It kept my interest, I cared about the characters (although I didn't feel I knew them very well). It was a fun read, certainly more entertaining than Little Women, which is too wholesome for my tastes. (At least the first half; I never got around to the rest of it.)

A sweet, innocent, but impetuous young girl (18) falls in love with an older, dangerous man. He really loves her and is willing to cause the death of others to keep her; so it's a selfish love. When she realizes that he has deceived her, she runs away and is befriended by good, kind people, but....well, I don't want to spoil everything, because it looks as if everything will work out pretty well until the last page or so, but the title is not misleading. SPOILER: Tempest, trying to kill the man he sees as his adversary for Rosamond's love, unwittingly kills her instead. Realizing this, he then kills himself: A fatal love chase for both. Oh, and there is a character named Willoughby, who is English and not at all like Jane Austen's character of the same name.

I don't know why the book was not published until 1995; it was written in 1866 and turned down by Alcott's publisher. Maybe the fact that Philip Tempest already has a wife when he marries Rosamond or the platonic love between Rosamond and a priest or the unfavorable depiction of the other Catholics in the convent where she takes refuge or the positive depiction of an actress. In fact, almost all the women in the story are good and the men range from despicable and scary to perfect. Or, the fact that the author says that Philip is charming and does everything he can to please Rosamond but gives no examples. Finally, this is a good example of a Lilith/Eve story, with Philip Tempest as Lilith and Father Ignatius as Eve. ( )

a story of dark love and passionate obsession that was considered "too sensational" to be published in the author's lifetimer. It was written for magazine serialisation two years befoe little women. She earned money by writing several sensational stories.

Un avventuriero senza scrupoli, una fanciulla indomita e un amore ossessivo sono al centro di questa attrazione fatale a ruoli invertiti, violenta e sensuale, ambientata nelle grandi capitali europee di fine Ottocento. ( )

One-sentence summary: Naive Rosamond is seduced by the vile Philip Tempest and when she tries to leave him, he begins to obsessively stalk her.

Why did you get this book?: Alcott and potboiler fangirl.

Do you like the cover?: No, but there's nothing exciting about it. It looked a bit like a romance novel.

Did you enjoy the book?: Loved it, but I knew I would. The plot rests on a series of improbable coincidences so if you're a stickler for character development and tight plotting, don't bother. But if you like a good potboiler, dig in! ( )

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