Letters from an Age of Reason: A Novel [Hardcover]

Nora Hague (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2001

Complex and sophisticated, sensuous and sexy, Nora Hague's eloquent debut novel, Letters from an Age of Reason, is set amid two historical hotbeds of racial tension, moral hypocrisy, and shifting sexual convention. The years in question are the tumultuous '60s -- the 186os. And the landscapes are those of the Civil War -- era United States and Victorian England.

Miss Arabella Leeds, the teenage daughter of a prominent New York family, and Aubrey Paxton, the pampered "high-yellow" house servant of wealthy New Orleans slaveholders, are destined to meet and fall in love. But before their paths can cross, and their romance commences in London, each must forsake complacency and comfort, the familial and familiar, for a journey toward selfdiscovery and the allure of the forbidden. Arabella must abandon the gentlewoman's prescribed path and redefine her convictions -- particularly those regarding her own sexuality -- while Aubrey must acknowledge within himself a growing awareness of race and gender politics, and his place in a culture determined to ostracize him.

The pair make their unknowing way toward each other, encountering en route high adventure, erotic awakening, long-buried family secrets, and the racy underpinnings of corseted nineteenthcentury society. Coincidence and correspondence steer them into the company of morphine addicts and occult practitioners, protofeminists and sexual outcasts, glib aristocracy and dire poverty. But for Aubrey and Arabella, the greatest challenge will lie in their passion for each other, which places them forever outside the mores and conventions of their time.

A romantic adventure rich with vivacity, humor, and historical detail, Letters from an Age of Reason is a beautifully tapestried tour-de-force whose exceptional depth, passion, and power are sure to resonate long after the final page is turned.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Spirited, intelligent, and passionate, Arabella Leeds finds it nearly impossible to play the self-effacing, subservient role expected of a virtuous, well-brought-up daughter of wealthy Victorian parents. Constantly in trouble for defending abused servants and trying to unmask dubious spiritualists, she despairs of ever finding congenial companions. Then she is introduced to two young, lively, expatriate American women who not only share her serious interests but offer her the chance to experience parts of London and society that would appall her family. On one of their illicit outings, Arabella makes the acquaintance of Aubrey Bennett, an educated and sensitive former slave who feels as lost and out of place in his world as Arabella does in hers. Their instant bond plunges them into a tumultuous affair that nearly destroys them both. While their relationship is the dominating thread, it is only a fraction of this richly developed and thoroughly engrossing tale. Well-developed secondary characters and subplots make this debut novel difficult to put down. Highly recommended for all collections. Cynthia Johnson, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

First-novelist Hague certainly doesn't lack ambition. Her lengthy debut aspires to be many things: historical fiction, family saga, epic romance, social commentary. And it succeeds in many of these areas. Hague passes the first test faced by any writer of historical fiction: produce prose that sounds authentic to its period (in this case, the Civil War-era U.S and Victorian England). "High-yellow" New Orleans slave Aubrey Paxton and well-to-do Arabella Leeds of upstate New York reveal their lives through journals, Aubrey in a journal-like letter to his Gran, Arabella in her meticulously kept diary. The two main characters, approximately 20 years old, are destined to fall in love, but the author generates considerable suspense as we ponder how the lovers will meet and how the various obstacles in their path will be overcome. The dual first-person narration continues even after the inevitable meeting, which takes place in London; the tag-team narrative style that results could have become gimmicky but actually works quite well. Although not inappropriate given their youth, many of the sentiments expressed by Arabella and Aubrey sound like the posturings of college sophomores who find themselves terribly intellectual. (Even more cringe-worthy are some of the pair's thoughts on their respective erotic awakenings.) Still, the story is quite compelling, and the incredibly detailed historical material enriches the tale and contributes to the building drama. It is a testament to Hague's ability to craft a narrative that we remain hooked all the way through 650 pages. Beth Warrell
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 648 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (September 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060184914
• ISBN-13: 978-0060184919
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,147,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite author!, November 29, 2001

By 

Robert Paine (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters from an Age of Reason: A Novel (Hardcover)

Oh, Arabella. You vixen! You little minx! You have stolen my heart and I am in agony without you. You gave your love to Aubrey when it should have been given to me, but I forgive you both for allowing me, for a time, into your world. You have permitted me to experience adventures as I've never known and I am sad to be back in my own, mundane, world. Alas, all I can do is to re-read your adventures, and live through your delights, joys and heartbreaks once more!

