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The Second Fiddle
The Second Fiddle is a novel written by Phyllis Bottome and published in 1917. The story follows the life of a young woman named Elizabeth Remington, who is forced to play second fiddle to her sister, who is more beautiful and successful than she is. Elizabeth struggles to find her own path in life and break free from her sister's shadow, but is constantly held back by her own insecurities and lack of confidence.As the story progresses, Elizabeth becomes involved in a romantic relationship with a man named Jack, who helps her to see her own worth and potential. However, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Jack is also in love with Elizabeth's sister, and Elizabeth must navigate her feelings of jealousy and betrayal.Throughout the novel, Bottome explores themes of self-discovery, sibling rivalry, and the importance of finding one's own identity. The Second Fiddle is a timeless tale that continues to resonate with readers today, and is a must-read for anyone who has ever struggled to find their place in the world.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
370 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1917
About the author
Phyllis Bottome
130 books9 followersBottome was born in 1882, in Rochester, Kent, the daughter of an American clergyman, Rev. William MacDonald Bottome, and an Englishwoman, Mary (Leatham) Bottome.[2]
In 1901, following the death of her sister Wilmott of the same disease, Bottome was diagnosed with tuberculosis.[3] She travelled to St Moritz in the hope that this would improve her health as mountain air was perceived as better for patients with tuberculosis.[3]
In 1917, in Paris, she married Alban Ernan Forbes Dennis, a British diplomat working firstly in Marseilles and then in Vienna as Passport Control Officer, a cover for his real role as MI6 Head of Station with responsibility for Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia.[4][5] They had met in 1904 at a villa in St Moritz, where Bottome was lodging.[6]
Bottome studied individual psychology under Alfred Adler while in Vienna.[7][5]
In 1924 she and her husband started a school in Kitzbühel in Austria. Based on the teaching of languages, the school was intended to be a community and an educational laboratory to determine how psychology and educational theory could cure the ills of nations. One of their more famous pupils was Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels. In 1960, Fleming wrote to Bottome, "My life with you both is one of my most cherished memories, and heaven knows where I should be today without Ernan."[8][page needed] It has been argued that Fleming took the idea of James Bond from the character Mark Chalmers in Bottome's spy novel The Lifeline.[9][10]
In 1935, her novel Private Worlds was made into a film of the same title. Set in a psychiatric clinic, Bottome's knowledge of individual psychology proved useful in creating a realistic scene. Bottome saw her share of trouble with Danger Signal, which the Hays Office forbade from becoming a Hollywood film. Germany became Bottome's home in the late 1930s,[7][page needed] and it inspired her novel The Mortal Storm, the film of which was the first to mention Hitler's name and be set in Nazi Germany. Bottome was an active anti-fascist.[11]
In total, four of her works—Private Worlds, The Mortal Storm, Danger Signal, and The Heart of a Child—were adapted to film.[12] In addition to fiction, she is also known as an Adlerian who wrote a biography of Alfred Adler.[13]
Bottome died in London on 22 August 1963. Forbes Dennis would die in July 1972 in Brighton.
There is a large collection of her literary papers and correspondence in the British Library acquired in 2000 (Add MSS 78832-78903).[14] A second tranche, consisting of correspondence and literary manuscripts, was acquired by the British Library in 2005.[15] The British Library also holds the Phyllis Bottome/Hodder-Salmon Papers consisting of correspondence, papers and press cuttings relating to Bottome.[16]
In 1901, following the death of her sister Wilmott of the same disease, Bottome was diagnosed with tuberculosis.[3] She travelled to St Moritz in the hope that this would improve her health as mountain air was perceived as better for patients with tuberculosis.[3]
In 1917, in Paris, she married Alban Ernan Forbes Dennis, a British diplomat working firstly in Marseilles and then in Vienna as Passport Control Officer, a cover for his real role as MI6 Head of Station with responsibility for Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia.[4][5] They had met in 1904 at a villa in St Moritz, where Bottome was lodging.[6]
Bottome studied individual psychology under Alfred Adler while in Vienna.[7][5]
In 1924 she and her husband started a school in Kitzbühel in Austria. Based on the teaching of languages, the school was intended to be a community and an educational laboratory to determine how psychology and educational theory could cure the ills of nations. One of their more famous pupils was Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels. In 1960, Fleming wrote to Bottome, "My life with you both is one of my most cherished memories, and heaven knows where I should be today without Ernan."[8][page needed] It has been argued that Fleming took the idea of James Bond from the character Mark Chalmers in Bottome's spy novel The Lifeline.[9][10]
In 1935, her novel Private Worlds was made into a film of the same title. Set in a psychiatric clinic, Bottome's knowledge of individual psychology proved useful in creating a realistic scene. Bottome saw her share of trouble with Danger Signal, which the Hays Office forbade from becoming a Hollywood film. Germany became Bottome's home in the late 1930s,[7][page needed] and it inspired her novel The Mortal Storm, the film of which was the first to mention Hitler's name and be set in Nazi Germany. Bottome was an active anti-fascist.[11]
In total, four of her works—Private Worlds, The Mortal Storm, Danger Signal, and The Heart of a Child—were adapted to film.[12] In addition to fiction, she is also known as an Adlerian who wrote a biography of Alfred Adler.[13]
Bottome died in London on 22 August 1963. Forbes Dennis would die in July 1972 in Brighton.
There is a large collection of her literary papers and correspondence in the British Library acquired in 2000 (Add MSS 78832-78903).[14] A second tranche, consisting of correspondence and literary manuscripts, was acquired by the British Library in 2005.[15] The British Library also holds the Phyllis Bottome/Hodder-Salmon Papers consisting of correspondence, papers and press cuttings relating to Bottome.[16]
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 26, 2018
Romance set during the beginning of WWI. It plays out much as one would expect, but does address some still relevant issues (such as wage equality). The writing style and character emotions were a bit dramatic for my tastes and I really didn’t like the hero’s attitude to begin with, he felt a bit chauvinistic even by 1917 standards. Thankfully his views undergo some adjustment as the story progresses. My favorite part of the whole book was the handful of beautiful story art throughout.
September 21, 2020
A surprise and a delight
This is a story set in WWI England. I have made a point of seeking out the work of women writing during this time, and this book is one of the best of its kind. A young woman has become the main financial support of her impoverished and feckless family. Chance sends her life in a different direction and connects her with a man whose life has been distorted by the war. It's not the typical kind of slick story - there's a lot of psychological realism to it and the various characters have their motivations laid bare but with compassion and humor. The author wrote a different novel called Experiment Perilous that was made into a 1944 movie that I really enjoyed and which made me want to see more of her work. So glad I sought this out!
This is a story set in WWI England. I have made a point of seeking out the work of women writing during this time, and this book is one of the best of its kind. A young woman has become the main financial support of her impoverished and feckless family. Chance sends her life in a different direction and connects her with a man whose life has been distorted by the war. It's not the typical kind of slick story - there's a lot of psychological realism to it and the various characters have their motivations laid bare but with compassion and humor. The author wrote a different novel called Experiment Perilous that was made into a 1944 movie that I really enjoyed and which made me want to see more of her work. So glad I sought this out!
January 15, 2020
Rather a strange little book. The author had (to me, anyway) an opaque writing style. The narrative was clear enough, but when it came to emotions and commentary, I often didn’t understand what she was getting at. Interesting story, but observations such as People whose clothes fit them, as its sheath of green fits a lily of the valley, became independent of their souls. had me scratching my head throughout.
January 1, 2014
Very sweet and absorbing love story between a young rich man and a girl who must work for her bread during WWI. Tragedy cripples the young man, and the two must overcome many obstacles.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews