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Between Two Loves
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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
- GenresClassics
311 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1886
3 people want to read
About the author
Amelia E. Barr
135 books10 followersAmelia Edith Barr, née Huddleston, was an English American novelist. (See also under Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr.)
In 1850 she married William Barr, and four years later they immigrated to the United States and settled in Galveston, Texas where her husband and three of their six children died of yellow fever in 1867. With her three remaining daughters, Mrs. Barr moved to Ridgewood,New Jersey in 1868. She came there to tutor the three sons of a prominent citizen, William Libby, and opened a school in a small house. This structure still stands at the southwest corner of Van Dien and Linwood Avenues.
Amelia Barr did not like Ridgewood and did not remain there for very long. She left shortly after selling a story to a magazine.[Caldwell,William A.,et al.,"The History of a Village, Ridgewood,N.J.," State Tercentenary Committee, c. 1964, p. 32] In 1869, she moved to New York City where she began to write for religious periodicals and to publish a series of semi-historical tales and novels.
By 1891, when she achieved greater success, she and her daughters moved up the Hudson River to Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, where they renovated a house on the slopes of Storm King Mountain and named it Cherry Croft. The name has been applied to that period of her career, the most productive and successful. She remained there until moving in with her daughter Lilly in White Plains in her last years.
In 1850 she married William Barr, and four years later they immigrated to the United States and settled in Galveston, Texas where her husband and three of their six children died of yellow fever in 1867. With her three remaining daughters, Mrs. Barr moved to Ridgewood,New Jersey in 1868. She came there to tutor the three sons of a prominent citizen, William Libby, and opened a school in a small house. This structure still stands at the southwest corner of Van Dien and Linwood Avenues.
Amelia Barr did not like Ridgewood and did not remain there for very long. She left shortly after selling a story to a magazine.[Caldwell,William A.,et al.,"The History of a Village, Ridgewood,N.J.," State Tercentenary Committee, c. 1964, p. 32] In 1869, she moved to New York City where she began to write for religious periodicals and to publish a series of semi-historical tales and novels.
By 1891, when she achieved greater success, she and her daughters moved up the Hudson River to Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, where they renovated a house on the slopes of Storm King Mountain and named it Cherry Croft. The name has been applied to that period of her career, the most productive and successful. She remained there until moving in with her daughter Lilly in White Plains in her last years.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 12, 2025
Spoilers because no one besides me ever is going to read this book 🤣 I got my copy at an antique store and it is legitimately 136 years old published in 1889.
It started off on a strong note with our main character, Jonathon the self made wealthy owner of a mill, having genuinely good insight into the plight of womanhood. His love for his daughter makes him a likeable guy. Sure, he's lusting after the 20 year old daughter of his former girlfriend (he's 50), but I was still willing to see where the story went.
His strong willed daughter, Eleanor is kind of fun.
She hates her husband and complains constantly to her father about how controlling he is of her and Jonathon grapples with his grief over her circumstances but overall tells her to just obey him because right or wrong, the world will side with her husband over her. This is rather pragmatic advice. The story seems to recognize the inequity of men and women in marriage but does absolutely nothing to challenge it. But she's saucy and says my favorite quote of the entire book. When her father tells her to call her husband lord, as Sarah calls Abraham in the Bible she responds with this gem:
"Sarah had a great many faults, and that was one of the worst of them. I'm not going to imitate Sarah. Besides, Sarah would not think of doing such a thing if she lived in England in the nineteenth century."
In a story of demure women who sacrifice all their happiness for men, Eleanor really stands out and that quote got an out loud cackle from me. All my favorite lines and actions stem from this one character.
Eleanor and her husband have an altercation and he strikes her. She runs home to her father (as she should) and he shelters her (as he should) even though everyone warns him against it. Eleanor's husband goes nuclear, going after Jonathan's business and draining him dry almost to ruin for harboring his own daughter and keeping her safe.
THEN THE STORY BECOMES A PURE RAGE READ.
Eleanor is completely blamed by everyone, including her father, for ruining his business and acting out of line by leaving her husband. And she apologizes profusely and goes back to him, realizing the...error of her ways and all is well.
