Maybe closer to 3.5 stars with funny moments. Well written and the reason I’ll look for more pieces to read. ( )

Read for a graduate seminar on Romantic Era Women Writers at CU Boulder.

I want to love this novel for its entertainment factor and for the illusion of an independent heroine, but I find it impossible to get over all the stalkeresque male heroes and their racist allies. Therefore, proceed, but with caution. This is far more entertaining than most of the novels I've read from this era - but if you're a feminist, you'll probably be every bit as disgusted with the narrative arc as I was. ( )

I really love the story of Belinda, but I've come to realize I just don't like Edgeworth's writing style. I'm not sure what it is that rankles me but as soon as I pick up one of her books, it's so slowgoing for me, because I'm just not enjoying it. I felt the same way about a few of Charlotte Smith's books as well. It's not as satirical, maybe a little preachy and earnest in its coverage of issues of the time (and really, of now--racism, gambling addiction and the way people who 'don't look sick' are treated.)

If you like Emmeline, you'll probably like Belinda as well. If you're more of an Evelina or Marchmont person, you might find it a little dry and preachy. ( )

Belinda Portman has come of age, and her Aunt Stanhope has made arrangements for her to stay in London with Lady Delacour. Aunt Stanhope has a reputation as a matchmaker for her young female relations, and Belinda is to be her next success story. Lady Delacour is an odd choice of chaperon. Lord and Lady Delacour lead largely separate lives, and Lady Delacour has a reputation as a flirt. Belinda is on her guard after she overhears a conversation not meant for her ears, and she comes to realize that it’s up to her to guard her own reputation and her own heart.

This early 19th century novel reads like a mashup of Shaw’s Pygmalion and Austen’s Emma, occasionally wandering into a Dickens novel. Perhaps this is an indication of Edgeworth’s influence on later generations of authors. ( )

This was a group read, helped along with informative commentary by Liz. Belinda is our titular heroine, but she doesn;t exactly fit the mould of the time. She's a niece of the matchmaking Selina Stanhope, who has thus far launched the society careers of a number of nieces and amrried them all off sucessfully. Not always happily, but happiness and social success are in no way the same thing, as this book makes plain. Belinda is duly lodged with Lady Delacour, who might be seen as the antithesis of how BBelinda should behave. She was once a society heiress and made a splash in society, with numerous offers for her hand. She herself had lost her heart to one Mr Peveril, and while he returned her love, he declined to put her on a pedestall and be blind to her faults, so she spurned him. In a fit of pique (or on the rebound, maybe) she marries Lord Delacour and they are now somewhat unhappy. Always at cross purposes, with a child being cared for by relatives, they really have no point of contact. Another example to Belinda of what making a good match but poor marriage might entail.
Of Belinda's own prospects, there are several. Sir Phillip Baddesley is a bore and a cad and deserves the comeuppance he gets. Clarence Hervey is another and he is more promising, only he is not the marrying type, is engaged in a flirtation that is rumoutred to be an affair with Lady Delacour and is believed to have a mistress. All of which are black marks against his name. But he also comes with that society gallantry that makes it hard to know if he's telling the truth at any point and appears a little hypocritical. And has a superiority complex that, to be frack, he does not deserve. He's not exactly hero material. Our final suitor is Mt Vincent, from the West Indies, he has a fortune to his name and comes with the benefit of being the mentor of Mr Peveril (who is taken as a model round these parts). All is not as it appears here either, and that which looks good form one angle can be flawed from another.
Having had all these different examples and lessons (there is something to learn from each incident - but it isn't all that didactical) Belinda uses her head to make rational decisions. These can appear cold, and she is accused of being cold hearted by not being swept away on a tide of feeling. I liked her, but can see that she was not necessarily a creature of her time. Like Mary Wollstencraft in the Vinicaiton of the Richts of Women, I feel that Maria Edgeworth is pushing for women to be educated and use their heads more, as being a creature of nothing but emotion gets very wearing and is not necessarily goood for anyone. It took a bit of time to read, it is quite dense and the style of writing takes a little getting used to (as with anything of this vintage). I enjoyed it. ( )