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11th out of 82 books
—
88 voters
Misfortune
by
Wesley Stace
Victorian dandy Lord Geoffroy Loveall is faced with a dilemma. As heir apparent to Love Hall, he must produce an heir of his own; but his obsessive love for his long-dead sister has rendered him a paralytic in matters of the heart. Adding to Geoffroy's troubles is his difficult mother, Lady Loveall, who mercilessly castigates her effeminate son, and a circling mob of greed...more
Hardcover, 529 pages
Published
April 11th 2005
by Little Brown and Company
(first published January 1st 2005)
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Did you ever wonder what Dickens would be like if there was more gender confusion and hand jobs? Well if you did then this novel could put your mind at rest. If you didn't ever wonder about those things then maybe you'll just read this book and enjoy the story as being a fun English novel with villainous villains, wronged innocents, creepy family secrets and an almost magical country estate.
British singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding is a master at cramming verbose stories into fun three-minute pop songs.British novelist Wesley Stace doesn't have the benefit of a bouncy beat, so it takes him 544 pages to tell his story in Misfortune. Even so, Stace's debut novel moves along quickly thanks to his engaging storytelling. This isn't surprising since John Wesley Harding is the musical alias of one Welsey Stace.
A little identity crisis? Maybe, but it's nothing compared to what Rose, th...more
A little identity crisis? Maybe, but it's nothing compared to what Rose, th...more
If you, like me, have studied anything to do with gender and sexuality, and the psychology behind these theories, then you will find this book fascinating. At its core, it tells the story of a boy who is raised to believe he is a girl by his strange adoptive father who had lost his beloved sister as a child, and wished to replace her. On top of this there are innumerable sub-plots, side-stories and extra information, which all tie together in the end, but are tiring to wade through before you ge...more
I'm reviewing this book mainly because it's one of my favorite books of all time and I think it's horribly underrated.
Disclaimer: I'm a sucker for Victorian and pseudo-Victorian foundling stories. This is that. But it's so much more. It's a story of love of literature, research, lost and found identities, and friendship and love.
The elements of body-horror and gender discovery may be too much for some, but it's all very tastefully done. The prose alone is gorgeous and the plot structure is impec...more
Disclaimer: I'm a sucker for Victorian and pseudo-Victorian foundling stories. This is that. But it's so much more. It's a story of love of literature, research, lost and found identities, and friendship and love.
The elements of body-horror and gender discovery may be too much for some, but it's all very tastefully done. The prose alone is gorgeous and the plot structure is impec...more
I picked this book up on a whim because, as you're not supposed to do, I was judging this book strictly by its cover. As I made my other purchases, I hadnt even bothered to read the front inside cover to see what this was about at all. I was to be in for a very pleasant surprise.
The verbose descriptions, not only of atmosphere, but also of character and feeling, only added to the magnitude of the readers experience. Im not normally one for such detailed explanation, but the writings on such thin...more
The verbose descriptions, not only of atmosphere, but also of character and feeling, only added to the magnitude of the readers experience. Im not normally one for such detailed explanation, but the writings on such thin...more
Though the first section of Misfortune initially appears to be rather uninspiring Dickensian parody, hang in there, for the book takes a radical turn in style, point of view, and plot in the ensuing sections and becomes much more likable in the process. You could loosely slot Misfortune in with Middlesex and Orlando in the "gender issues" fiction genre, and while the tale *is* heavily centered on Lord/Lady Rose Loveall's internal conflict over his/her gender, there's much more to the story than...more
I like reading debut novels in a slightly different way from how I enjoy novels and books in general. There's a freshness to them, and a bit of risktaking as well, on my part as well as the writers'...the potentiality for discovery. Of course, I enjoy reading works by established and acclaimed writers too, but with them there's sometimes a shadow of prior readers' opinions and judgments hovering at the edge of my consciousness. "What did they think here? Were they right? Do I agree with them? Wh...more
This book was so fantastic! Utterly strange, but in a familiar historical-fiction style. Witty and clever, beautiful and sad, so, so, so interesting. It does drag a bit in the middle when the main character goes on a bit of a quest, but it picks back up again and comes full circle. Unlike anything I've ever read, but as I said rooted in a familiar style so it doesn't feel like you're reading something too out there. It is set in a grand estate (think Downton Abbey), where the ailing matriarch is...more
This is such an awesome book! How to describe it? Set in England in the early 1800s, it's basically the story of Rose, who was abandoned in the trash as a baby and found by Geoffroy Loveall, a rich young lord who decides to raise the baby as his daughter and heir. The only problem is, Rose is a boy. Geoffroy refuses to believe this when various people try to tell him, so eventually everyone just decides to go along with it. Rose is raised as a girl and doesn't know he's really a boy until he's i...more
The dust jacket promises what the book doesn't quite deliver. The idea of a boy orphan adopted by a fabulously wealthy, reclusive, capricious lord and raised as a girl due to family secrets is wonderfully fantastical. And for the most part, the novel is a pleasant read, not difficult and fairly gripping. There are only two main weaknesses: one is the book's length. Rose's idyllic fairy tale childhood is too long explained and described in pastoral detail. The *interesting* parts of the tale, her...more
Confused gender identity, English humor; sometimes very clever and sometimes quite slow paced... While I enjoyed the writing style and the overall plot, the latter portion of the book isn't constructed as well as the first. Oh, but I did enjoy it, and was disturbed by it.
