Sylvia's Loversby Elizabeth Gaskell | |
| Category: |
"Fiction - General" |
|---|---|
| Pages: | 484 |
| Year of Publication: | 1863 |
| Date Added: | 01/21/2021 |
| Date Read: | 08/13/2024 |
| Notes: | Sylvia is a beautiful, passionate, naive farm girl who is greatly loved by her cousin Philip, a shopkeeper. She, however, only has eyes for Kinraid, an exciting sailor who has a reputation for being a ladies' man. On the day after Sylvia and Kinraid get engaged, Philip sees Kinraid taken by a press-gang and forced to join the Navy. Kinraid asks Philip to tell Sylvia what has happened to him and to tell her to wait. But Philip, knowing Kinraid is a rake, says nothing and lets Sylvia think Kinraid is dead. There's another raid by the press-gang, and Sylvia's father leads a gang of town folk to fight back. He's arrested and sentenced to hang. Philip does all he can to save Sylvia's father while also taking care of Sylvia and her mother. After the father's death, Sylvia agrees to marry Philip, although she still pines for Kinraid. Sylvia has a child, and she and Philip are just beginning to have some moments of happiness, when Kinraid shows up. When he discovers that Sylvia is married to Philip, he reveals all. Sylvia, once she finds out that Philip knew Kinraid was alive, vows to never live with him as his wife again. But she also refuses to go with Kinraid. He soon finds someone else go marry. Philip runs off and joins the Marines. He's sent to Turkey to fight the French. He sees Kinraid lying injured on the battlefield and saves his life. Kinraid recognizes him, but can't find him to thank him. Later, Philip is injured and burned in an explosion on his ship. He's pensioned out of the service and sent back to England. He wanders about for a time, but he can't keep away from his old home. He takes a room in a poor lodging house and slowly starves. One day he sees his daughter, out for a walk with a family friend, get swept into the sea. He dives in to save her but is fatally injured in the process. He sends for Sylvia and begs her forgiveness, and she his. She stays by his side until he dies, then lives as a widow until she dies a short time later. |
| My Rating: | 6 |
Reviewed by Roger on 2024-08-13 13:05:25
