The Real Charlotte

by Edith Œnone Somerville, Violet Florence Martin

A masterpiece of Irish literature of the Victorian Age, The Real Charlotte draws characters from the worlds of Anglo-Irish aristocracy and the native Irish peasantry. Delightful.-The Guardian.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Ireland, Irish Literature, 19th Century, Victorian, Historical Fiction

415 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1894

About the author

Edith Anna Œnone Somerville (1858 - 1949) was an Irish novelist who habitually signed herself as "E. Œ. Somerville". She wrote in collaboration with her cousin Violet Martin aka "Martin Ross" under the pseudonym "Somerville and Ross". Her 'Irish RM' books were made into a TV series in 1983



See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_S...

Reviews

[Vivian Valvano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of the two nineteenth century Irish novels (the other being GRANIA, THE STORY OF AN ISLAND)that my expert friend Jim, of DePaul U, said was imperative to read - localized but not parochial, particularized in time and place, but global in human themes. And I believe that he is right. What a fascinating cast of characters, running a gamut of human sensibilities, idiosyncrasies, foibles, and imperfections (innocent and charming/conniving and unlikable ... just about everyone is here). The "real" Charlotte is definitely memorable; the more one learns about her, the more her personality comes forward, the less one will ever forget her (although one might like to try). Francie is also memorable. The ending is superb. I speak in riddles here to avoid spoilers for those unfamiliar with this Somerville and Ross novel (1894), considered their masterpiece.

[Laurence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voor wie al eens graag een Victoriaanse roman achterover slaat, is dit een echte aanrader. Een boek geschreven door twee vrouwen (net Vrouwendag geweest, dus dat moest ik wel vermelden) dat uitblinkt in schitterende karaktertekeningen. Het boek begint erg humoristisch, waarbij de kleine kantjes van de mensen (en hun huisdieren!) erg herkenbaar geschetst worden, en evolueert langzaam maar zeker naar een donkerder en dramatischer verhaal.
Blijkbaar zou dit boek een "vergeten klassieker" zijn (het aantal ratings op Goodreads bevestigt dit), en dat is zonde, want het is heerlijk leesvoer dat nog helemaal niet gedateerd aanvoelt en dat perfect naast het werk van Jane Austen kan staan, al is de sfeer toch lichtjes anders. Het einde is wel -hmm- apart te noemen. Of toch op zijn minst abrupt. Vandaar toch "maar" vier sterretjes.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual genre as this novel is more about romance than I usually take to, but the individuality of the characters and their well-drawn personalities drew me into this one rather unexpectedly. Quite enjoyable!

[Deanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those books that seems to get overlooked, which is a shame because it's worth a read. When I picked this up I was expecting the same comedy as Irish R.M, but The Real Charlotte is a more serious book, and darker. The characters lives intwine, there are secrets, scandals and plotting a plenty. The title of the book is also interesting, who is the real Charlotte?.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to these Irish cousins for daring to centre a romantic novel around a woman with few, if any, redeeming qualities. Charlotte is neither pretty nor young, she is loud, brash, cunning and with, what would have been considered so at the time, a man's head for business. Her cousin is an opposite: youthful, pretty and flirty, Francie acts without decorum, even stealing away Charlotte's secret love, Roddy the local land agent. Between flirtations, bankrupcies, picnics and boating accidents there is a nice balance of grit and gloss. Well-written and lively, it sits quite proudly on the bridge between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

[Senne · Rating 4 out of 5]

messy.

[kingshearte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really not too sure what to think of this book. For starters, I'm not entirely sure who I'm supposed to consider the focal character. It's named after Charlotte, and it ends on Charlotte, but it's mostly more focused on Francie and her trials and tribulations, to which Charlotte certainly contributes, but only sort of.

And then there's the fact that the story also focuses fairly on Francie's romantic life, and again, I just don't know what to think. Am I supposed to root for any of her three suitors? It reminds me a little of Twilight in that respect: all of the options are terrible in their own ways, and "none of the above" really should be an option.