a thought-provoking, entertaining adventure through the life of a victorian genderbender. Rose is a (biologically male) foundling raised as a girl by a father obsessed with his dead sister and a mother obsessed with a poet's post-gender ideas.
Rose is awesome, the writing is clear and engaging, the subject matter well-handled and fascinating, and the twist at the end, though clearly a little too perfect, was, well, perfect.
oh man, i am so glad i gave this book a chance. it was at goodwill for t...more
Rose is awesome, the writing is clear and engaging, the subject matter well-handled and fascinating, and the twist at the end, though clearly a little too perfect, was, well, perfect.
oh man, i am so glad i gave this book a chance. it was at goodwill for t...more
In Victorian England Lord Loveall finds a baby by the side of the road and for reasons that don't bear going into at the moment, he takes the baby home with him and raises it as a girl. Rose grows up happy and loved until relatives discover what she's hiding under her dress and disinherit her. Cue a lot of self discovery and overseas adventures before she can come back and claim what is hers.
The first half of the book, with Rose growing up and her parents trying to teach her to hide certain thin...more
The first half of the book, with Rose growing up and her parents trying to teach her to hide certain thin...more
Misfortune was a very interesting book because first, you don't really think about a life of a gender being raised as the other. Rose was raised as a female in a rich home with everything she needed. She gets tired of her life and goes out to find who she really is. This book showed me that rich or poor, you have problems, even to a character like Rose. Different people have different problems.
Even though this book was really long, I enjoyed it and it was one of the books that after you finish...more
Even though this book was really long, I enjoyed it and it was one of the books that after you finish...more
The story of a foundling boy raised by nutty but loving adoptive parents in a version of 19th century England, the first third of the book flew by - sparkling, witty, sly, and true. Sadly, the onset of puberty brought on a loss of focus; the plot becomes gummy and drags, characters get confusing, and the whole thing falls to pieces. The final third recovers somewhat after a too-artful interlude, and includes a refreshing triumph of scholarship that is key to the denouement. Is this book worth re...more
Jun 02, 2010
Quigui
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
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I am not sure how I came about this book. It might have been a recommendation for another book, or simply finding the cover somewhere and being drawn to it (how could I not, there is a woman with a moustache!). In any case, it was an absolute find!
Set in the 19th century it tells the story of Rose Old Loveall, from birth to death, in a memoir style, and with very quirky language. What makes this book different? Well, Rose is found by the Young Lord Loveall after being left for dead in a rubbish...more
Set in the 19th century it tells the story of Rose Old Loveall, from birth to death, in a memoir style, and with very quirky language. What makes this book different? Well, Rose is found by the Young Lord Loveall after being left for dead in a rubbish...more
What a different book. In 1799, the wealthest man in England finds a child on top of a dust heap (trash pile) in the mouth of a dog. He saves the baby (a boy) and raises him as a girl. You will have to read it to find out the whys. Good historical detail and good writing. The author..Wesley Stace is also John Wesley Harding, the musician. He weaves song writing heavily into the plot and has recorded those songs on an album.."The Love Hall Tryst", which you can listen to segments of online. Readi...more
Gender identity is main focus of this novel, along with family dysfunction over wealth. There were funny parts, great sentence flow and word usage. I liked the way Stace writes, just not necessarily his topic. The middle was a drag, no pun intended, about our main male character, Rose, and his feelings of anxiety over being made to dress like a man. Obviously I can not relate on any level, so I really didn't feel for the guy. I so wanted him to "man-up". Is that sexist? Small minded? Right-wing?...more
I was looking forward to reading this book, thinking of it as a kind of treat. For the most part, it wasn't. How dare this book not be fun? For starters, take that title at its word. Then don't be taken in by the first chapter. It's not in keeping with the rest of the book. There is a point of view switch and a shift in storytelling style, and it's all downhill from there. Often the book wallows in the dreary and the boring and that makes for some tedious reading. The protagonist spends big chun...more
The beginning and the end were significantly better than the tepid middle, which bogged down too much in internal conflict. While I appreciated the quirkiness of the story, and the points at which narration and characterization borrowed from Austen and Dickens, I felt the nemeses were too cardboard, and the story resolved a bit too neatly, even for a story in this structural tradition. I was alternately charmed and repelled by the literary puzzle-making, which is intriguing, but too clever by ha...more
