Alcott, L. M. (1997). A long fatal love chase. New York: Dell Pub.
Louisa May Alcott is best known for Little Women and her other juvenile fiction, but she also wrote gothic thrillers. A Long Fatal Love Chase is one of these and has been referred to as a "bodice-ripper" by reviewers. Originally written for serialization in 1866, after her travels in Europe and about two years before Little Women was published, her manuscript was rejected as "too long and too sensational". Several years later, Alcott brutally edited her novel and submitted as A Modern Mephistopheles for her publisher 's "No Name Series". The original manuscript was set aside and not published until 1995, after it was discovered by the editor, Kent Bicknell, in 1993. (pp. …show more content…
Alcott writes in these encounters, many as cliffhangers, which must have been intended to give a jolt of emotion and panic. It certainly evoked such a visceral response from me as I reached the end of a couple of chapters. In Chapter 12, Rosamond, disguised as a nun, pours her heart out in a confessional about her conflicted love for Tempest, then "a burst of exultant laughter started her like a thunderclap" and the curtain opens to reveal Tempest on the other side (p. 183). My reaction to that reveal was similar to the reaction I had when my ex-husband appeared behind me at the post office when he should have been at work. Rosamond escapes to Paris and within months, Baptiste appears a carriage footman with a note from Tempest "Meet me as a friend and fear nothing" (p. 211-214). This gave me shivers as I remembered the time I opened my car door to find it full of flowers and cards from my ex-husband, weeks after I had left him. I did not know he had made a copy of the key. In her subsequent encounter with Tempest, Rosamond denies her love for him. Tempest states "Then it is a war to the death! Are you prepared for the consequences…?" (p. 223). That question about consequences brought back unpleasant memories of a similar statement by my former abuser. I felt that anxiety and fear creep back into my being, wondering what he …show more content…
Rosamond is a strong heroine, a well-developed character. She is adventurous and feisty, intelligent and thoughtful, naïve and afraid. Alcott did not make her a passive heroine dependent on men rescuing her. She made her an independent woman determined to escape and begin anew. The other characters are not quite as developed and are not given as much depth. Tempest is depicted as sly and manipulating from the beginning. He is the epitome of evil without redeeming qualities, other than his oozing charm and dialogue. The priest, who aids Rosamond, as she flees the convent, is simply good. Baptiste is a mystery. He appears and disappears frequently in the story. There are a couple of incidents that occur that the reader will scratch her head and wonder how Baptist got there. It is Tempest 's almost sinister monologs (much like that given by villains in superhero movies) that reveal the intent and actions behind the scenes. A few of the other characters appear in the story for a very short time and may reappear later, but there is little back story given as to their place in the story. It does make parts of the story seem a bit shallow. There is also a certain amount of predictability throughout the book. Alcott uses foreshadowing heavily throughout
Louisa May Alcott is best known for Little Women and her other juvenile fiction, but she also wrote gothic thrillers. A Long Fatal Love Chase is one of these and has been referred to as a "bodice-ripper" by reviewers. Originally written for serialization in 1866, after her travels in Europe and about two years before Little Women was published, her manuscript was rejected as "too long and too sensational". Several years later, Alcott brutally edited her novel and submitted as A Modern Mephistopheles for her publisher 's "No Name Series". The original manuscript was set aside and not published until 1995, after it was discovered by the editor, Kent Bicknell, in 1993. (pp. …show more content…
Alcott writes in these encounters, many as cliffhangers, which must have been intended to give a jolt of emotion and panic. It certainly evoked such a visceral response from me as I reached the end of a couple of chapters. In Chapter 12, Rosamond, disguised as a nun, pours her heart out in a confessional about her conflicted love for Tempest, then "a burst of exultant laughter started her like a thunderclap" and the curtain opens to reveal Tempest on the other side (p. 183). My reaction to that reveal was similar to the reaction I had when my ex-husband appeared behind me at the post office when he should have been at work. Rosamond escapes to Paris and within months, Baptiste appears a carriage footman with a note from Tempest "Meet me as a friend and fear nothing" (p. 211-214). This gave me shivers as I remembered the time I opened my car door to find it full of flowers and cards from my ex-husband, weeks after I had left him. I did not know he had made a copy of the key. In her subsequent encounter with Tempest, Rosamond denies her love for him. Tempest states "Then it is a war to the death! Are you prepared for the consequences…?" (p. 223). That question about consequences brought back unpleasant memories of a similar statement by my former abuser. I felt that anxiety and fear creep back into my being, wondering what he …show more content…
Rosamond is a strong heroine, a well-developed character. She is adventurous and feisty, intelligent and thoughtful, naïve and afraid. Alcott did not make her a passive heroine dependent on men rescuing her. She made her an independent woman determined to escape and begin anew. The other characters are not quite as developed and are not given as much depth. Tempest is depicted as sly and manipulating from the beginning. He is the epitome of evil without redeeming qualities, other than his oozing charm and dialogue. The priest, who aids Rosamond, as she flees the convent, is simply good. Baptiste is a mystery. He appears and disappears frequently in the story. There are a couple of incidents that occur that the reader will scratch her head and wonder how Baptist got there. It is Tempest 's almost sinister monologs (much like that given by villains in superhero movies) that reveal the intent and actions behind the scenes. A few of the other characters appear in the story for a very short time and may reappear later, but there is little back story given as to their place in the story. It does make parts of the story seem a bit shallow. There is also a certain amount of predictability throughout the book. Alcott uses foreshadowing heavily throughout