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217th out of 447 books
—
829 voters
The Hidden Hand: Or, Capitola the Madcap
E.D.E.N. Southworth was one of the most popular and prolific writers of the nineteenth century and her Capitola Black, or Black Cap - a cross-dressing, adventure-seeking girl-woman - was so well-loved that the book was serialized three times between 1859 and 1888 and was dramatized in forty different versions. When we first meet sharp and witty Capitola she is living among...more
Paperback, 544 pages
Published
May 1st 1988
by Rutgers University Press
(first published 1859)
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Sep 19, 2007
Jessica
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
14 And Up
Shelves:
christianfiction,
favorites
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book!!! (Thanks SO much Lily for lending it to me!!!) A fascinating mystery/drama set in what I'm guessing is the 1800's. (You can read the entire book here: [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/wome...]
Here are two descriptions of it that I found:
The Hidden Hand is an exuberant action comedy, featuring fearless Capitola Black, a self-styled female Don Quixote, and the prototype of innumerable adventure heroines.
Rescued from life on the streets in New York by a southern plan...more
Here are two descriptions of it that I found:
The Hidden Hand is an exuberant action comedy, featuring fearless Capitola Black, a self-styled female Don Quixote, and the prototype of innumerable adventure heroines.
Rescued from life on the streets in New York by a southern plan...more
Nov 10, 2008
Jessi
added it
This was the first million seller book in America. Oh, you've never heard of it? Nor had I until very recently. Southworth was one of the "scribbling women" whose blazing popularity kept poor Nathaniel Hawthorne's publishers to busy to bother with his fluff. Featuring a brazen girl who dresses in boys' clothing, with a razor sharp wit, this books is also engrossing, but it might take awhile for it to grab the reader. I read it for a class, and may have struggled with it had I stumbled upon it my...more
The Hidden Hand is a wonderful story of good triumphing over evil. Written in 1859, The Hidden Hand contains a wealth of vocabulary from a century ago. It is also interesting to note that the protagonist of the story is a young woman, who through her wit, wisdom, and common sense, makes for a captivating and charming heroine. I also found the minor characters to be equally as engaging. Lamplighter Publishing is a company whose mission is to bring to light hidden treasures of Christian family lit...more
Now I'm ticked. This is the third time I've tried to "save" this review, and it's been swallowed up by some glitch in the system. One more try. One.
Capitola is pretty much the woman I want to be. Her adventures, from the New York City street to face-offs with her Uncle Hurricane (well-named) to her tricks to evade would-be kidnappers, not to mention her duel with Black Donald (now my all time favorite duel in literature), she is audacious as all get out and funny as heck.
The rest of the book pal...more
Capitola is pretty much the woman I want to be. Her adventures, from the New York City street to face-offs with her Uncle Hurricane (well-named) to her tricks to evade would-be kidnappers, not to mention her duel with Black Donald (now my all time favorite duel in literature), she is audacious as all get out and funny as heck.
The rest of the book pal...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Aug 23, 2007
Jill
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jackie, who gave it back to me without reading
i was held down and forced to read this book. you should see how small the print is.
and you know, it's not that bad. i love the back cover description: The Hidden Hand (1888) is an exuberant action comedy, whose heroine is the fearless Capitola Black, self-styled female Don Quixote, and the prototype of innumerable adventure heroines.
and you know, it's not that bad. i love the back cover description: The Hidden Hand (1888) is an exuberant action comedy, whose heroine is the fearless Capitola Black, self-styled female Don Quixote, and the prototype of innumerable adventure heroines.
This was an ok book. I was actually surprised that Lamplighter not only published it, but promotes it so highly. The main character is in no way maidenly, nor does she set a good example in any way for her readers. Also, a witch is in one chapter and is rather spooky. (Not to mention, she really has nothing to do with the story - she was just randomly thrown into one chapter.) Over all, this book had the feel of a secular book with a few "character-building" attributes thrown in to make it "Chri...more
It is really stunning to encounter such a high-spirited and defiantly independent female character in a novel written over 150 years ago, and, more importantly, is allowed to remain so from the first moment we meet her (disguised as a boy on the mean streets of New York City) to when her remarkable story neatly concludes on the last novel's last page. After encountering so many blonde, wan "angels in the house" in contemporaneous literature, adventurous, dark-haired Capitola Black is nothing les...more
5 likes · like · see review
A spider web of conspiracy, intrigue, deception, stratagem, ruse, fraud, subterfuge and love, devotion, adulation, fidelity, adoration, loyalty and fraternity; The Hidden Hand, published in 1888 and written by E.D.E.N. Southworth has it all! Written in a Dickens tradition and Twain style, this book combines the best of all to produce a very interesting and fast-moving lampoon. With more than 70 stories, this highly prolific writer is truly a diamond in the rough. This is my first introduction to...more
I choose this book from Amazon's Kindle free books solely based on the review. I can't say that I loved the book but could not stop reading it and had to read Capitola's Peril: A Sequel to The Hidden Hand which was just as captivating but I just truly hated the way the book ended. It was almost like she ran out of steam and had to wrap it up and go take a nap. This book has lead me to explore women writers of the nineteenth century. Southworth has many other published books and articles and it i...more
Aug 15, 2011
Hannah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Someone looking for a fun, long, clean read with a feisty heroine
Recommended to Hannah by:
Mark Hamby, LaJoie Ward
Shelves:
reviewed,
writtenin-takesplace-in-1800s
Expectations have a big effect, don't they?
