Behind a Mask; or, A Woman's Power

Ahhh La perversidad de una mujer inteligente, ¡cuidense hombres cuando se encuentren con una mujer decidida, inteligente y manipuladora!

Me ha encantado este libro, ahora lo podríamos encasillar perfectamente en un “domestic noir”, pero no hay que perder de vista que esta historia fue escrita en 1866 y nada menos que por una mujer escritora.

Teniendo en cuenta esto sobrepasa cualquier sorpresa que pudiera tener en época actual, en la época cuando fue escrito, primero, no era común que hubiera mujeres escritoras, segundo, las mujeres eran consideradas casi como la propiedad de los hombres, su inteligencia era menospreciada y se tenía como pensamiento general que eran tontas, dóciles y poca cosa, así pues, que este libro show more presente a una mujer manipuladora, asquerosamente inteligente y fría, mi sorpresa va más allá de lo que yo sea capaz de expresar.

Me encantaría poder ver las caras de la gente que leyó esto en la época en la que fue escrita, es que es ¡tan deliciosamente escandalosa!.

La protagonista es única y aunque en otras reseñas he leído que la declaran como “mala persona” creo a mi parecer que de mala persona no tiene un pelo, eso sí, hace todo lo que esté en su mano para lograr sus fines, menosprecia a quienes la menosprecian y su venganza a quienes la consideran tonta o poca cosa es de alabarse, eso sí había que tener una sangre fría maravillosa.

Me ha encantado la frase final de este libro, es como para enmarcarla, no pude evitar soltar una tremenda carcajada y también aplaudir a Jean por su astucia.

Sabía desde hace tiempo que Louisa May Alcott había escrito cosas de este estilo y que incluso para ella misma era doloroso haber tenido que escribir algo como mujercitas que pegaba tan poco con lo que le gustaba escribir, pero no ha sido hasta ahora que he tenido la oportunidad de leer otra cosa de ella que no sea su obra más conocida y ¿saben que? ¡Ha valido cada palabra leída!, no solo por que ha sido una historia fascinante si no por su enorme calidad literaria, por que en ella además nos muestra a una mujer escritora con una capacidad impresionante y de una inteligencia deliciosa. show less

I don't see why this book was touted as a book of sex, love, betrayal and murder. There was love and betrayal but still pretty victorian. At most the main character Miss Muir is a sneaky con artist and quite the coquette. She was no murderess. It was a good little novella and it had its twists exactly what is expected from a thriller novella from the 19th century.

When the Coventry family hires Jean Muir as a governess for the daughter, Bella, Jean goes on to charm everyone in the household, except for Bella's brother Gerald and his cousin Lucia. These two can't shake off the idea that Jean is not quite what she seems.

I read every Louisa May Alcott children's book that I could get my hands on when I was a teenager, including her lesser-known ones, such as Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, and An Old-Fashioned Girl; but I never read her Gothic novellas or the novelizations of the newspaper stories that made her money. I'm rectifying that now, and this book - a free e-book - is my first foray into that part of her writing. This is more of an early example of a thriller than a mystery or Gothic novel show more per se, but it's an engaging story that keeps the reader in suspense to the end. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is that there's really no reason to reread the novella once the resolution is known. show less

Despite the formulaic "indolent" young rich men, sick old mother, and helpless females, this short novel has a more compelling plot than Old Fashioned Girl.

Personalities change as the power of Jean Muir extends through the family, yet her dark charade simply goes on too long.

A.M. Barnard was the pen name for Louisa May Alcott, and, sampling the style that was her bread and butter before she wrote better known classics, I fully appreciate her flare for the dramatic.

Summer reading would be incomplete without a few audio books! BJ Harrison, of Classic Tales Podcast, serves up this sensational story with style and delightful vocal characterization. Eligible man in possession of a fortune: check. Charming governess who is more that she appears: check. English countryside: check!

Earbuds in, I walked miles and painted walls in delight, listening to the adventures of the artful Jean Muir. How would this title fare in a feminist book club? That's what I wonder.

So for 9th grade English, my eldest daughter’s assignment was to choose from a selection of public domain books. She chose this because this was the shortest. And I don’t blame her. It’s bad enough that classic literature is limited to what a bunch of stuffy old white males “decided” kids should learn (I’m looking at you Catcher in the Rye and The Great Gatsby). It’s stuff like this that makes kids abhor reading. Good literature can be fun too (I’m looking at you Lord of the Rings).

Anyway, this is categorized as a “thriller”. Or what they’d consider a thriller in 1866. I guess they called it that because it’s about–shock of shocks–a woman with agency. Unlike other Austen-esque novel, she’s the bad guy. A show more sort of a femme fatale, like “I fooled you all, and now I stand triumphant.” And her victims are the Coventry.

This woman is hired as a governess for a British family, but at the end of the chapter, she reveals to the audience that she’s acting — she’s got a wig and false teeth. But it reveals nothing about her motivation besides getting out of poverty, I guess. Like an inverse version of The Making of a Marchioness. Anyway, nothing happens for the next six out of nine chapters. It’s just a bunch of faffing about. Then she manipulates a few people so that she can marry the old rich uncle of the family just in time to render her revealed secret irrelevant. I find no reason to read this today. I read it so I could help my daughter out with her assignment (which she did not end up asking me for — she’s very independent). show less

Jean Muir arrives at the Coventry family’s stately home to begin her new occupation as governess to sixteen-year-old Bella. She has an aura of mystery about her and proves to be an enchantress during one to one situations with members of the opposite sex. Most of the household take a shine to the newcomer, especially Bella, while two or three others are suspicious of Miss Muir’s true nature.

‘Behind a Mask or A Woman's Power’ blends suspense, deceit, desire, romance, pathos, jealousy, and heartache. Louisa May Alcott’s plotting and characterisation is superb. Apart from my sometimes being confused as to who’s talking when more than two characters are present in a scene, owing to the speaker being revealed at the end of a show more medium or long sentence, I thought the dialogue was excellent. show less