The Beautiful Visit (1950)

I reread this book so many times when I was younger that I partially memorized some of the passages. Returning to it now, I can see why it had such appeal to me, as I identified with the narrator (who is never named in the book) and her longings to escape from her dull life and to become a different person. The language is at times stilted and not true to the narrator's character and the ending of the book feels contrived, but overall I still found myself enjoying the story. There are several excellent minor characters, such as Maria and the unforgettable Mrs Border, and several good scenes, such as when Lucy tells the narrator how her brother Gerald died, and when Rupert asks the narrator to marry him. The description is rich and the narrator has a unique view of things that I found very refreshing. ( )

For many years my desert island book ( )