Customer Reviews

Jacintha

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jacintha was originally one of 3 novellas within The Lovers. The first and best, it was a Victorian dream of Hell seen through the eyes of a woman of quality of that era. Her most erotic fantasies are realized through the auspices of the Devil. She never learned in life what real lust could be, and how a woman can fall under its spell until right and wrong no longer have a meaning. I was in my teens when I first found this book and have never forgotten it. It would be lovely to see it republished, just to see the differences in reader reaction between then, the 50s when this was written, and the reader of the new millenium. It would be laughable if it were not so sensual. Think of Hell as a huge hotel complex set in Yellowstone National Park of the 1880s, where living trappers and Indians pass through. Any huge hotel with endless corridors always reminds me of Hell and Jacintha. Try it (if you can find it) and you'll be glad you did.

This novella is about beautiful young Victorian woman, Jacintha, who finds herself in Hell after her husband shoots her for adultery. The "Hell" depicted in the story is a large hotel filled with vapid people in period dress. The Devil is a charming, handsome, well... "devil". Upon arriving in Hell, Jacintha meets her own mother, also young and beautiful, and they find themselves in competition for the Devil's affections. However, having set up this interesting conflict, Winsor does nothing with it: the story simply ends without any resolution. Really, this is quite a disappointment from the author of "Forever Amber" - a wonderful read. I really can't recommend this book, except to the extent that it is a very original premise, and it won't waste much time as it is quite short. Other than that, it is really dull.