Customer Reviews

The Youngest Miss Ward (A Jane Austen Entertainment)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I started out thinking I was in for yet another jewel along the lines of "Jane Fairfax" and "Mansfield Revisited." Aiken certainly starts off in that vein, but halfway thru, the plot turns ridiculous. Hatty became so 'Dickens-like' in her cheerful suffering that I wanted to gag, and the antagonists were also crosses between those found in Bronte and Dickens and not Austen-like at all. Aiken seemed to abandon wit and good humor for pathos and melo-drama. I hope she will not continue on this vein in her future Austen ventures. Aiken is VERY gifted and readable, so it is easy to forgive her for "The Youngest Miss Ward."

I found this latest book of Joan Aiken's to be a very enjoyable one, with many references to characters and events in Mansfield Park, and an excellent portrayal of the early nineteenth century. For the entire first half or more I was quite caught up in the heroine's life and that of the whole cast of unusual characters, many of which seem to be right out of an Austin novel. It was with some chagrin when I realized, toward the end, that Hattie (the youngest Miss Ward of the title), had slipped into the "Goody Goody" mode, and was becoming somewhat insipid. I mean, really, she goes around solving everyone's problems, and taking all kinds of abuse with never a frown, but is always cheerful and helpful to a fault. The other characters have also fallen into rather neat groups of villians and good guys. However, this would not really have bother me, had the ending not been as it was. I don't wish to give anything away, so I won't comment on the obvious flaws and lack of continuity in many of the storylines and characters. However, some may not be as troubled by the ending or the character of the heroine , and, if interested in this period of history, will certainly enjoy reading The Youngest Miss Ward.

This purports to chronicle the hard-times of Harriet Ward, the fourth Ward sister; intimidated by Mrs. Norris, the narrator of Mansfield Park left her out. The woes of Fanny Price pale in comparison.

I would ignore the attempted connection to Jane Austen, which I view simply as a marketing ploy. The book has nothing like her wit and has little to do with Mansfield Park, except for background mentions of the doings of the older Ward sisters.

This is a historical novel, not a Regency romance, indeed there is very little romance. It belongs to the school of historical woe, finding the past harsh and cruel rather than glamorous. For my taste, it it carried rather to the point of melodrama, more like Dickens perhaps than Austen. It is possible that all of these things could have happened to one young girl in the space of about 8 years. Indeed, there are a number of real people whose seemingly undeserved and unrelenting bad luck make one question the existence of divine justice, but it doesn't necessarily make for an effective novel. Aiken does bring in some interesting complexity as the characters ponder the wisdom and ultimate consequences of unrelentingly idealistic behavior.

Oddly enough, although this book apparently starts in the final months of the American Revolution, none of the characters, not even those emigrating to Pennsylvania and Maryland, seem to notice this event. They aren't going to English colonies, they are going to the newly formed United States of America!

Not a bad novel, but not something to inspire me to read more Jane Aiken either.

Those who have read and meditated on the themes and events of Mansfield Park by Jane Austen may find this off-shoot by Joan Aiken to be rather intriguing. While the ending may seem a bit forced, the characterizations and the obvious depth of knowledge of the historical period make this enjoyable reading.

The most interesting contrast in the book was that of Lady Ursula, well situated in the class structure but not able to cope with the consequences of her choices, and Harriet Ward, the quintessential poor relation who is better equipped to cope with life's vagaries. The novel provides more food for thought than one might otherwise anticipate.

I found the first 300 or so pages most enjoyable. If you don't read the book as a Jane Austen sequel but rather a stand alone it is most entertaining. UNFORTUNATELY where you wanted this book to go or at the least thought this book would go it didn't. It was almost like Ms. Aiken was cautioned nearing the end of the book she only had 1/2 hour left to finish. So she did giving it no thought. She didn't care that the reader would feel robbed. So sad - I really enjoyed her writing. HOWEVER I will give Ms. Aiken a second chance. Hopefully she will not dissapoint as I really want to like her books, her writing intrigues me.

I believe people would not be so harsh in the reviews of this book if it stood on its own merits and did not beg to be compared with Jane Austen. Joan Aiken is more known for her gothic Romances than a writer in the style of Jane Austin. This book definately has some of the Gothic motifs with sickly abnormal-hidden away children, love relationships frustrated and in the end unfulfilled, fires etc. Jane loved a happy ending of sorts with the heroine happily attached to the man of her desire. Joan doesn't give us this. Instead she quickly ties things up in the end by pairing the heroine up with someone else. It just did not tie up as neatly as Jane would have done it.

