The Human Season Book

Inchbald's A Simple Story is quite aptly titled'the story at its core is indeed simple. While it doesn't shine plotwise, Inchbald's real strength is her characters. In a time ripe with virtuous characters, Inchbald's Dorriforth and particularly Miss Milner must have felt like a breath of fresh air. Her characters have both admirable qualities and flaws. I imagine the readers of Inchbald's time were quite intrigued, even when they were scandalized by her heroine's less stellar qualities.

I found the first two volumes of this book to be delightful if not without flaws. At that time it took guts to write a not-so-virtuous heroine like Miss Milner and give her a happy ending.

BUT. BUT. BUT.

It's only for a short while. Because volumes three and four reestablished the status quo with a vengeance. Perhaps it was Inchbald's way of not going too far. It's understandable, as society wasn't exactly forgiving when it came to women, and I imagine unmarried (widowed in Inchbald's case) female novelists were among the first in line for societal derision. Woman gotta toe that line, I suppose. Still, volumes three and four made me want to get stabby. Really fucking stabby, if I'm honest.

Two stars is as high as I can go. Though I'm still kind of fascinated by Inchbald herself.