The Rector's Daughter (Modern Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

F. M. Mayor (Author), Susan Hill (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1985 | Series: Modern Classics

The quiet rural life of a Canon's plain, middle-aged daughter is shattered by a passionate love affair in this novel, which depicts her struggle between the demands of filial devotion and her need for the man whom she loves.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Rector's daughter, Mary Jocelyn, is "a decline... as much a part of her village as its homely hawthorns." Mary's mother is long dead, her brothers have both left England, and Ruth, her sick sister, requires constant care. Her father, Canon Jocelyn "rather despise[s] the rest of Europe" and is "an austere critic of young women, demanding little of them in action, but everything in repose." Mary's few acquaintances are old family friends to whom she feels more obligation than true affection and, try as she might to deny it, she knows all tenderness in her father died with her mother. Now a middle-aged spinster, Mary is used to being lonely, but she cannot stop longing for love. Then Mr. Herbert, the son of her father's old friend, moves into the neighborhood. Slowly, surely and without intention on either one's part, love blossoms. Love so strong that Mary cannot speak of it or control her blissful fantasies. When Mr. Herbert leaves for the seashore to recover from a chill, they both believe he will return to ask for Mary's hand in marriage. An elegantly written and scathingly honest account of society, manners, and marriage, The Rector's Daughter is a fiercely passionate and quietly tender story of love and loss. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Jesse Larsen

From the Publisher

Dedmayne Rectory is quietly decaying, its striped chintz and darkened rooms a bastion of outmoded Victorian values. Here Mary has spent thirty-five years devoting herself to her sister, now dead, and to her father, Canon Jocelyn. Although she is pitied by her neighbors for this muted existence, Mary is content. But when she meets Robert Herbert, Mary's ease is destroyed and years of suppressed emotion surface through her desire for him. First published in 1924, this novel is a rich exploration of Mary's relationship with her father, of her need for Robert, and the way in which, through each, she comes to a clearer understanding of love. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140035753
• ISBN-13: 978-0140035759
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,993,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars won-der-ful., August 16, 2005

By 

farmereloi99 "farmereloi99" (in my cow suit) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rectors Daughter (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

this is my favorite book. beautifully written, enthralling plot, characters so real you could touch them, poignant message. it meets all my requirements! highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat depressing, but good, August 17, 2010

By 

K. Huff (Radnor, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rector's Daughter (Virago Modern Classics) (Paperback)

Mary Jocelyn is the middle-aged daughter of an elderly clergyman, who has spent all her life in Dedmayne, a quiet English village. The arrival of Mr. Herbert, son of an old friend of Canon Jocelyn's, brings much excitement for Mary, who falls in love with him. But life is much more complicated than that, and Mr. Hebert marries Kathy, a younger woman who is Mary's polar opposite.

FM Mayor novel is character-driven rather than plot-driven. It seems as though all her life, Mary has been waiting for something--anything to happen to her. Her life at the vicarage in Dedmayne, severely curtailed by her father, is constricting. And yet Mary spends most of this novel (covering a period of about ten years) letting things happen to her. I found it very hard to like Mary at times, considering she's not really an active participant in what goes on in this novel. She's not like her friend Dora, a really engaging spinster who's embraced her unmarried status with perhaps a little too much gusto. It seems as though Mary wastes her whole life catering to the needs of other people, rather than doing things for herself. And yet, there's a quiet passion about Mary, a desire in her to see more of the world.

The book also highlights the contrast between two generations: one of the late Victorian period, the other of the early 20th century. Although the book takes place presumably at the time it was written (1920s), the feel of the novel is very Victorian, and it may have something to do with the more or less repressed Canon Jocelyn, unable to express the way he truly feels. Mary is stuck between the two generations, unable to escape the confines of her own narrow world. It was very hard for me to understand why Mr. Herbert does a 180 in regards to his feelings for Mary; it made me dislike him all the more for being shallow. Still, FM Mayor really gets to the heart of her characters' emotions (or lack thereof). Susan Hill put this book on her list of 40 books she'd take to a desert island. While I enjoyed this for the most part, this isn't that kind of book for me. But it's still very good.