Pia G.’s review of Pamela > Likes and Comments
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Pia, I believe you have a beautiful epistolary novel inside you, yearning to be written.
Pia....Exquisite review. I an in awe of your ability to capture the essence of this book. When will you consider penning a book of your own...you absolutely must!🧡💛💚
Luke wrote: "Pia, I believe you have a beautiful epistolary novel inside you, yearning to be written."
What a beautiful thing to say, Luke. Perhaps all these imaginary letters are trying to tell me something after all. Thank you!
Fran wrote: "Pia....Exquisite review. I an in awe of your ability to capture the essence of this book. When will you consider penning a book of your own...you absolutely must!🧡💛💚"
Fran, I’m still happiest borrowing other people’s characters and letting them whisper through me, but words like yours make the thought of writing something of my own feel a little less impossible. Thanks so much! 💜
Fun, fun, Pia. But I have to tell you I'm with Mr Fielding and all the skeptics. I'm not certain that Mr Richardson, for all his championing of 'virtue rewarded' was as virtuous as he claimed. He managed to make the reader into a voyeur alongside the lecherous Mr B as they both spied on 'innocent' Pamela getting undressed! And I wasn't sure that Pamela didn't know she was being spied on. But she played her part well, it has to be said—and she was so good at fainting when it was needed;-)
Your excellent review reminds that I’ve still never read Pamela! It’s high time!
Birds seem to be a constant feature of your soliloquy(s), Pia:-). Really wonderful!
Fionnuala wrote: "Fun, fun, Pia. But I have to tell you I'm with Mr Fielding and all the skeptics. I'm not certain that Mr Richardson, for all his championing of 'virtue rewarded' was as virtuous as he claimed. He m..."
I can’t really argue with you about Richardson, Fionnuala - the way he lingers over those scenes does make the reader uncomfortably complicit in Mr B’s voyeurism. But I’m still a little more charitable towards Pamela herself. Even if she understood more than she admitted, I don’t think that necessarily makes her resistance a performance; a powerless young woman can be frightened, perceptive and strategic all at once. Though I’ll concede that her remarkably well-timed fainting spells do give Mr Fielding plenty to work with! 😁
Alison wrote: "Your excellent review reminds that I’ve still never read Pamela! It’s high time!"
I hope you do, Alison! I’d be very curious to know whether you end up seeing Pamela as the little bird, the huntress, or something somewhere in between.
Katia wrote: "Birds seem to be a constant feature of your soliloquy(s), Pia:-). Really wonderful!"
I think they keep finding their way into my writing because I love watching and listening to them, Katia. To me, birds have always seemed like little messengers between the visible world and whatever is stirring quietly inside us.😊
Your review reminds me I really should read the book!
Pam wrote: "Your review reminds me I really should read the book!"
I’d love to hear what you make of Pamela when you do, Pam! She has a remarkable talent for making readers choose sides.😊
I think you perfectly encapsulate Pamela with the line: "I cannot fully explain how it came to be" ....I do believe she is a surviving on the best way she can but that does not condone creepy mr. b actions or any outsider views... the way you can capture a character's voice is remarkable and it always adds to the enjoyment of your reviews.
Henry wrote: "Fine review I liked this book."
Thanks, Henry!
Jsiva wrote: "I think you perfectly encapsulate Pamela with the line: "I cannot fully explain how it came to be" ....I do believe she is a surviving on the best way she can but that does not condone creepy mr. b..."
Thank you, Jsiva! That is exactly the balance I hoped to hold onto: seeing Pamela as a young woman surviving with the little power she had, without softening anything about Mr B’s behaviour. And I’m especially glad her voice felt convincing to you; slipping into a character’s voice is one of my favourite ways of writing about a book.
Lovely review Pia. I tried reading this many years ago and found it a slog to get through, so over dramatic. But your review has me thinking perhaps I should try again. Maybe I will have a different perspective after all this time.
Pamela wrote: "Lovely review Pia. I tried reading this many years ago and found it a slog to get through, so over dramatic. But your review has me thinking perhaps I should try again. Maybe I will have a differen..."
I can completely understand that, Pamela - it is certainly long and wonderfully overdramatic at times! I’d be very curious to know whether the passing years give you a different view of it if you do try again. Thank you very much!
I thought I would be the only one to give this book a five-star review, but I actually enjoyed most of the book. Of course, nowadays, virtue in a fifteen-year-old will never be rewarded and we can't perceive of a rake after attempting to rape the fifteen-year-old turns around and, I think, genuinely falls in love with her and begs her to marry him. ("I can't live a day without you.") What I found a little strange is that Pamela admits she was in love with him all along. But if you can wade through the weighty language, you would discover the gems beneath the surface. I think Richardson should be commended for showing that virtue should be rewarded.
