"I'd gladly sell my soul to Satan for a year of freedom," cries impetuous Rosamond Vivian to her callous grandfather. Then, one stormy night, a brooding stranger appears in her remote island home, ready to take Rosamond to her word. Spellbound by the mysterious Philip Tempest, Rosamond is seduced with promises of love and freedom, then spirited away on Tempest's sumptuous yacht. But she soon finds herself trapped in a web of intrigue, cruelty, and deceit. Desperate to escape, she flees to Italy, France, and Germany, from Parisian garret to mental asylum, from convent to chateau, as Tempest stalks every step of the fiery beauty who has become his obsession.
A story of dark love and passionate obsession that was considered "too sensational" to be published in the authors lifetime, A Long Fatal Love Chase was written for magazine serialization in 1866, two years before the publication of Little Women. Buried among Louisa May Alcott's papers for more than a century, its publication is a literary landmark—a novel that is bold, timeless, and mesmerizing."
"I'd gladly sell my soul to Satan for a year of freedom," exclaims Rosamond Vivian. Until one night an unannounced stranger comes to her island, stealing her heart and whisking her away from her home. Rosamond and her now husband Philip Tempest, live a peaceful and happy first year until a mysterious lady appears at their doorstep divulging some unknown information about Phillip which turns Rosamond's heart cold causing her to flee.
From here continues a cat and mouse chase with Phillip seeking her out giving no moments worth of peace. This may be horrible but I am going to compare Miss Alcott's work to Looney Tunes. Not that it is necessarily funny but the two do remind me of Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Tempest stocking around "Be very, very quite, we're hunting Wabbits" Or Wosamond... And while Bugs Bunny may pop up unexpectedly in a humorous way she is found unexpectedly in the most unusual places.
I found A Long Fatal Love Chase to be a very entertaining read. While this book did get a little repetitive (although the title should have given it away) I enjoyed reading of the unexpected persona's the two took to hide their identities even if both were for different reasons; and also when and were Tempest would pop up. One thing that I found sad about this book was that the couple still loved each other deeply. Although, Rosamond refused to express these emotions due to her husband's past, and tempest's affection had turned violent.
On a last note, Louisa May Alcott died in 1888 with this book being thought of as too risky for her lifetime so was not published until 1995 over a century after her death. The sad thing about this, is that A Long Fatal Love Chase would be considered tame by today's standards.
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8 February, 2011:
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