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Katie's Reviews > The Beguiled
The Beguiled
by
by
Wow! I loved this book - highly recommended to anyone who likes Southern Gothic fiction, psychological/psycho-sexual thrillers, feminist stories and historical fiction.
The setting is an all-girls school (Miss Martha Farnworth's Seminary for Young Ladies) in Virginia during the American Civil War. Just beyond the gate of this cloistered feminine world are raging battles and cannon thunder, until one of the students, the nature-loving Amelia Dabney, stumbles upon a wounded Union soldier in her search for wild mushrooms.
His name is Corporal James McBurney, and he's an Irishman who joined the war shortly after emigrating to the U.S. He's your typical Irish charmer - and after inquiring, casually, if there are any men about the school, McBurney quickly determines he's the only rooster in the henhouse and sets about playing the women off against each other in a way that benefits him.
But the tables turn pretty fast...and the reader starts doubting whether it's McBurney who's the cat amongst all the pigeons - or the pigeon surrounded by cats.
Each chapter is told through a different point-of-view of one of the female characters. We never get McBurney's perspective, which would be interesting but I quite enjoyed only hearing from the women. And they are all such interesting, complicated characters! I think my favourite was Marie, the youngest student at 10 years old, who is the sole Catholic in the group, from a wealthy plantation in Louisiana, and is laugh-out-loud funny, as well as extremely sharp and perceptive (and (view spoiler)), but there was truly never any chapter where I'd think, "ugh, I don't want to hear from this person." Each perspective was fascinating. I also really liked no-nonsense Emily, "the General". The way the women and girls all related to each other was so interesting and I would love more backstories on all of them, especially the Farnsworth sisters who run the school!
The plot definitely veers into the OFF THE WALL CRAZINESS spectrum ((view spoiler)) but it's also so scary and uncertain that it's just one big, wonderful, crazy entertaining read. I couldn't put it down, and read way too late into the night.
The setting is an all-girls school (Miss Martha Farnworth's Seminary for Young Ladies) in Virginia during the American Civil War. Just beyond the gate of this cloistered feminine world are raging battles and cannon thunder, until one of the students, the nature-loving Amelia Dabney, stumbles upon a wounded Union soldier in her search for wild mushrooms.
His name is Corporal James McBurney, and he's an Irishman who joined the war shortly after emigrating to the U.S. He's your typical Irish charmer - and after inquiring, casually, if there are any men about the school, McBurney quickly determines he's the only rooster in the henhouse and sets about playing the women off against each other in a way that benefits him.
But the tables turn pretty fast...and the reader starts doubting whether it's McBurney who's the cat amongst all the pigeons - or the pigeon surrounded by cats.
Each chapter is told through a different point-of-view of one of the female characters. We never get McBurney's perspective, which would be interesting but I quite enjoyed only hearing from the women. And they are all such interesting, complicated characters! I think my favourite was Marie, the youngest student at 10 years old, who is the sole Catholic in the group, from a wealthy plantation in Louisiana, and is laugh-out-loud funny, as well as extremely sharp and perceptive (and (view spoiler)), but there was truly never any chapter where I'd think, "ugh, I don't want to hear from this person." Each perspective was fascinating. I also really liked no-nonsense Emily, "the General". The way the women and girls all related to each other was so interesting and I would love more backstories on all of them, especially the Farnsworth sisters who run the school!
The plot definitely veers into the OFF THE WALL CRAZINESS spectrum ((view spoiler)) but it's also so scary and uncertain that it's just one big, wonderful, crazy entertaining read. I couldn't put it down, and read way too late into the night.
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Reading Progress
October 17, 2017
–
Started Reading
October 17, 2017
– Shelved
October 22, 2017
–
Finished Reading
October 24, 2017
– Shelved as:
2017
