Rough-hewnHarcourt, Brace, 1922 - 502 páginas This is a love story, but an unusual one. Most of the book is spent on an insightful account of the minds and hearts of the two protagonists during their childhood and young adulthood, before they ever meet. Their experiences are almost entirely different; one having a very American childhood in New York and Vermont, and the other being largely brought up by servants in Europe. When they do meet, they are mysterious to each other, but not to the reader. The scenes where they fall in love are enchanting, and the reader watches them help each other to choose the best parts of their prior lives, and discard the rest. In many ways, this is a very American book. Fisher has a definite admiration for the values of independence and self-reliance, and she has her characters choose truth and direct behavior, rather than follow any of the manipulative and self-centered behavior that surrounds them. The final scenes where they laugh off money, fame, and servants in favor of being together and working hard for what they want are as charming and sweet as a finale could be. |
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Palavras e frases frequentes
Adour American answer anyhow arms asked Basque Bayonne began course Cousin Hetty cried Crittenden dark dear door dress Eugenia everything eyes face Father feel felt football gone hair hand hard Hasparren head heard heart Hoosick Junction idea instant Isabelle Jean-Pierre Jean-Pierre Garnier Jeanne Jeanne's kissed knew lady laugh lips little girl live Livingstone looked Lucie Madame Garnier Maman Marise Marise's Martha mind Miss Allen Miss Mills Mlle morning Mother Neale Neale walked Neale's never once Papa piano play pretty remembered Rome salon seemed shoulders shut silent smile Sœur Sœur Ste sort staring stepped stood stopped street sure talk tell things thought told took trying turned UNDERSTOOD BETSY Union Hill Vallery voice waiting walked West Adams window woman wonder young
Passagens conhecidas
Página 62 - She is older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her...
Página 304 - Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not, realities and creators, but names and customs.
Página 63 - ... among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her; and trafficked for strange webs with Eastern merchants: and, as Leda, was the mother of Helen of Troy, and, as...
Página 120 - There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide ; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion ; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.
Página 304 - But why should you keep your head over your shoulder? Why drag about this corpse of your memory, lest you contradict somewhat you have stated in this or that public place ? Suppose you should contradict yourself ; what then...
Página 62 - Hers is the head upon which all the ends of the world are come, and the eyelids are a little weary. It is a beauty wrought out from within upon the flesh, the deposit, little cell by cell, of strange thoughts and fantastic reveries and exquisite passions. Set it for a moment beside one of those white Greek goddesses or beautiful women of antiquity, and how...
Página 264 - Listen! you hear the grating roar Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling, At their return, up the high strand, Begin, and cease, and then again begin, With tremulous cadence slow, and bring The eternal note of sadness in.
Página 119 - I have no expectation that any man will read history aright, who thinks that what was done in a remote age, by men whose names have resounded far, has any deeper sense than what he is doing today.
Página 89 - My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things, seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening. At such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip, late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried; and that Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried...
Página 242 - All things are known to the soul. It is not to be surprised by any communication. Nothing can be greater than it. Let those fear and those fawn who will. The soul is in her native realm, and it is wider than space, older than time, wide as hope, rich as love. Pusillanimity and fear she refuses with a beautiful scorn . they are not for her who putteth on her coronation robes, and goes out through universal love to universal power.