One morning, in the fall of 1880, a middle-aged woman, accompanied by a young girl of eighteen, presented herself at the clerk's desk of the principal hotel in Columbus, Ohio, and made inquiry as to whether there was anything about the place that she could do. She was of a helpless, fleshy build, with a frank, open countenance and an innocent, diffident manner. Her eyes were large and patient, and in them dwelt such a shadow of distress as only those who have looked sympathetically into the countenances of the distraught ...
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One morning, in the fall of 1880, a middle-aged woman, accompanied by a young girl of eighteen, presented herself at the clerk's desk of the principal hotel in Columbus, Ohio, and made inquiry as to whether there was anything about the place that she could do. She was of a helpless, fleshy build, with a frank, open countenance and an innocent, diffident manner. Her eyes were large and patient, and in them dwelt such a shadow of distress as only those who have looked sympathetically into the countenances of the distraught and helpless poor know anything about. Any one could see where the daughter behind her got the timidity and shamefacedness which now caused her to stand back and look indifferently away. She was a product of the fancy, the feeling, the innate affection of the untutored but poetic mind of her mother combined with the gravity and poise which were characteristic of her father. Poverty was driving them. Together they presented so appealing a picture of honest necessity that even the clerk was affected. "What is it you would like to do?" he said. "Maybe you have some cleaning or scrubbing," she replied, timidly. "I could wash the floors." The daughter, hearing the statement, turned uneasily, not because it irritated her to work, but because she hated people to guess at the poverty that made it necessary. The clerk, manlike, was affected by the evidence of beauty in distress. The innocent helplessness of the daughter made their lot seem hard indeed. - Taken from "Jennie Gerhardt" written by Theodore Dreiser
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Add this copy of Jennie Gerhardt to cart. $28.30, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Independently published.
Add this copy of Jennie Gerhardt to cart. $60.34, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Independently published.
I haven't been this affected by the lives of fictional characters in quite a while. I was genuinely worried for them, and hopeful for them, and sad for them whenever things went wrong. A couple of times, I thought my heart was being ripped out. There may have even been a lump in my throat once or twice.
And don't let this book's age detour you, either; it is immensely, amazingly, surprisingly readable. Of course, maybe it was just me. Nope, I can't be THAT off.
