Belle Moral: A Natural History

by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Ann-Marie MacDonald’s love of the fabulous is in full force with this multi-layered reworking of her earlier play, The Arab’s Mouth.

Following her father’s death, amateur scientist Pearl MacIsaac struggles to discover the secret of her family’s past, which her father had been kept hidden with the help of the family doctor. Set in Scotland in 1899, this dark and redemptive gothic comedy is a story of family secrets that have come to life and of the birth and evolution of ideas – and truly a play of morals. Reaching out in two directions to reconcile the extremes of rationalism and romanticism, Belle Moral embraces a complex range of turn-of-the-century thought including Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, contemporary medical beliefs and the concept of eugenics.

Genres: Fiction, Plays, Historical Fiction, Canada, Theatre, Scotland, Drama

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Ann-Marie MacDonald is a Canadian playwright, author, actress, and broadcast host who lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Reviews

[Miki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread, June 2025

I haven't reread this since I read Fayne. I enjoyed how the two texts speak to one another in some ways, and it reading Belle Moral: A Natural History has made me want to read both Fayne and The Way the Crow Flies. I love Ann-Marie MacDonald's writing and so much of what she has written!

[Physical, own]

*4.5

I love Ann-Marie MacDonald's work! I highly recommend reading (or seeing) this play when/if it's in production.

[Purchased]

[Jacinda Literature Babe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh outloud at the family banter, Ann-Marie Macdonald knows how to write sibling conversations!

Characters that are full of mischief leaves you wanting more.

However, underlying all this banter is something dark, not quite sinister, but not good either...

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, this is a play.

I've read maybe one other play in the last 15 years, and so I was a bit taken aback when I opened the tiny novella. But this text was well worth the effort!

We follow a family bereaving their departed father, so an adult daughter (logical and responsible scientist), an adult son (a libertine; aimless, romantic and depressed), and their aunt, and the conversations leading directly up to the reading of the patriarch's will. Many conversations have to do with mental distress, and also heredity and evolution.

Other characters include a doctor, a young lawyer, and some funny side characters like the servants.

I would describe this as a gothic satire that everyone interested in the genre should try... The social commentary is on point!

[Alan Marchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belle Moral is a gothic melodrama set during the late 19th century on an estate outside Edinburgh. The place is inhabited by a menagerie of characters who spout all manner of pseudo-science from the period. (BTW, the estate name is a riff on the Royal Family's nearby holdings at Balmoral.)
McDonald describes her play as a "dark comedy," but the humor felt very light-hearted to me. Some reviewers can be forgiven for taking seriously the heroine's earnest philosophical monologues at the conclusion. But like the banter that dominates Acts I and II, her musings are a piece with the author's intentional emulation of Shaw and Wilde.

[Kiersten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this was definitely a little weird, but I was here for it. Victorian sensibility crossed with absurdism, and theatrical touches that I felt eager to experience with my own eyes (e.g. the painting).

Plus, we love a feminist play by a Canadian gal

[Dannie Lynn Fountain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the family banter and Pearl's strength/fortitude, the rest of it was a bit chaotic.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked The Arab's Mouth better

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good play, and I enjoy AMM. This was fun to read!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is actually a play, which I had no idea when I picked it up at the library for the fact that it was a slim little slip of a book that I could carry with me and read. And I did, all in one day. It was fabulous. I loved the forthright female protagonist and the combination of spooky and science in the subject matter. I can only imagine it would be a joy to see it performed, and I was shocked when I read in the book that I was very familiar and had even met some of the people who were involved in the plays first performance!

[Patty King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am definitely a fan of Ann-Marie MacDonald. I have read all her fiction which I enjoy greatly, however, her plays are fabulous. Her fiction is challenging emotionally, somewhat dark and yet hopeful. She writes about family and people living difficult lives. Her plays, on the other hand, are fantasy and fun and fantastically humorous. Read the plays and if you get the opportunity to see them performed on stage go see them and enjoy.

[Jef · Rating 5 out of 5]

quirky and interesting. great play.

[Alaind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've also had the pleasure of seeing this awesome play at Niagara-on-the-Lake. Loved it!

[Sandrapaprocki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first time that I read a play. It was a pleasant surprise and easy to read.

[Islai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8/5

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better flow and more playful than "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)".