I mean, you've got Hawkins, who's a total non-starter. He's an utter scoundrel who leads Francie on with what is obviously no intention whatsoever of ever actually marrying her. Only when she ends up married to someone else does he truly give her the time of day, and even there, he pulls out all the pick-up artist negging stops, with such gems as "You're not a bit like what you used to be. You seem to take a delight in snubbing and shutting me up. I must say, I never thought you'd have turned into a prig!" Like, seriously, dude? You seduced her, never told her you were already engaged, went off and started ignoring her letters, and when you deign to give her the time of day after she's moved on, you get all whiny about her daring to be upset with you? Ugh. What's worse though, is that I guess it worked? From the beginning, he was always the one she was in love with, and no amount of assholery is sufficient to change that, right to the end, which is perhaps the most infuriating part.

Then there's Lambert. He's not quite as obviously awful as Hawkins, but he came across as pretty skeezy right from the beginning to me, because he came across as considerably older than her (not so old, I guess, as to be considered unsuitable at the time) and the relationship always seemed very paternal or at least avuncular. But at the same time, he was also clearly chasing Francie. So between the combination of fatherliness and horndogginess and the fact that he was also married to someone else at the time, he's also just straight up gross. So when she finally ends up marrying him (after his wife dies), even though there are some elements of their relationship and situation that make sense, it's still just icky.

So that leaves Christopher. He's clearly the best match, even though she doesn't really feel that way about him. They got on pretty well, though, and he's not inherently an asshole, so if she could have just gotten past the whole Hawkins nonsense, they probably could have made a perfectly lovely life together. So I suppose in his case, it's not so much that he's terrible; it's just that she basically can't see him because of Hawkins. And that's just sad.

And then there's the ending. I've already spoiled the whole marrying Lambert thing, but I'll keep quiet about the ending, except to say that it occurs very suddenly, and leaves you with a very WTF sort of feeling.

[Laura]

Free download available at InternetArchive

[Wanda]

8 DEC 2015 - Laura found a download. Link: https://archive.org/details/realcharl...

Thank you, Dear Laura

[Kristin Canfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welp that is one way to resolve a messy narrative

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book! Very modern in many respects!

[Millie · Rating 3 out of 5]

irish!

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[John Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the highest compliment I can give a book that it made me think of George Eliot's Middlemarch. I'm amazed that this was written by two people, a pair of cousins whose different temperaments perhaps widened their scope of insight and sympathy. What struck me most (and reminded me of Eliot) was the way the narrative built compassion for characters while revealing their most craven and unflattering faults. The action centers on a young woman's summer visit to her brusque middle-aged aunt (the Charlotte of the title), and each chapter chronicles fewer observable events than it does the world each character builds within his or her mind. Like Eliot, the psychological depth is plumbed with deep compassion, yet the book isn't a quick and breezy read like Austen's most popular novels.

[Bette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got tired of the contemporary books I've been reading for a long time and wanted to go back to the 19th century. This book was on my shelf--I must have picked it up used at some point--and thought I'd give it a go. (I remembered liking the PBS series "The Irish RM" a long time ago, based on Somerville & Ross's novels.) I enjoyed the book, with its far more leisurely approach to narrative than today's books (though I felt there was far more description than necessary, even for a 19th-century novel).

