Pressured by her unscrupulous family to marry a wealthy man she detests, the young Clarissa Harlowe is tricked into fleeing with the witty and debo...
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Jul 08, 2010
Ellen
rated it: 
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a nun or a convict.
In my romanticized view, both situations provided a room and isolation. What more could anyone want? Space and isolation: the perfect ingredients to read endlessly and without interruption.
In reality, nothing could be further from the truth, and my notions about being a convict were particularly skewed. There’s nothing romantic about being imprisoned, and Clarissa--more than most fictional characters w More...
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Jan 29, 2012
Rachel
rated it: 
I would never recommend this book to anyone.
I will say that first off, despite my love of it, despite the fact that it will remain present in my consciousness a long time, and I may write things on it, may deliberately continue my interaction with the text in the way that one sometimes does after finishing a book that has had such an impact upon them.
For it was a completely devestating eight hundred closely written pages, letter after letter after letter. One knew from ve More...
I will say that first off, despite my love of it, despite the fact that it will remain present in my consciousness a long time, and I may write things on it, may deliberately continue my interaction with the text in the way that one sometimes does after finishing a book that has had such an impact upon them.
For it was a completely devestating eight hundred closely written pages, letter after letter after letter. One knew from ve More...
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Apr 27, 2007
Alex
rated it:
Written entirely in the epistolary style (comprised of nothing but letters between the protagonists, a first for a modern novel, and as the insipiration for de Laclos' "Les Liasons Dangereuses" over 30 years later), Clarissa Harlowe, the much beloved and golden daughter of the wealthy Harlowe family, is the sole heir(ess) of a large fortune upon the death of her grandfather.
Thinking of the prosperity of the family and the family name, her parents are inducing her to marry More...
Thinking of the prosperity of the family and the family name, her parents are inducing her to marry More...
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Nov 10, 2011
VeganMedusa
rated it: 
2133 pages, consisting of 536 letters (plus conclusion and author's postscript) all cross-referenced - the author must have been a madman. A madman with an impressive filing system.
This is the kind of book that draws you in slowly but completely, with not much happening most of the time. So when something does happen, it's tremendously exciting. My favourite scene from the whole book was (at the end of Volume 2) when there was a fire and she opened her door dressed only in an under-p More...
This is the kind of book that draws you in slowly but completely, with not much happening most of the time. So when something does happen, it's tremendously exciting. My favourite scene from the whole book was (at the end of Volume 2) when there was a fire and she opened her door dressed only in an under-p More...
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Jun 19, 2009
Mitch
rated it:
I am thrilled at the prospect of completing this novel. I've read a great deal of fiction and this - the longest novel ever written, I believe, - is better than much of it. It is so subtle, so complete in its awareness of gender and human nature; the syntax and style seems to anticipate what I love in Henry James, that I will be sorry when it is done and I have to bid farewell to Lovelace, Harlowe and company, above all their magnificent correspondence. This novel to end or begin all novels asks
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Jan 11, 2012
Amy
rated it:
This book was a text I needed to read for one of my English courses, and I'm happy that I got to read it. It was interesting to read an epistolary form of literature. The reader gets deeply involved with the characters (especially Clarissa). I fell for Lovelace even though he was a horrible character, but his wickedness was attractive in an odd sort of way.
There were two things that took away the two stars (contains spoilers):
1. Length. I read the abridged version which was r More...
There were two things that took away the two stars (contains spoilers):
1. Length. I read the abridged version which was r More...
Jun 25, 2010
People sometimes avoid this book because of its length (about 3000 pages in very small print!). It is, however, thoroughly compelling, and, astonishingly, as relevant to debates about gender and violence as it was in 1748, when it was written. Although, unlike quite a few works of the period, it is not written by a female author, Richardson was famous for inviting the participation of his female friends in the revisions of the work, and it shows: the psychology is profoundly insightful, and the
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Nov 05, 2009
skein
rated it:
I love this book. I don't care what anyone says. I love Pamela, too, and was thoroughly angry at Shamela. (I read & own the condensed version of Clarissa, for time's sake, although I read the first four books of the long version - does that matter?)
Clarissa is a far cry from Pamela's moralizing moral morality, that's for damn sure. The characters are dark & intense: Clarissa's vile family, Lovelace's obsession and desire and - I believe it - love; even Anna Howe seems a little too i More...
Clarissa is a far cry from Pamela's moralizing moral morality, that's for damn sure. The characters are dark & intense: Clarissa's vile family, Lovelace's obsession and desire and - I believe it - love; even Anna Howe seems a little too i More...
