Customer Reviews

Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys

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"UNTRODDEN PEAKS AND UNFREQUENTED VALLEYS" BY AMELIA B. EDWARDS

This novel takes you on a journey to places you have never been. The author writes with such conviction it makes you feel as though you are there with her.

The illustrations are drawn in sketch detail and add depth and even more realism. A truly deep-rooted adventure.

-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club

I have a copy of this book, printed in 1987, in Boston, Mass. (Reprint by Beacon Press). I bought this copy as a present for a lady friend, who is soon to accompany me on a vacation in the Dolomites. This "new" book does not resemble the old. It does not contain the map or pictures extant in the old. The type is difficult to read and at time cropped, obviously created via computer. It is of very poor quality. And I am sorely disappointed.

This reprint of a book out of print since 1873 gives a look at the viewpoint and experiences of a Victorian lady. Within the constricts of her time and society, she manages to travel extensively. The account here is of journeys within Europe. Her pen is fluent. Yielding a narrative that is not as stilted as so many books (written by men) of her time were.

There are some sketches (woodcuts) of the mountains where she ventured. Along with observations on the peoples she met. Backward, by British standards.

Apparently, she travelled with a female companion. Who would be her companion for decades. The only drawback of the book is a vagueness about her precise relationship with this woman. Friend? Lover?

The book shows what a determined Victorian woman could do, against the conventions prevailing in her society.