Charlotte was an interesting character, especially for that time (1880s). She is a villain, but she is the one who triumphs--albeit in a twisted way-- which is quite unusual for the era. I didn't admire or detest her, which is a tribute to S&R, who make it clear why she acts as she does: she is an unattractive, embittered, jealous "spinster" whose only requited love comes from her cats. As for Francie, she is an attractive character, though "vulgar." With her suitors, S&R set up an impossible situation. I couldn't really root for any of the men. Even with 3 choices, none of them was quite right. In a way, it seemed like she was saved from herself by the ending (which was a bit too sudden, in my view). Perhaps S&R got to the point where it was clear she wasn't going to be happy no matter what she chose to do, so they killed her off. I don't think they meant her end to be a punishment though, as it would have been in the hands of a many a male Victorian writer. Maybe like another 1890s novel, "The Awakening" by the American novelist Kate Chopin, they meant to show that a girl like Francie, with little education, no money, no sympathetic relations/support system, had few options. I think she actually made the best choice as Lambert did love her and was able to rescue her from penury. And even though he almost goes bankrupt, it turns out he would have been okay in the end. But she never would have been satisfied with her life with him since she didn't love him and would have always pined for Hawkins. Going to NZ with him would have been a disaster, though. He is a superficial man who only wants her when he can no longer have her, and he would have most likely lost whatever he felt for her once she was his mistress. Finally, she never would have been happy with Christopher, whose emotional range was very narrow--by contrast to Francie's deep and wide-ranging emotional makeup--and whose aristocratic milieu and his education were entirely foreign to Francie. She was not an appropriate wife for him and never would have been comfortable at Bruff. I'm glad I read the book. It kept me coming back to find out the next development. I felt completely immersed in the world S&R create, though I didn't care that deeply for any one character, which made it a 3.5 star book for me rather than a 4 star book.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not as hilarious as their Irish r.M., this is amusing. The contrast between English and Irish animated the other; here, mostly Irish class-levels and accents: owld for ‘old,’ afther ‘after,’ craythure creature, porther porter, tay tea, windy window. And 'streeling' about in the cold (p.274) Common chores before electrification: ironing done with hot coals in an iron box —hence ironing? (249) New houses have no memory, only a future (think of the U.S.). Old houses change, the potato-storage room “now a faded dining-room, basket by the fire with four squeaking kittens”(292). This, the once dilapidated, remote house at Gurthnamuckla.

The authors, masters of comparison, as in mail delivered off a ship, “sailors run ashore with mail bags on their backs, like a string of ants with their eggs”(288) in Ch.38. And masters of fine phrases like hearing “a tardy rill of news” or the wind “howling inconsolably”(8) in Ch.2, or the old and dying having “a slippery turn in their wills”(13).

Very amusing on choir practice, among the reluctant. "The chants had been long and wearisome, and the hymns were proving themselves equally enduring," this last word, perfect (57). Charlotte's "determination to outscream everyone." "The hymn had seven verses, and Mrs Gascogne, director, was going inexorably through them"(58). "The choir cushions slowly turned to stone."

Lady Dysart is an “Englishwoman, constitutionally unable to discern the subtle grades of Irish vulgarity” (15). She held two grand events a year to mix young women and men, but this tennis party had ten times the women as men. She surveyed the women “much as Cassandra might have scanned the beleaguering hosts from the ramparts of Troy”(14). The latest arrival, the titular Charlotte Mullen, who “had many tones of voice, with the many facets of her character, and when she wished to be playful she affected a vigorous brogue, not perhaps aware that her own accent scarcely admits of being strengthened.” She becomes the guardian of her young cousin Francie, a child, but later the most eligible young lady.

One of her suitors, Lambert “was a man who always valued his possessions according to other people’s estimation, and this afternoon Francie gained new distinction in his eyes”(283). She rejects a proposal from the landed Christopher Dysart, but keeps interested in the no-good Hawkins. This causes Charlotte to throw her out of the house, to live with her penurious Fitzgeralds.

The tomcat is named Susan, by Francie when a kid.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read on so many levels. I came to it because it was apparently one of the favourite books of one of my favourite authors, Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett. I can see why, with the central character of an unpleasant tyrant who says the most appalling truths especially when angered. The characters are none of them hugely likeable, except Francie, and she is fairly silly most of the time. But they live, from the Irish aristocracy through to the poorest peasants, their mansions and hovels are real places, the countryside and weather are beautifully done - I could go on and on. I can't recommend this highly enough - and of course, it's free on PG!