Oct 03, 2009
Surreysmum
rated it:
[These notes were made in 1981:]. Read in an 8-volume, 1785 edition. Having given so much of my life to this not-so-little masterpiece, I feel a certain sense of accomplishment merely in having reached the last page of the last volume. But, surprisingly enough (for I was not terribly enamoured of Pamela, especially the first time round), I got quite caught up. The first two volumes were indisputably very slow, but it picked up gradually, and by the rape in the 5th/6th volume, I was eagerly antic
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Jan 09, 2008
W.B.
rated it:
I have to offer a dissenting opinion. I thought it was a delight, a great romp, an imaginative work of wit. It makes me want to carry hartshorn around with me. So he's not Tolstoy. Someone called Richardson "literary cod liver oil." I had to smile. But I remember really enjoying this as a bedside book....sort of a (much) lighter version of De Laclos. And who doesn't like De Laclos? Well, this is Goodreads so a LOT of you, no doubt lol.
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Apr 05, 2010
Bettie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 07, 2011
Vanessa
rated it:
A lot of nonsense is talked about Clarissa. It's essentially a rape fantasy, ending in the death of the victim. Condense it down to 60,000 words, stick a distressed nude on the cover and, if it isn't banned, it would sell like hot cakes on Amazon.
According to Lord Macaulay, once entered in Clarissa, you are infected by her and can't leave off for a minute.
On the other hand, says Samuel Johnson, if you were to read this for the story you would be so much fretted that you w More...
According to Lord Macaulay, once entered in Clarissa, you are infected by her and can't leave off for a minute.
On the other hand, says Samuel Johnson, if you were to read this for the story you would be so much fretted that you w More...
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Jul 12, 2010
Merveilles
rated it:
I have just finished it and I feel exactly like Denis Diderot writes in his “Eloge de Richardson”about his novels :
“How delightfully moved I was by them! With every moment I saw my time of happiness growing a page shorter. Soon I had the same feeling as is experienced by men who get on extremely well together and, having been together for a long time, are about to separate. When it was finished, I suddenly felt that I was left alone.”
It is really a strange experience to read such More...
“How delightfully moved I was by them! With every moment I saw my time of happiness growing a page shorter. Soon I had the same feeling as is experienced by men who get on extremely well together and, having been together for a long time, are about to separate. When it was finished, I suddenly felt that I was left alone.”
It is really a strange experience to read such More...
Nov 08, 2009
Lindsey
rated it:
This is the first competely epistolary novel I've ever read and I loved it. The letters kept me in suspense with what would happen next. The friendship between Anna and Clarissa is admirable and inspiring and the character of Lovelace as intriguing and complex as characters get. I would have given this book 5 stars, but there were stretches of time without Clarissa's perspective (the one I found most interesting and relatable to me)-particulary the rape scene; and some letters seemed unnecessary
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May 17, 2011
Helen (Helena/Nell)
rated it:
This review will be in four volumes, one published at the end of each of the next four decades.
I loved this book. I may be one of the few people in the Western World to have read it several times, but the last of these several times was decades ago, when I still thought I would complete a doctoral thesis on Richardson. But since then, I have NOT done a whole set of things I thought I would do.
Richardson is not widely renowned for his sense of humour. But his irony is a pr More...
I loved this book. I may be one of the few people in the Western World to have read it several times, but the last of these several times was decades ago, when I still thought I would complete a doctoral thesis on Richardson. But since then, I have NOT done a whole set of things I thought I would do.
Richardson is not widely renowned for his sense of humour. But his irony is a pr More...
Aug 16, 2011
Valorie
rated it:
Ok it was reallllllly long but i couldnt put it down. I loved it. I dont think we have enough examples of purity, charity, falial duty and general goodness. Modern writers are always trying to make their characters more 'real'. Well I dont like the way most real people behave so I like examples I would like to follow. Im allready 'real' enough myself. I dont need any help in that direction. Anyway total classic. If you dont believe me read some of the other reviews on goodreads. Tons of people r
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Feb 22, 2011
Ana
rated it: 
Clarissa / 0-140-43215-9
You've got to feel sorry for Richardson. After some careful soul-searching over the literary success of his earlier and similarly-themed (but more cheerfully ended) Pamela, he decided that he'd pen a novel for the ages, a novel that would finally put to rest the idea that reformed rapists make good husbands. Imagine his disappointment when his laboriously long novel, full of the evil wrongdoings of the horrible Mr. Lovelace, only evoked passionate sighs from t More...
You've got to feel sorry for Richardson. After some careful soul-searching over the literary success of his earlier and similarly-themed (but more cheerfully ended) Pamela, he decided that he'd pen a novel for the ages, a novel that would finally put to rest the idea that reformed rapists make good husbands. Imagine his disappointment when his laboriously long novel, full of the evil wrongdoings of the horrible Mr. Lovelace, only evoked passionate sighs from t More...