The witty, fast-paced, deliciously detailed opening of Misfortune raised my expectations for an escapade on a par with, say, The Oracle Glass. But once the inevitable first denouement occurred, the pacing of the story fell askew, and the latter section of the story was more of a plod than a trot. And while it's apparent that the central character of Rose is deemed lovable and worthy of indulgence by the supporting cast, it's not clear why. Several of the secondary characters are far more charism...more
Lord Loveall finds a baby abandoned on a rubbish heap. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he decides the baby is a girl, and adopts it as his daughter and heiress, naming it after his adored dead sister. Rose grows up believing herself to be a proper nineteenth century young lady before learning she's really a boy at her father's death. Twists and turns all over the place before nicely entwining all the separate strands of plot in a tense conclusion. Hints of Gormenghast but less confusing an...more
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I am so conflicted by this book. On one hand, I found the exploration of gender absolutely fascinating, and the character's eventual resting place (no spoilers) extremely satisfying. I loved the discussion of nature vs. nurture, and the assertion that it's not as clear cut as advocates of EITHER side would have us believe. I loved the ambiguity of it all.
Unfortunately, I found the plot and pacing a little bit lacking. Other readers have noted that the middle bit is rather ponderous, weighed down...more
Unfortunately, I found the plot and pacing a little bit lacking. Other readers have noted that the middle bit is rather ponderous, weighed down...more
Oh how I wish there were "half stars"! This gets a three AND A HALF - I liked it more than average - but I can't quite go up to four stars. It seems like everyone nowadays who writes a less-than-serious novel about 19th century England finds their book characterized as a "Dickensian romp," but this really is! It's the story of Rose, who is rescued from a trash heap as a tiny baby, & brought up by the richest man in England - Lord Geoffrey Loveall - who raises her as a girl, when in fact biol...more
I really enjoyed this book - set in the early 19th Century (a period I love) - a tale of a boy brought up as a girl. Well written, fascinating and interesting look into this time, taken from a hermaphrodite's POV and this child's life and rearing; Rose not understanding the concept of sex & what the difference is between male & female and that outcome as Rose grows up. I did enjoy the first half of the novel more than the latter, but overall a good read.
I look forward to this author's n...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I had high expectations for "Misfortune," because I loved Stace's "By George" so much. I was not disappointed. This wonderful novel (his first!) is at times a farce, often plays near "fairy tale" without anything too sticky sweet, and is written with great finesse and care. Writing a short summary is beyond me - like "By George," "Misfortune" defies pithy description in the way any excellent novel should. However, some key elements (in my mind) for those considering a read, "Misfortune:" takes p...more
I'm not sure what I have to say about this book. I feel like I should have some comment on what it says about social issues of gender, wealth/poverty, etc., but I haven't thought too deeply about it yet. I'm sort of a plot-whore, and this book has lots of plot. I think I'm still too busy sifting through all of that to think about larger implications.
I'm just kind of mad at the parents (though they were nice and did, after all, rescue an abandoned baby) for making the main character deal with suc...more
I'm just kind of mad at the parents (though they were nice and did, after all, rescue an abandoned baby) for making the main character deal with suc...more
This was a very interesting book to say the least. About a very, very odd, wealthy man who finds a baby boy in a garbage heap and raises him as a girl in remembrance of his dead sister who he never quite got over (I think this was in the mid-1800s). Unfortunately the boy, named Rose, doesn't realize that he is a girl until he is 17 years old, and can't understand why he needs to shave, amongst other things, that his girl friends don't have to do. Really though, the way they explain everything it...more
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| The Music | 1 | 9 | Apr 04, 2008 07:05pm |
Wesley Stace also records music under the nom de plume of John Wesley Harding.
More about Wesley Stace...
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“Within the walls of Love Hall, Lord Loveall could command this kind of respect.”
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1 person liked it
More quotes…
Feb 19, 2012 09:41am
Rick Santorum for President: More hand jobs.
Y...more
Feb 19, 2012 10:57am