Product Description

The novel (1876) follows the fortunes of Ethelberta, one of the numerous family of Chicherel, a butler. She marries the son of the house where she is governess, only to be widowed by the time she is 21, but attempts to retain her social position, while concealing her relationship to the butler. Finally, she marries a wicked old peer, while her faithful admirer, the musician Christopher Julian, is left to marry her sister Picotee.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #282673 in Books
• Published on: 1997-07-31
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Synopsis
Adventuress and opportunist, Ethelberta reinvents herself to disguise her humble origins, launching a brilliant career as a society poet in London with her family acting incognito as her servants. Turning the male-dominated literary world to her advantage, she happily exploits the attentions of four very different suitors. Will she bestow her hand upon the richest of them, or on the man she loves? Ethelberta Petherwin, alias Berta Chickerel, moves with easy grace between her multiple identities, cleverly managing a tissue of lies to aid her meteoric rise. In "The Hand of Ethelberta" (1876), Hardy drew on conventions of popular romances, illustrated weeklies, plays, fashion plates and even his wife's diary in this comic story of a woman in control of her destiny.

Customer Reviews

A pleasurable read
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel of Hardy's. Ethelberta is socially ambitious and moves in higher circles than the class position into which she is born. The novel is pleasurable and easy to read with a good tension throughout which made me feel like I wanted to know who Ethelberta chooses for a husband.

The character delineation is interesting enough although I felt that Hardy did not adequately present Ethelberta's relationship with Julian (the man she loves). Hardy doesn't delineate the love story between these two sufficiently which doesn't create any emotion within the reader when Ethelberta begins to consider more financially beneficial suitors. However, it is a comedy and the light hearted theme remains throughout the novel.

All in all this is a good bedtime read, easy enough but still intelligent enough to keep you interested. Keep your eye on Lord Mountclere, I think he is great!