As I had been told by many people that The Hidden Hand was their favorite Lamplighter book, if not indeed their favorite book altogether, I was very pleased to finally be able to read it. Overall, I agree that the story is the most gripping and amusing out of the twenty or so Lamplighters I have read, but it is lacking the heart that makes the others so special.
What I love about books like Titus: A Comrade of the Cross, The Spanish Brothers, and Steppi...more
As I had been told by many people that The Hidden Hand was their favorite Lamplighter book, if not indeed their favorite book altogether, I was very pleased to finally be able to read it. Overall, I agree that the story is the most gripping and amusing out of the twenty or so Lamplighters I have read, but it is lacking the heart that makes the others so special.
What I love about books like Titus: A Comrade of the Cross, The Spanish Brothers, and Steppi...more
Jun 14, 2012
Bobbie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Bobbie by:
My dad
Shelves:
childhood-favorites,
classics
I first read this book several years ago at the age of twelve and I fell in love. I've always been a fan of "older" books and for the first time since Little Women and Anne of Green Gables I fell in LOVE with a female character! Capitola and I are two peas in a pod. She isn't a namby pamby princess, she does things.
Granted she might not be the best role model for younger children, but she will keep you highly entertained. Whenever I'm sick or need a laugh I will read this book. It truly is a ge...more
Granted she might not be the best role model for younger children, but she will keep you highly entertained. Whenever I'm sick or need a laugh I will read this book. It truly is a ge...more
It's farcical, it's ridiculous, it's great! (and it's free from Project Gutenberg) Good thing I'm somewhat aware of the conventions of serial potboilers.
Recommended by msmcknittington. One thing she said about the book was that when Louisa May Alcott writes about Jo in Little Women learning to write novels, Alcott invents an author with a similar name to E.D.E.N. Southworth. Jo first attempts to write exciting novels like the famous potboiler writer does, but then decides to write novels that ar...more
Recommended by msmcknittington. One thing she said about the book was that when Louisa May Alcott writes about Jo in Little Women learning to write novels, Alcott invents an author with a similar name to E.D.E.N. Southworth. Jo first attempts to write exciting novels like the famous potboiler writer does, but then decides to write novels that ar...more
This book is beautifully reproduced in vintage style by Lamplighter Publishing. The author, E.D.E.N. Southworth, was a contemporary of Harriett Beecher Stowe--in fact may have been more popular than Stowe during her lifetime. This book is a fun melodrama, complete with a black villain, damsels in distress, brave soldiers, penniless orphans, and rich benefactors. The language is flowery and the vocabulary challenging. Lamplighter included a lot of footnotes with definitions and explanations of th...more
Although this book verged on being slightly feminist, I really enjoyed it. It was very humorous with lots of wit woven in throughout. Cap, the boisterous girl in the book, was a pretty funny character. She was full of life and fire. 'Old Hurricane', as they call him, was grouchy, quick tempered, but also equally fun. The two together was a riot. Although I don't agree with everything that Cap did (and got away with), this is still a fun read book that will keep you turning the pages.
Seriously my favorite book. I teach this as often as I can, and it is fabulous. I've never had a student dislike this book, to my knowledge. Capitola is courageous, loving, and endearing. She fears nothing and serves as a far more interesting role model for young women than her Lamplighter counter-part Gertie Flint. If you have not experienced this novel, you must, and like me, you'll likely find yourself drawn back to it on a regular basis.
This book is really long, but entertaining enough to keep you engaged the whole way through. I read it for a 19th century women writers class (yawn, I know) and liked it so much compared to the other books we read because the heroine (Capitola) is so funny and brave and I just thought how cool it must have been to escape in her misadventures during a time when women were taught the most important attributes we things like submissiveness to man and god, domesticity, piety, purity, and all that. T...more
Among my daughters' this is a unanimous favorite. Young Capitola is a feisty spitfire of a girl who would rather face danger than avoid it. In many ways, she has the spirit of another orphan girl (Anne Shirley), but demonstrates her boldness in far more serious, even perilous, situations. Set in pre-Civil War Virginia, this story draws the reader in by means of a relentlessly deepening plot that weaves together the hidden pasts of a fascinating cast of characters. Despite the 500+ page count and...more
I LOVE Capitola!!! :) What Spirit! Spunk! Clear thinking, priorities in order, unafraid, unwaivering - what a GREAT character! :)
Fabulous story - would make an amazing movie or even better, weekly TV series......could hold an audience for years! :)
evil, deception, heartbreak, unconditional love, brilliant, thoughtful, emotional characters
just loved it!!!