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francie Fitzpatrick is a Dublin orphan who is taken in by her wealthier older cousin Charlotte Mullen who has a home in rural Ireland. There the beautiful Francie attracts the attentions of three very different men.

So far, so Jane Austen. But Francie does not fit the mould of romance heroines, being flirty and brash, and Charlotte has an ugly side. 'The real Charlotte' doesn't often raise her head, but when she does, anyone who gets in her way had better watch out.

I loved this late 19th-century Irish novel and can't understand why it's not better known. It isn’t a typical romance, either in characters or in plot, but I found it hugely entertaining.

[AT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellently written. Very dark novel but with much humour. The scene is set in rural Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century. The characters: the landed gentry, the land agent, soldiers in the British army, respectable middling farmers and lower landed society and one or two servants. Interestingly the landowners are the most noble while nearly everybody else is foul or petty to a lesser or greater degree. Despite the stereotyping the characters are extremely well developed as is the plot and the prose is a sheer pleasure to read.

[Alice Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Lambert can wonder why his life has gone wrong when he marries a woman much older than himself, and then upon her death, he married someone much younger than he is. Then there's the uneducated Francie wants what she can't have. There's Charlotte, much like a spider, weaving her web. Mr. Hawkins is just plain sneaky and dishonest with himself, with Francie, with the girl he's engaged too. A perfect soap opera!! Loved reading it.

[Rese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like the ending but the rest of the book was fascinating. Perhaps, though, the ending being so frustrating only adds to the drama the book itself conveyed.

A definite must read especially if you enjoy Victorian era or Irish literature.

[Donna Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ending is incomplete

Wonderful read right until the end! Otherwise 5 stars!
This was a real disappointment since I had become so invested in the lives of the characters.

[Hopkin Royse]

i like the idea of the ugly woman as protagonist but i was just bored whenever they weren't talking about how ugly she was

[Bob Kaufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

not the ending I expected.

[lucy d · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three whole men throwing themselves at her and she still marries the pervert!

[Anonymous Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main characters are Hawkins, Francie, Charlotte, and Lambert. The book tells the story of two cousins: Francie and Charlotte. Francie is only nineteen, while Charlotte is an older woman, she is around forty years old. She is definitely mature, intelligent, but also evil. On the other hand, Francie is immature, naive and optimistic. She is in love with Hawkins and intends to marry him. Unfortunately, he leaves her for another woman. She is left with a broken heart, but marries Lambert instead. Charlotte is the one that intends to get a fortune by marrying Francie to a wealthy man. She is somewhat successful, at the end. She is more like an evil step-mother to Francie. She is devoid of love and affection. She only cares about money, she does not care about ethics. On the other hand, Francie is more sensitive, and suffers a lot. Even is she marries Lambert, she is not happy at all, and eventually her death is symbolical of her unhappiness. The is the innocent victim, the sacrificial scapegoat that dies at the end by falling off the horse.

The novel is a realistic one, and has no supernatural or Romantic elements. Realism was a literary trend that became popular in the nineteenth century. The most popular authors that promoted realism were Balzac and Stendhal, but each country had their authors. The main themes of such novels were the obsession with money of the emerging middle class. They dealt with money, they were not interested in culture or morality. Such authors attempted to criticize their lack of morals. Their evil deeds were mirrored in various literary works. Charlotte is the archetypal greedy woman, obsessed with money and inheritance. She would do anything in order to obtain them, including sacrificing her own younger cousin, Francie. The ending is obviously very tragic and it mirrors the consequence of greed and unhealthy obsession with money. Charlotte made a Faustian pact with the devil in exchange for money. She is mentally unhealthy or maybe just the archetype of the evil woman, the witch, as described by the Jungian books.

The other characters seem unhealthy, as well. Hawkins is the young soldier that promises to marry Francie. They seem to be in love, as well. Unfortunately, he leaves her, cheating her with another woman. He even visits her after marrying Lambert, but only to say farewell. He is definitely a coward. He fits the archetype of Don Juan. He does not take love seriously. He also marries for the sake of money. Therefore, many of the characters from the novel are desperate for money. Love, friendship, family, these are values that have no importance for most of the characters. The death of such collective values leads to the sacrifice of the innocent character, Francie, that dies at the end of the novel. The novel is indeed tragic, but it deals with a lot of moral issues, being somewhat didactic to its core.

