A Mixture of Frailties (Salterton Trilogy) [Mass Market Paperback]

Robertson Davies (Author)

Book Description

Series: Salterton Trilogy | Publication Date: April 1, 1998

"A Mixture of Frailties", the third volume of Robertson Davies "Salterton" Trilogy, is his first extended engagement with one of the great neuroses of Canadian culture: Canada's artistic relationship to Europe, and particularly to Britain. Davies begins his story with the funeral of Louisa Bridgetower, the Salterton matron whose imposing presence ranges throughout the earlier volumes of the "Salterton" Trilogy. The substantial income from her estate is to be used to send an unmarried young woman to Europe to pursue an education in the arts. Mrs. Bridgetower's executors end up selecting Monica Gall, an almost entirely unschooled singer whose sole experience comes from performing with the Heart and Hope Gospel Quartet, a rough outfit sponsored by a small fundamentalist group. Monica soon finds herself in England, a pupil of some of Britain's most remarkable teachers and composers, and she gradually blossoms from a Canadian rube to a cosmopolitan soprano with a unique - and tragicomic - career.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Third in a trilogy, yet independently satisfying, this presentation encourages listeners to seek more of Davies's beguiling prose.--AudioFile

It is impudent, amused and amusing, and sterling entertainment.--New York Times

Davies is equally familiar with the world of the Canadian provinces and with that of musical London, and portrays both with rich humor and sympathetic understanding. --Chicago Tribune --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Robertson Davies, novelist, playwright, literary critic and essayist, was born in 1913 in Thamesville, Ontario. The Manticore was published in 1973, followed by The Salterton Trilogy (Tempest-Tost, Leaven of Malice, winner of the Leacock Award for Humour, and A Mixture of Frailties); The Deptford Trilogy (Fifth Business, The Manticore and World of Wonders); The Cornish Trilogy (The Rebel Angels, What's Bred in the Bone, shortlisted for the 1986 Booker Prize, and The Lyre of Orpheus); Murther & Walking Spirits; and The Cunning Man. His other work includes One Half of Robertson Davies, The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies, Robertson Davies: The Well-Tempered Critic, The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks, High Spirits, A Voice from the Attic and The Merry Heart, a posthumous collection of autobiography, lectures and essays. Many of his books are published by Penguin. Robertson Davies died in December 1995. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140054324
• ISBN-13: 978-0140054323
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,177,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Davies hits his stride, November 1, 1999

By 

Mark Salter - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mixture of Frailties (Salterton Trilogy) (Paperback)

To my taste, with this book Davies hit the big time. It's a wonderful story of a developing artist, instantly familiar to anyone who has been involved with the performing arts. Add to that the fact that Davies begins to really hit his stride in developing his mature style, with offbeat but recognizable characters, a plot that drives forward without ever seeming to rush, and his real appreciation for artists and students, and you have a real winner.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, except for the ending, June 30, 2010

By 

Ossian - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mixture of Frailties (Salterton Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

What a pleasure to have discovered Robertson Davies. The Salterton trilogy is true, classic literature, with the depth and breadth and prose and character development that fully engages the reader, and humor and pathos and insight. This is not lightweight; it's like a pleasant bit of exercise or a satisfying meal. At the same time, there is a very nice measured pace to it -- although not a page-turner, it never sags; it felt good to read it just a few pages at a time, because even a few left you with enough to process.

The only slight blot, in my opinion, is the ending. One of the major premises of the book is that the ultimate worth of one's life, certainly the wellspring of artistry, is one's depth and skill of feeling; there is an awesome bit of dialogue on how most people fall short of emotional greatness because they fail to fully process the events that happens to them. This is a familiar theme in the classic Western novel. Accordingly, the main character, Monica, an aspiring opera singer, undergoes an "education sentimentale" that takes out of her provincial narrow-minded (and -hearted and -spirited) beginnings and exposes her to the great creative winds of classical Western culture and art, where she begins to grow as an artist and a woman.

Against this background, the emotions accompanying what should have been the novel's great climactic moment -- her discovery and handling of her lover's suicide -- are surprisingly small. Although she believes herself to be to blame, she lets herself off so matter-of-factly, so effortlessly -- there is a refusal or inability to process that thoroughly trivializes everything that came before, even though I don't believe that was the author's intention. Even more disappointing is the last-minute marriage proposal, in the style of Bleak House but without its emotional foundation, so that the whole thing seems contrived, as though the author didn't quite know how to get out of the plot he had created. It's a very good plot, at that; in fact, it is precisely because everything that comes before is so artistically sound and convincing that the ending falls flat. It's disappointing because I don't think it's intentional; unless I am greatly mistaken, this is not a novel about failed promise, and Monica is not a satirical character; we really are meant to believe that hers is a soul that has transcended itself. Except it hasn't.

But this is still good stuff -- better in its weakest part than the strongest writing of many, many others. I will certainly be checking out his other books.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich with description and humor, September 28, 2008

By 

Mint910 (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Mixture of Frailties (Salterton Trilogy 3) (Paperback)

A Mixture of Frailties opens at the funeral of Mrs. Bridgetower. During the reading of her will, her son, best friend and others are told they are to form a committee to find a young women to fund that will get an education in the arts with the money Mrs Bridgetower has left behind. Her son with get just about nothing but the responsibility to maintain her home as the property of the trust.

Once a young lady is found, Monica Gall, it switches over to her narrative. Monica is a singer and is sent abroad to England to study with several different people. This story is about her experience abroad over the next few years. A Mixture of Frailties is the third in The Salterton Trilogy but I had no problems reading it as a stand alone book.

I loved this book. I will admit that it took several weeks to get through for some reason, but I adored it nonetheless. It's hilarious in a nonchalant way. That's just the way it is. A wealth of humor comes from the cast of different characters that Monica encounters and the situations that arise. It was a refreshing piece of literature. It seems everything I read these days you don't have to think much about and could read half asleep. This book is rich with description and humor is found in every situation which I liked very much.

I liked the character of Monica and identified with the point in life she was in. With this opportunity she grows, changes and finds out who the person she is to become is. All the secondary characters were well flushed out and meaningful to the story.