Pages:
326
Original
date of publication: 1924
My
edition: 1984 (Virago Modern Classics)
Why
I decided to read:
How
I acquired my copy: Philly bookshop, August 2011
The
Constant Nymph is one of those coming of age stories. This story is that of
Tessa Sanger, the daughter of an unusual bohemian composer who lives in a
chalet in the Austrian Alps with his ragtag group of children. Albert Sanger
has a habit of randomly inviting other artists to the chalet, and the story
opens when Lewis Dodd, a composer, arrives at the chalet.
Well,
I didn’t really like this novel very much, which was disappointing considering
I liked some of Margaret Kennedy’s other novels (Together and Apart was
fantastic, for example). Although I like unusual characters, Tessa was far too “out
there” for me to really understand or like her as a character, nor could I
really understand the connection between her and Lewis or why the author tried
to present it in such a mature light—even though Tessa was only a teenager and
Lewis in his 30s. So I kept seeing it as more of a teenage infatuation rather
than some great love. It doesn’t seem realistic to me.
There
were a lot of other stereotypes that seem dated to me. Far and away the best
character was Albert Sanger, but I couldn’t really bring myself to like any of
the characters or plot enough to continue reading, so I bailed a little after
100 pages. But maybe I should try reading it again when I’m more in a mood to
do so.
Comments