Fabulous story - would make an amazing movie or even better, weekly TV series......could hold an audience for years! :)
evil, deception, heartbreak, unconditional love, brilliant, thoughtful, emotional characters
just loved it!!!
1 like · like · see review
A very entertaining and almost unknown classic about a kick butt heroine.
Cap was totally my type of heroine. She was fearless and headstrong, but also smart and cared about people. It was refreshing reading a Victorian novel with a heroine like Cap. No matter how many heart attacks she almost gave her guardian, Cap was always out on some sort of adventure. With a big imagination, Cap never let her size or gender hold her back. Whether it was trying to capture a bandit or tricking a dastardly vil...more
Cap was totally my type of heroine. She was fearless and headstrong, but also smart and cared about people. It was refreshing reading a Victorian novel with a heroine like Cap. No matter how many heart attacks she almost gave her guardian, Cap was always out on some sort of adventure. With a big imagination, Cap never let her size or gender hold her back. Whether it was trying to capture a bandit or tricking a dastardly vil...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I actually read this book in a Women's Lit class back in college. It was amazing and I think of it every so often and think I may need to read it again very soon. Capitola, the main character is a funny, charming and lovely heroine who demonstrates that Victorian times can be quite entertaining. I highly recommend it.
This was such a fun book. Probably one of Southworth's best, The Hidden Hand, chronicles events in the life of Capitola Black, orphan, heiress, adventurer, and hero. Capitola is a delightful character to read. Its impossible to not enjoy at least some of her exploits. This book is a definite recommendation for anyone looking for a easy, fun read.
This is one of my All Time Fav's! We took almost 1 1/2 years to read this with the family. It is hard to read because it is written in old English, but it is well worth it! Very Christian values. Very developed characters, and wonderful twists in plot. I highly recommend it!
Wow! What a captivating story! I could not put this book down. The intricate plot provides mystery, adventure, suspense, sympathy and humor that will capture your attention, and too, it is interlaced with Biblical allusions which help keep your mind focused on the spiritual applications throughout the book. I can definitely recommend this book one hundred percent!
Well, I downloaded this for the iPad, and apparently I only got part of it, because in the end, virtually nothing was resolved. Harumph. That said, it was a nice enough story, just had a little bit too much 1800's sentimentality for me. "She drew her into a warm embrace tremulously." Yeahhhhh. No.
11 down, 93 to go! :D
11 down, 93 to go! :D
It all started with a stormy night.....
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. I had trouble putting it down! All throughout this book you can see the hidden hand of God. PS: ( make sure you get it from Lamplighter publishers)
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. I had trouble putting it down! All throughout this book you can see the hidden hand of God. PS: ( make sure you get it from Lamplighter publishers)
Because of the depiction of slaves I don't know if I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's funny, well paced, and I couldn't put it down. But even though I'm sure Ms. Southworth was progressive in her time, there is still racism.
This is a delightful book It is a long read, but that's the way books were in the 1800's. It is very melodramatic, but well-written and engrossing. And of course--everything turns out all right in the end!
This is one of my all time favorite books. I have read it several times. I love all of the different characters in the book. This book is clever, surprising, and fun. I highly recommend it!
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E. D. E. N. Southworth
Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth (December 26, 1819 – June 30, 1899) was an American writer of more than 60 novels in the latter part of the 19th century. She was probably the most widely read author of that era.
E.D.E.N. Southworth moved out to Wisconsin after graduating from Washington, D.C.. She studied in a school kept by her stepfather, Joshua L. Henshaw, and in 1840...more
More about E.D.E.N. Southworth...
Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth (December 26, 1819 – June 30, 1899) was an American writer of more than 60 novels in the latter part of the 19th century. She was probably the most widely read author of that era.
E.D.E.N. Southworth moved out to Wisconsin after graduating from Washington, D.C.. She studied in a school kept by her stepfather, Joshua L. Henshaw, and in 1840...more
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“Now, my dear Cap, if you don’t look sharp your hour is come! Nothing on earth will save you, Cap, but your own wits! For if ever I saw mischief in any one’s face, it is in that fellow’s that is eating you up with his great eyes at the same time that he is laughing at you with his big mouth! Now Cap, my little man, be a woman! ”
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