[Jim Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always delighted when I find a late 19th century novel by an author I am unfamiliar with. And boy was this book was a find! Somerville and Ross were Anglo-Irish cousins who were well respected in their time (1890’s) but have largely been forgotten. Their novel, The Real Charlotte, explores gender, sex, and class issues with a freedom I’ve not found in the works of their contemporaries—Hardy, Wilde, James.
The book revolves around the lives of two cousins—one beautiful, young, simple, and poor and the other ugly, middle aged, well to do, and cunning. Essentially the book explores the roles these women are forced to play by their looks and stations in life. Francie, the young pretty girl from Dublin is foisted off on Charlotte, her well-to-do cousin, and the conflict between the two fuels the actions of the novel. While Charlotte is ostensibly the villain (and several times the authors feel the need to remind us of this), it is she we are left admiring because despite her limitations as a woman in this society, she finds ways around them and always achieves her goals. While she is responsible for some very bad behavior (the death of her best friend, the ruin of a man she secretly loved who spurned her for Francie), she comes out the clear victor. While Victorian convention could never allow Charlotte to be deemed a hero, in The Real Charlotte, she really is.

[Jyoti51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting how relevant this book still seemed - both to Ireland's history and to humans generally - after a gap of 40 years since I first read it.
The personal interactions and behaviours still seem complex and convincing and I am now much more struck by the way in which the book elaborates how women made use of their intelligence and skills in that context ... Not just as subject to their times, but to the constraints of class, colonialism (the confident entitlement of the English characters contrasting with the constant planning, plotting, negotiation of the Irish), appearance, and age.
Charlotte is elderly, plain, Irish, female, and intelligent. Her intelligence and options are circumscribed by all these descriptors but she works constantly to become less at their mercy. Re-reading, I found myself much more aware of the kindness with which the characters are treated - whether apparently cruel bullies or brainless fluffs, their internal life and construing is available in a way that helps make sense of their choices and mistakes.
Somerville and Ross are two women writers who are still worth reading - and re-reading too!

[Margaret Capozzolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this novel begins with Charlotte's lovely young cousin Francie on a horse in Dublin and ends with Francie falling off a horse in the west of Ireland, the two authors (also cousins) chose to make Charlotte the title character. When dealing with writers as skillful as Somerville & Ross, one must assume that there is a reason behind the choice of that title. I believe that their intent throughout the writing of this novel was to pull away the veils that prevented turn-of-the-century readers in the English-speaking world from looking squarely at all levels of Irish society. The lower classes like Charlotte's servant Norry may not really be the humorous stage Irishman society sees her as. As Christopher and his family illustrate, the upper crust's enervation renders them ineffective in the leadership role that has been assigned them. But it is the Anglo-Irish middleman, personified by Charlotte--who is capable of putting on whatever face and accent best suits her purpose--who most needs unveiling. Every turning of the plot of this novel reveals to the reader more and more of the face of the real Charlotte.

[A. Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps I enjoyed this so much because it was such a refreshing, pleasant change from the intense reading I've been doing lately. Even if that is the reason for four full stars, I think the novel would stand up in other circumstances. Early on, I laughed aloud several times and wrote out a few hilarious descriptions to share. This co-written story has clearly drawn characters, and it isn't a simple read, as some might suppose it would be. There's much being said about human nature, and the title is critical, because it's easy to forget that this isn't Francie's story entirely. The novel incorporates truths about the land system and inheritances, but its focus is the privileged, Protestant population. It is a Victorian novel. I really enjoyed it, and especially appreciated that there is far more to Francie than there seems to be. This book was on my list of important but difficult-to-find Irish titles. Well worth reading.