Ormond

Though the title character is very significant and well delineated, the heroine of this brilliant and touching novel is Constance Dudley - as told by her friend Sophia Westwyn. Set in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia of the 1790's and published in 1799, this recounts the fall into penury of the Dudley family victimized by a trusted employee who embezzles huge sums and leaves them with unpayable debts. Moving to Philadelphia, they endure the loss of their mother, a yellow fever epidemic, rigors of winter and the exactions of landlords - kept afloat by the efforts and intelligence of their daughter Constance. Their fortunes abruptly change when Ormond, a wealthy military projector and conscientious atheist, falls in love with show more Constance and helps them obtain a measure of justice from Thomas Craig, who had victimized them. Unfortunately for Ormond, who has given up his mistress and hopes Constance will take her place, all his formidable talents and devious efforts are insufficient to sway Constance from her virtuous life. His self-centred morality leads to his destruction. My favorite so far from the great CBB.
(edit) show less

Brown's gothic novel set partially during the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, which made reading it during this year of COVID a little bit eerie. As usual, though, once I've read one of these classic novels, I wonder why I waited so long.

Written in 1799 this "gothic" tale is set in Philadelphia. It's labeled as gothic, however, I don't find a lot of the normal gothic elements contained within. It is the story of Constantia, a single women who cares for her down and out, blind father. There are scoundrels along the way and she deals with each righteously. She may be a bit naive, or is she just very humble? This was a very slow-paced book which focused on character development. Written as 3 separate works (Vol 1, Vol 11 and Vol 111). However, they must be read in order and completely before the story can be understood. They are all free on Kindle. 348 pages

Started but couldn't finish

A early American Gothic novel set in Philadelphia in which Constantia Dudley, a virtuous young maiden whose family has been financially ruined by a con man, and whose friends and family succumb one after the other to yellow fever, must dodge seducers, murderers, impersonators and the dreaded disease itself. Reminds me a little of William Harrison Ainsworth's "Old Saint Paul's" set in London, where the plague is the disease of choice. Here's a tasty morsel from "Ormond": "Whiston, deserted by every human creature, burning with fever, tormented into madness by thirst, spent three miserable days in agony. When dead, no one would cover his body with earth, but he was suffered to decay by piecemeal."

young woman fights poverty and courtship of selfish man, rather strange

Like everything happens in the last 5 pages with an absolutely absurd twist