none other than the diarist of the day Samuel Pepys.
In 1667, Margaret Cavendish famously attended the theatre with her breasts exposed and her nipples painted red causing a stir. This event is recounted here, but I couldn't help but disapprove of Margaret's selfishness on the opening night of her husband's play. It does serve as a good reminder that public nudity stunts - like those exhibited today by the likes of Bianca Censori - are nothing new.
I was also annoyed to find in the Author's Note that Dutton included lines and images from Virginia Woolf's writing throughout her novel. She explained that she learned about Margaret Cavendish by reading Virginia Woolf's work which is interesting and worthy of a mention. But to learn that some of the writing I automatically attributed to Cavendish throughout the novel could have been written instead by Virginia Woolf really irritated me and I felt duped.
There were moments of terrific writing, the description of London and fertility treatments of the day stand out clearly in my mind, yet they only served to make me yearn for a full length historical fiction treatment of the subject.
Margaret Cavendish is an interesting figure from history and I was hoping for a more thorough look at her life, but Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton only offers a fractured glimpse, where every chapter feels like an executive summary of events. Perfect for those wanting only the highlights of her life.
Carpe Librum!
Sorry that one was a disappointment to you. I know how much you enjoy historical works. Hopefully your next read will be better.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diana, I could tell by the page length (160 pages) that it was going to be short but I thought perhaps it might focus on a particular time in her life. I think I'd probably like to seek out a more in depth imagining of her life at some point.
DeleteThis sounds like a very unusual format, which I would admire but it doesn’t sound as if the result works at all. Still, she must have been a memorable individual!
ReplyDeleteThanks Constance, I think this would suit readers who feel intimidated by the length of some historical fiction novels by the likes of Alison Weir or Philippa Gregory and prefer reading shorter books. And you're right, Margaret sounds like an interesting woman of the time!
Delete