Sarah (the 20 year old daughter of Jonathan's ex girlfriend) can't marry Jonathon despite his repeated advances because she simply MUST suffer. Her brother Steve is a totally asshole who does not hold down a job, gambles, and abandons his wife and 3 children completely. But Sarah promised her mom she would take care of him so she works her fingers to the bone giving any bit of free time or joy providing for him and his whole family while he gallavants around in the god damn forest. Marrying Jonathon would give her access to many more resources as he's wealthy, and he points that out. But she can't! She has to be miserable for decades first! For reasons.
Steve should have died. He's a complete and total loser. But because he's a man, he's given every chance and people keep saying he's good deep down. He's not. He's a selfish prick. Unfortunately things end up going very well for him in the end and he stays alive.
Ben Holden, bachelor extradonaire and Jonathan's right hand man, is the "voice of reason" throughout the story. Even when his advice is utter bullshit.
And this is where the story goes from bad to worse.
Ben, a middle aged man somewhere in his late 40s or early 50s, meets and preys on one of his new employees. A 17 year old child. He knows she's a child and repeatedly refers to her as childlike in appearance and demeanor. It's no coincidence she's an orphan. They get married inside a month and that's how the story ends.
It went WAY beyond the conclusion of the main conflict (years of battles between Jonathon and his son and law) and got boring. Then at the very end, it threw in some good old p€d0ph!1!@ at the end for flavor.
It started off on a strong note with our main character, Jonathon the self made wealthy owner of a mill, having genuinely good insight into the plight of womanhood. His love for his daughter makes him a likeable guy. Sure, he's lusting after the 20 year old daughter of his former girlfriend (he's 50), but I was still willing to see where the story went.
His strong willed daughter, Eleanor is kind of fun.
She hates her husband and complains constantly to her father about how controlling he is of her and Jonathon grapples with his grief over her circumstances but overall tells her to just obey him because right or wrong, the world will side with her husband over her. This is rather pragmatic advice. The story seems to recognize the inequity of men and women in marriage but does absolutely nothing to challenge it. But she's saucy and says my favorite quote of the entire book. When her father tells her to call her husband lord, as Sarah calls Abraham in the Bible she responds with this gem:
"Sarah had a great many faults, and that was one of the worst of them. I'm not going to imitate Sarah. Besides, Sarah would not think of doing such a thing if she lived in England in the nineteenth century."
In a story of demure women who sacrifice all their happiness for men, Eleanor really stands out and that quote got an out loud cackle from me. All my favorite lines and actions stem from this one character.
Eleanor and her husband have an altercation and he strikes her. She runs home to her father (as she should) and he shelters her (as he should) even though everyone warns him against it. Eleanor's husband goes nuclear, going after Jonathan's business and draining him dry almost to ruin for harboring his own daughter and keeping her safe.
THEN THE STORY BECOMES A PURE RAGE READ.
Eleanor is completely blamed by everyone, including her father, for ruining his business and acting out of line by leaving her husband. And she apologizes profusely and goes back to him, realizing the...error of her ways and all is well.
Sarah (the 20 year old daughter of Jonathan's ex girlfriend) can't marry Jonathon despite his repeated advances because she simply MUST suffer. Her brother Steve is a totally asshole who does not hold down a job, gambles, and abandons his wife and 3 children completely. But Sarah promised her mom she would take care of him so she works her fingers to the bone giving any bit of free time or joy providing for him and his whole family while he gallavants around in the god damn forest. Marrying Jonathon would give her access to many more resources as he's wealthy, and he points that out. But she can't! She has to be miserable for decades first! For reasons.
Steve should have died. He's a complete and total loser. But because he's a man, he's given every chance and people keep saying he's good deep down. He's not. He's a selfish prick. Unfortunately things end up going very well for him in the end and he stays alive.
Ben Holden, bachelor extradonaire and Jonathan's right hand man, is the "voice of reason" throughout the story. Even when his advice is utter bullshit.
And this is where the story goes from bad to worse.
Ben, a middle aged man somewhere in his late 40s or early 50s, meets and preys on one of his new employees. A 17 year old child. He knows she's a child and repeatedly refers to her as childlike in appearance and demeanor. It's no coincidence she's an orphan. They get married inside a month and that's how the story ends.
It went WAY beyond the conclusion of the main conflict (years of battles between Jonathon and his son and law) and got boring. Then at the very end, it threw in some good old p€d0ph!1!@ at the end for flavor.
Displaying 1 of 1 review