Feb 22, 2010
Justin
rated it:
Let's be clear about this: this book is far, far too long for modern reading habits. Not all that much happens in its 1500 pages (pages which are, I would guess, maybe one and a half to twice as long as normal pages). If you want to read it, don't sit down and try to read the whole thing straight. It's really not that much fun. I heard somewhere that in the 18th century people treated books the way we treat TV programs: pick it up, put it down, come in in the middle, have a conversation while yo
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May 07, 2009
Sherwood
rated it:
This immense tome is actually a pretty good read--I think, until the enforced ending. It annoyed me as a college student, and annoys me now, that the wronged woman still has to die, but other than that (and, well, Clarissa's somewhat lugubrious goodness, spawning decades of passive, saintly heroines that later Jane Austen makes fun of) the book is full of wit and interesting observations on everything. The first half is great fun--Richardson really lets his wit rip free in Lovelace's early let
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Jul 17, 2008
Synopsis
Epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, published in 1747-48. Richardson first presents the heroine, Clarissa Harlowe, when she is discovering the barely masked motives of her family, who want to force her into a loveless marriage to improve their fortunes. When Lovelace, a romantic who holds the code of the Harlowes in contempt, offers her protection, she runs off with him. She is physically attracted by if not actually in love with Lovelace, but she is to discover that he wants he More...
Epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, published in 1747-48. Richardson first presents the heroine, Clarissa Harlowe, when she is discovering the barely masked motives of her family, who want to force her into a loveless marriage to improve their fortunes. When Lovelace, a romantic who holds the code of the Harlowes in contempt, offers her protection, she runs off with him. She is physically attracted by if not actually in love with Lovelace, but she is to discover that he wants he More...
Sep 14, 2010
J
rated it: 
The experience of reading this book is akin to being dragged though a bog of broken glass and tobasco sauce. Face down. By a very slow mule. The story's intent is to show that the ultimate virtue a girl can have is passivity no matter what awfulness the world sends her way. I read the 600 page ABRIDGED version for school and was so traumatized I didn't read another book for a year. Samuel Richardson should be boycotted out of the Canon. Wolstonecraft kicked his ass.
Jun 18, 2010
John
rated it:
I think Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa : Or the History of a Young Lady is one of the greatest works ever penned, possibly even the greatest ever…. (Yes, even greater than Shakespeare!)
But at over 1536 exquisite, finely wrought pages I know it is not for everyone…
If you like the best this world can offer and if you are willing to devote your full attention to the product of an exceptional genius then Clarissa : Or the History of a Young Lady is the book for you.
But at over 1536 exquisite, finely wrought pages I know it is not for everyone…
If you like the best this world can offer and if you are willing to devote your full attention to the product of an exceptional genius then Clarissa : Or the History of a Young Lady is the book for you.
Aug 17, 2011
Patty
rated it:
Clarissa was written in the mid-1700's about a virtuous young woman who is obsessively pursued by a a wicked man who will stop at nothing short of possessing her.
Over 1500 pages long, the entire story is told in letters written by the characters to one another with great detail describing the events in their lives. Clarissa endures such unbelievable trials it is no wonder she dies young -- First at the hands of her father, who is determined she will marry a man of his choosing to ad More...
Over 1500 pages long, the entire story is told in letters written by the characters to one another with great detail describing the events in their lives. Clarissa endures such unbelievable trials it is no wonder she dies young -- First at the hands of her father, who is determined she will marry a man of his choosing to ad More...
Oct 22, 2011
Geni
rated it:
I thought the history of this book, the longest printed novel (in episodes), was better than the book. It's the story of Clarissa Harlowe, tragic heroine, who dies trying to remain virtuous.It has melodrama, ambitious relatives and treacherous friends in oppressive 18th c. England, and while the story was shocking in its day, it was a chore to read in 2011. First printed in 1748.
Nov 01, 2011
Jen
rated it:
This was the longest book I've ever read, and it was also the most boring. We had to use it for a literature class, and before the end of the book I wanted to drop the class just so I wouldn't have to finish it. I endured, however, and I am none the better for having read it.
Apr 17, 2011
Craig
rated it:
Mixed feelings invade at this moment, having finished this beast. And it is a beast, emotionally and physically. At just under 1500 pages, the tome packs a punch in time and effort. That is why I struggled in deciding whether I really love this work or hate it. My feelings about the length almost reveal a more juvenile response in pure concern about "my time" being wasted. However, Richardson's opus magnum is very good and I can "almost" ponder coming back to this at a m
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May 09, 2010
Cyanide
rated it:
a very very long book. i stuck with it in the hope i might receive some kind of revelation, but it just kept on going. it seemed the equivalent of a 18th century Coronation Street. It does give you some kind of insight into life back then, it just takes the longer route.
Jun 28, 2009
Leah
rated it:
Epistolary novels require a certain amount of willing suspension of disbelief, and this one is no exception. Clarissa's story is a tragic one that comes across at times like a morality play, and it definitely has some strong opinions about the characters within.
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Jan 13, 2009
Emma
rated it:
An interesting enough story, if a bit long. Although a must-read for any English major for its standing as the "first true epistolary novel," I do feel sorry for anyone who has Clarrissa (unabridged) assigned to them for a class.