When you pick up a Jane Austen novel you expect to be dazzled with turns of phrases and wit that stuns you. You expect to reread passages and marvel at how that is just the perfect way to express something. Joan does not capture this essence of a Jane Austen style novel. She interjects some beautiful poetic couplets and stanzas. She also creates a plausible character and add an interesting layer to the whole Mansfield Park story. I mean I felt like "It could have happened that way" after reading the book.

There is one part of the book that seemed altogether implausible to me though. Joan has the character Fannie Price ( who in both the Novel Mansfield Park and this one, is always imposing upon the mercy of her relatives for financial or other assistance) send a letter refusing to accept any more financial assistance from Hattie due to her embarrassing marriage to a butler. She gives as the reason that her other two sisters have told her she must for Fanny's sake and the family's good name. I believe in reality it would be more realistic for her to have continued to accept the assistance when it was sent.

I believe this book would not suffer such bad reviews if the readers' appetites were not prejudiced to expect another MANSFIELD PARK or PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

This book is a sorry disappointment coming from a talented authoress like Miss Aiken. The lpot is not true to Miss Austen at all, and not a whit of it leads to the plot, structure, theme, language or depth of "Mansfiedl Park". And like all Janeites out ther, let me point out that the youngest Miss Ward's first name is not Harriet (Hatty); it's actually Frances (Fanny). Our Heroine in "Mansfield Park" is Fanny Price, and she is the eldest daughter, and in true Jane Austen fashion, the eldest daughters and sons are usually named for the parents. A disappointemnt indeed, a far cry from what Miss Austen conceptualised.

I get something new out of it every time. I love Joan Aiken, and this novel is one of my favorites. The text sparkles, it's witty, the characters are all unique and eccentric and charming in their own ways, and the heroine is one of Aiken's best.

I am a long-time Austen fan-though not one of Stephanie Barron, whose footnotes I find endlessly annoying. I found myself wanting to throw this novel away halfway through, when Hatty was being falsely accused of all that nonsense. Blah, blah, blah. I decided to persevere, and found it interesting, though as others remark, too, too Dickensian.
But that ending!!! WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT? What a let-down! Ending up with Godwit? Pullease! It certainly made Camber look even more an idealistic fool than before. And that letter with the reference to Hatty dying young--why even include that? We all would rather just have her drift away as part of that time period without being forced to contemplate mortality. And why that letter from the present anyway? Takes away all the 18th Century, pre-Regency atmosphere. Unnecessary and stoopid!

The Youngest Ward is an okay book - not too interesting, but interesting enough to not be able to put it down for another book. The book focuses on Harriet Ward who suffers abuse wherever she goes. The novel takes place during the 1700s. Harriet is 12 when she is forced to go live with her aunt and uncle because she dared to drop her sister's toiletries while climbing the steps. Her mother is too ill to prevent the departure. At her aunt and uncle's house, she is treated nicely by her aunt but brusquely by her uncle. There she meets Lord Camber with whom she falls in love. The love story is not pushed upon the reader because of physical distance. Lord Camber decides to go to America to set up a colony and this distance causes the focus to be on Harriet and how she is sent to different abodes. Her uncle kicks her out of his home because of Harriet's "impropriety" of walking alone with the Lord. She returns to her home to find out that her mother has died and her father has remarried the evil Ursula, who is a cousin of Harriet's. Harriet does have her proposal though; her cousin, Sydney, keeps proposing to Harriet, but Sydney is not a good person so Harriet keeps rebuffing him. Ursula decides to send Harriet to Ursula's former home to work as a governess for her two younger sisters. The environment there is grim and Harriet struggles to educate the two sisters who are quite dim. Although Harriet's life is grim and lonely, she does find solace in writing poetry.

I recommend this book because the trials and tribulations endured by Harriet and her quiet way of rising above her environment and finding personal fulfillment is riveting. The reader keeps wondering where will Harriet end up. I also like the fact that the requisite love story is kept to a bare minimum. There will be a sad twist to this particular story that is wrenching. However, Harriet seems to be aware that life is about enduring suffering and finding solace from within and that the solution to suffering is to find self-fulfillment in an activity that one loves.