"Letters..." is a gripping and riveting novel set in the latter part of the 19th century, during the outbreak of the civil war in the United States. The author reveals a rich world of intrigue, love and tragedy told solely through the intermingling of the letters and diary entries of the two main characters.

Arabella Leeds, a young woman of a well-to-do family, must discover what it means to be a woman, sexually, emotionally and intellectually, all the while challenged by the confines of her society. Aubrey Paxton too must confront his place in society as he defies his caste as a "high-yellow" slave in New Orleans and goes in search of the truth of his heritage.

This story of two characters overcoming adversities to finally meet--as we the reader know they must--has certainly been told before, but Ms. Hague shrewdly places a new spin on this story by creating a world abundantly filled with riveting major/minor characters, historical details and sub-plots that keep the reader thoroughly rapt.

Tread lightly when you enter this world because you will never be the same when you leave.

A fantastic achievement not only for this wonderful first-time author but for anyone.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two days of bliss., November 20, 2001

By 

George Eberlin (Chatham, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters from an Age of Reason: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is the fastest-moving big book or the biggest page turner I have ever read. I went through it like a brushfire (700+ pages, 2 days, time off for meals, etc.) It's not the typical lightweight beach gunk you'd rip through either. It's very rich, there's a lot happening but the most compelling thing is the palpable reality of the two main characters, who together "write" the book. The author seems to be a borderline schizophrenic. She's also drunk on the 19th century, and writes (esp. as Arabella) effortlessly in the idiom of the time. I think the rendering of the period is worthy of a time machine. It's obviously researched but the details just seep in -- nothing says "HISTORICAL BACKGROUND." A complex and fascinating book, and a great read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A winning and stunning debut, November 24, 2001

By 

Alix M. Wilder, educator (Key West, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters from an Age of Reason: A Novel (Hardcover)

It's hard to believe that this book is the author's first. Despite its length and complexity, it flies by, thanks to lush but fast-paced writing, absorbing characters, and an intricate structure (I've never come across a novel written exactly this way) that keeps one guessing and reading to the end. The main characters, living during the mid-1860's, tell their tale through either diary entries (Arabella Leeds, a white wealthy upper-class female) or imaginary letters to a relative (Aubrey Paxton, a very light-skinned black slave). These two young people start off miles and worlds apart, but come together through a series of wonderfully original happenstances. Once they fall in love, they are faced with a new set of obstacles, which they they overcome with daring and style. Their exploits in the United States, England, and France are described in exacting detail, but the history isn't forced, nor does it get in the way of the plot. And the plot never gets in the way of the inner lives of Aubrey and Arabella, which are as vivid as any found on a page.

Miss Hague very deftly explores modern subjects while remaining true to her chosen time period, so that the book has both depth and accessibility. She uses the familiar to lead into new territory, keeping the reader comfortable but fascinated. Particularly refreshing are her secondary characters: black, white, gay, straight, in-between, they are treated with an even hand, as fully developed as the novel's stars, and as realistically depicted within their time and culture.

Certain scenes, like the accurate exploration of African tribal voodoo, or the pre-Civil War ditties sung by a young black girl, give this book the unselfconscious ring of truth and attest to the painstaking research it must have required, but it's ultimately the writer's skill at creating real lives that makes it so compelling. Part love story, part social commentary, part history-come-alive, but always emotionally true, this is a novel capable of reaching, and moving, a wide variety of readers. It also leaves one feeling good--a no-no to those who equate death and despair with depth, but a nice change of pace at present.