Friday, July 24, 2015

The Victorian Chaise-Longue, by Marghanita Laski

I came across this book on a list of forgotten classics, and I was immediately intrigued by the premise: Melanie in her modern drawing room falls asleep on her antique Victorian chaise-longue one afternoon, and wakes up in a different, frailer body, in a Victorian household.  What really caught my attention was the assertion that this book would cure its female readers of ever wanting to travel back in time to Barsetshire.  I am a sucker for any Trollope connection, and I was glad of an excuse to browse again at Persephone Books.  (Never mind that I already have Marghanita Laski's Little Boy Lost unread on the TBR shelves.)

While this book had no effect on my love for Barsetshire, I can say it was one of the most unsettling and horrifying books I have read in a very long time.  A great part of its effect is I think that so much is left unsaid, unexplained, for the reader and Melanie to figure out.  Yet at the same time, I saw some things more clearly than Melanie, confused and terrified by her experience.  I am on record as a fan of time-travel or time-slip books, but in those I have read, the characters either seek the experience or quickly adapt themselves to it.  I had never considered the horror of waking in someone else's body, not knowing who or where one was - and without the least idea how to get back.

I was very impressed with the ingenuity of Laski's story, the skill with which she slowly reveals Melanie's awakening and discovery.  Because we see through her eyes, we are caught up in her confusion and terror.  Laski links the stories of the two women together in such clever ways, some of which I didn't catch until after I'd finished the book and was thinking back over the story.  I felt Laski evoked a small corner of the Victorian world wonderfully well.  I don't think though that it is any kind of statement on Victorian women in general, but on the experiences of one particular woman and her circumstances.

And all of this in such a short book - only 99 pages in the Persephone edition.  Its impact is all out of proportion to its size.  I really appreciated P.D. James's introduction to this edition, which gave me some background information on Marghanita Laski, as well as the titles of her other books - hopefully also published by Persephone.

I am mortified however to learn that I have for years mistakenly called this particular piece of furniture a "chaise-lounge."  Which made sense in my mind because one lounges upon it.  But still - I blush for my long-ago French minor in college.  And after reading this, I doubt I will ever sit - let alone lounge - on one again.

16 comments:

  1. I read this a few years ago and loved it, although it's definitely a very disturbing and unsettling story. I didn't fully understand everything that was happening but I think that was the point - the reader is made to share Melanie's confusion and panic. Little Boy Lost is a very different story but I loved that one too and would highly recommend it!

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    1. Absolutely, Helen - I really did feel Melanie's confusion and panic. What made it worse was to understand things that she didn't, yet. I'm not sure she ever figured out Mr. Charters' role in what happened.

      I will move Little Boy Lost up the stacks!

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  2. Oh dear, I have been making that same mistake, too! This book has been on my fall RIP possibility list for years, but I was unaware of the Trollope connection... the time seems right now.

    Little Boy Lost is unread on my tbr shelves, too ;-)

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    1. It's not really a connection, JoAnn - just the link to the Victorian setting. I don't want to be guilty of the same false advertising :)

      I am going to make it a rule not to buy more Persphones until I read the ones I have - we'll see how long that lasts!

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  3. That's an understandable mistake! At least I'm sure you never called it a chayze-lounge, as I've heard people do on TV, but only on shows I have no business watching in the first place. :)

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    1. I hope I was at least pronouncing the "chaise" part correctly :) Though it was mostly in my mind, because I don't have much call to mention chaise-longues in conversation! And I have to say, "chaise-longue" still looks misspelled to me.

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  4. I have tried to read this a few times and got irritated because it was so confusing! And I knew that was the point, but I put it down until the day when I would be in the mood for it...and it hasn't been the day yet. But it does sound fascinating and well-done.

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    1. I've had that happen with other books - most recently The Brontes Went to Woolworths - which I think is also meant to be confusing! Was this one you bought in London? I still envy you your visit to the store :)

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  5. I read thus book some time ago, and it didn't stop me travelling back in time to meet Trollope some time later. I understand that some of Marghanita Laski's books haven't dated well, but I'd warmly recommend the other three that Persephone has reissued.

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    1. Thank you for the recommendation, Jane. I already have one of other Persephone editions, so I'll look forward to finding the other two. If a U.S. branch does open up, I can afford to buy a lot more little grey books!

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  6. I totally want a chaise-longue. I think it would be an amazing piece of furniture, and I would get a copy of The Victorian Chaise-Longue to put on the side table next to it so that everybody who lounged upon it could be creeped out.

    And also, Little Boy Lost is a very good book. I recommend it.

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    1. As long as it wasn't an *antique* chaise-longue, let alone one with a big bloodstain on the cushion, I would sit on it and read this book - and totally be creeped out.

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  7. I really enjoyed reading The Village by Laski and although I intended to read more of her work I haven't bumped into any of her books. I might have to resort to the internet. I prefer to have the old copies.

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    1. I do too, Katrina - but I'm glad of the modern reprints for some of the authors that are harder to find over here. I'd love to find an older edition of this.

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  8. I've been meaning to read this for ages, as I see it compared to/with The Yellow Wallpaper, which is so brilliantly unsettling. I suspect, really, that I am just too mean to buy new the Persephone of such a short book...

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    1. I was a little surprised at its shortness, though it felt much longer in the reading, and what the characters endure. It's really more of a novella, I think. I have The Yellow Wallpaper - in a edition with Herland after your review. I need to get to that.

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Thank you for taking the time to read, and to comment. I always enjoy hearing different points of view about the books I am reading, even if we disagree!