Herself Surprised: A Novel [Hardcover]

Joyce Cary (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1976

Joyce Cary wrote two trilogies, or triptychs as he later preferred to call them. The first comprises: Herself Surprised, To Be a Pilgrim and The Horse's Mouth. The trilogy (or triptych) is designed to show three characters, not only in themselves, but as seen by each other. Each of the novels is seen through the eyes of a different character, so that each part is complete in itself. This is the story of Sara. She sees herself as the victim of mysterious events and her own soft heart, whereas to Wilcher (the protagonist of To Be a Pilgrim) she is the devoted and unselfish servant and mistress, and to Gully Jimon (The Horse's Mouth) a vain, self-deceiving man-catcher. 'There seems to me more truth of human nature, a profounder understanding of the springs of action in Herself Surprised, than in any novel I have read for long time.' L. P. Hartley

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

First novel of an acclaimed trilogy by Joyce Cary, first published in 1941. Followed by To Be a Pilgrim (1942) and The Horse's Mouth (1944), Herself Surprised is narrated by its protagonist, Sara Monday. A passionate woman, Sara is emotionally involved with three men: her husband, Matthew, who dies; Tom Wilcher, the archtraditionalist protagonist of To Be a Pilgrim, who is in love with her; and the artist Gulley Jimson (protagonist of The Horse's Mouth). -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

About the Author

In the words of his biographer, Alan Bishop, Joyce Cary (1888-1957) was 'a prolific, independent, wide-ranging writer with a place in three literatures (English, Irish, Nigerian) difficult to categorize because his writing integrates the traditional and experimental.' He was difficult to categorize which probably explains why his reputation is not more secure. However he was undoubtedly a major novelist of the twentieth century, and in acknowledgement of that Faber Finds is reissuing twelve of his works - Mister Johnson, Herself Surprised, To Be a Pilgrim, The Horse's Mouth, A Prisoner of Grace, Except the Lord, Not Honour More, Castle Corner, Charley is My Darling, A House of Children, The Moonlight and A Fearful Joy. The Horse's Mouth remains Joyce Cary's most famous novel but this extensive reissue programme will demonstrate to readers this is only one of many equally successful, challenging but entertaining works in his canon. Although never fashionable, Joyce Cary has always had his admirers: 'This novelist has exemplified the rule that when a writer dies, he or she may suffer a lapse in attention. You say to someone "Joyce Cary" and they say "Who?". Amazing! He was a marvellous writer, fresh, funny and popping with life.' Doris Lessing 'A splendid writer' John Updike 'Whenever I am idle I choose a Cary novel in the way that I might seek a friend's company, and it is not long before I am encouraged, inspired to write.' Paul Theroux 'To find a novelist who saw more deeply and conveyed more truly you have to go back to Dostoievsky and Tolstoy, Balzac and Goethe, Mann and Hesse ... What makes him a life enhancer is the overwhelming sense the reader gets from him that the universe, for all its horrors and inexplicabilities, makes sense - obvious and glorious sense.' Bernard Levin --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: Amereon Ltd (June 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892440708
• ISBN-13: 978-0892440702
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,776,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cary's triptych, March 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Herself Surprised (New York Review Books) (Paperback)

I have just reread Cary's three novels, Herself Surprised, To Be a Pilgrim and The Horse's Mouth. It is amzing that books written during the second world war should be so secure in their tone about a vanishing England and its history. Cary uses his three entirely diffeent voices - tricky sensuous woman, nervy religious dirty old man, obsessed manipulative artist- better than anyone else i know uses the limitations of the first person to show what we do and don't know about each other. His descriptions of places and things are delicious. Also I shd like to say what beautiful books the New York Review paperbacks are to handle and read. Most people know The Horse's Mouth, and many know Herself Surprised . I'm not sure To Be A Pilgrim isn't the best and most surprising of the three- which is saying something.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is truly a great book, November 23, 2003

By 

R. Gahan (Clemson, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Herself Surprised (New York Review Books) (Paperback)

My take on Sara Monday is very different from what I'm reading here. I believe that she loved life and indulged herself in its pleasures. At the same time she was a nurturing soul. Read it for yourself to decide about her character. Gulley Jimson is also a great character. The descriptions in this book are wonderful. She describes the sea as being like oven glass one day and the edges of knives another. It is so good that I didn't want it to end, and now I'm going to read the other two books in the trilogy.

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Enjoyable, July 11, 2005

By 

Mark from Freehold (Freehold, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Herself Surprised (New York Review Books) (Paperback)

I am giving this book 4 stars because it does not rank among the best books I have ever read, which would deserve a 5 star, but certainly better than a mediocre book which would merit only a 3 star. Amazon.com only gives us 5 stars, so I hand them out sparingly.

I enjoyed this old-fashioned read. I laughed at times, felt sympathy and frustration for Sara, and looked forward to where the story was taking her along with the reader. The story line reminds me of the book "Alias Grace" by Margaret Atwood. I am not about to run out and order the other two books in the Joyce Cary trilogy just yet; but some day when I am book dry I know they are there and I can go back to them.