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Luke
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Jul 26, 2026 01:42AM
Pia, I believe you have a beautiful epistolary novel inside you, yearning to be written.
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Pia....Exquisite review. I an in awe of your ability to capture the essence of this book. When will you consider penning a book of your own...you absolutely must!🧡💛💚
Luke wrote: "Pia, I believe you have a beautiful epistolary novel inside you, yearning to be written."What a beautiful thing to say, Luke. Perhaps all these imaginary letters are trying to tell me something after all. Thank you!
Fran wrote: "Pia....Exquisite review. I an in awe of your ability to capture the essence of this book. When will you consider penning a book of your own...you absolutely must!🧡💛💚"Fran, I’m still happiest borrowing other people’s characters and letting them whisper through me, but words like yours make the thought of writing something of my own feel a little less impossible. Thanks so much! 💜
Fun, fun, Pia. But I have to tell you I'm with Mr Fielding and all the skeptics. I'm not certain that Mr Richardson, for all his championing of 'virtue rewarded' was as virtuous as he claimed. He managed to make the reader into a voyeur alongside the lecherous Mr B as they both spied on 'innocent' Pamela getting undressed! And I wasn't sure that Pamela didn't know she was being spied on. But she played her part well, it has to be said—and she was so good at fainting when it was needed;-)
Your excellent review reminds that I’ve still never read Pamela! It’s high time!
Birds seem to be a constant feature of your soliloquy(s), Pia:-). Really wonderful!
Fionnuala wrote: "Fun, fun, Pia. But I have to tell you I'm with Mr Fielding and all the skeptics. I'm not certain that Mr Richardson, for all his championing of 'virtue rewarded' was as virtuous as he claimed. He m..."I can’t really argue with you about Richardson, Fionnuala - the way he lingers over those scenes does make the reader uncomfortably complicit in Mr B’s voyeurism. But I’m still a little more charitable towards Pamela herself. Even if she understood more than she admitted, I don’t think that necessarily makes her resistance a performance; a powerless young woman can be frightened, perceptive and strategic all at once. Though I’ll concede that her remarkably well-timed fainting spells do give Mr Fielding plenty to work with! 😁
Alison wrote: "Your excellent review reminds that I’ve still never read Pamela! It’s high time!"I hope you do, Alison! I’d be very curious to know whether you end up seeing Pamela as the little bird, the huntress, or something somewhere in between.
Katia wrote: "Birds seem to be a constant feature of your soliloquy(s), Pia:-). Really wonderful!"I think they keep finding their way into my writing because I love watching and listening to them, Katia. To me, birds have always seemed like little messengers between the visible world and whatever is stirring quietly inside us.😊
Your review reminds me I really should read the book!
Pam wrote: "Your review reminds me I really should read the book!"I’d love to hear what you make of Pamela when you do, Pam! She has a remarkable talent for making readers choose sides.😊
I think you perfectly encapsulate Pamela with the line: "I cannot fully explain how it came to be" ....I do believe she is a surviving on the best way she can but that does not condone creepy mr. b actions or any outsider views... the way you can capture a character's voice is remarkable and it always adds to the enjoyment of your reviews.
Henry wrote: "Fine review I liked this book."Thanks, Henry!
Jsiva wrote: "I think you perfectly encapsulate Pamela with the line: "I cannot fully explain how it came to be" ....I do believe she is a surviving on the best way she can but that does not condone creepy mr. b..."Thank you, Jsiva! That is exactly the balance I hoped to hold onto: seeing Pamela as a young woman surviving with the little power she had, without softening anything about Mr B’s behaviour. And I’m especially glad her voice felt convincing to you; slipping into a character’s voice is one of my favourite ways of writing about a book.
Lovely review Pia. I tried reading this many years ago and found it a slog to get through, so over dramatic. But your review has me thinking perhaps I should try again. Maybe I will have a different perspective after all this time.
Pamela wrote: "Lovely review Pia. I tried reading this many years ago and found it a slog to get through, so over dramatic. But your review has me thinking perhaps I should try again. Maybe I will have a differen..."I can completely understand that, Pamela - it is certainly long and wonderfully overdramatic at times! I’d be very curious to know whether the passing years give you a different view of it if you do try again. Thank you very much!
I thought I would be the only one to give this book a five-star review, but I actually enjoyed most of the book. Of course, nowadays, virtue in a fifteen-year-old will never be rewarded and we can't perceive of a rake after attempting to rape the fifteen-year-old turns around and, I think, genuinely falls in love with her and begs her to marry him. ("I can't live a day without you.") What I found a little strange is that Pamela admits she was in love with him all along. But if you can wade through the weighty language, you would discover the gems beneath the surface. I think Richardson should be commended for showing that virtue should be rewarded.