Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell. Sylvia's Lovers (1863) is a novel written by Elizabeth Gaskell, which she called "the saddest story I ever wrote". The novel begins in the 1790s in the coastal town of Monkshaven against the background of the practice of impressment during the early phases of the Napoleonic Wars. Sylvia Robson lives happily with her parents on a farm, and is passionately loved by her rather dull Quaker cousin Philip. She, however, meets and falls in love with Charlie Kinraid, a dashing sailor on a ...
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Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell. Sylvia's Lovers (1863) is a novel written by Elizabeth Gaskell, which she called "the saddest story I ever wrote". The novel begins in the 1790s in the coastal town of Monkshaven against the background of the practice of impressment during the early phases of the Napoleonic Wars. Sylvia Robson lives happily with her parents on a farm, and is passionately loved by her rather dull Quaker cousin Philip. She, however, meets and falls in love with Charlie Kinraid, a dashing sailor on a whaling vessel, and they become secretly engaged. When Kinraid goes back to his ship, he is forcibly enlisted in the Royal Navy by a press gang, a scene witnessed by Philip. Philip does not tell Sylvia of the incident nor relay to her Charlie's parting message and, believing her lover is dead, Sylvia eventually marries her cousin. This act is primarily prompted out of gratefulness for Philip's assistance during a difficult time following her father's imprisonment and subsequent execution for leading a revengeful raid on press-gang collaborators. They have a daughter. Inevitably, Kinraid returns to claim Sylvia and she discovers that Philip knew all the time that he was still alive. Philip leaves her in despair at her subsequent rage and rejection, but she refuses to live with Kinraid because of her child.
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Add this copy of Sylvia's Lovers to cart. $9.63, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2018 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of Sylvia's Lovers to cart. $30.42, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
Raised by caring, older parents on a country farm on the outskirts of a seaside English town, Sylvia, when we are first introduced to her, is exactly as we would expect her to be: immature, flighty, stubborn and headstrong. She's still very likable, though, because her nature isn't cruel or selfish. Because of this, it's easy to sympathize with her as she is torn between the love of two men: one a dashing young sailor who sweeps her (like many of his other conquests) off her feet with his romance and gallantry and the other a steadfast, loyal merchant who stumbles and falters in his relentless pursuit of her happiness and love. She never has the option of really choosing between them, though, for other forces - namely, a press gang whose sole intent is to gather "recruits" for the battle against Napoleon - intervene and alter the entire course of her life. One of her lovers is spirited away while the other is left behind, closely guarding the secret of his opponent's whereabouts. As Sylvia faces trial after trial, she is forced to turn to this less-respected lover for help and security. But what happens when she discovers the treachery he has hidden underneath his love? Can love save her? Him? The answer lies in the climax of the book and is a unique combination of sadness and hope... Only then do we see all of the book's themes come together into a beautiful lesson on love, honesty and forgiveness.
