Glenarvon

Glenarvon #1-3

by Caroline Lamb

Published anonymously in 1816, the same year in which Lamb's husband's family attempted to have her declared insane, Glenarvon tells the story of the love affair that shook London society. Few early readers could fail to recognize the author as irresponsible Calantha, William Lamb as her long-suffering husband Lord Avondale, or the legendary Lord Byron himself, "mad, bad and dangerous to know," as the strangely and tragically irresistible Glenarvon.

Genres: Classics, Gothic, Fiction, Romance, 19th Century, Literature, British Literature

409 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1816

About the author

The Lady Caroline Lamb was a British aristocrat and novelist, best known for her 1812 affair with Lord Byron. Her husband was the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, the Prime Minister, however, she was never the Viscountess Melbourne because she died before he succeeded to the peerage; hence, she is known to history as Lady Caroline Lamb.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is terrible. but it gets an extra star for its ballsiness.

you would think that something written by one of history's most jaw-droppingly melodramatic scorned lovers would at least have a little heart to it, yeah? but this is just a muddled, "self"-aggrandizing (because it's a novel, and not about her at all, right?? riiiiiight...) piece of rubbish. you have no idea the disappointment i felt just a couple of chapters into this, as i suffered through its turgid prose and wooden characters. byron and caro, flame and powder keg.... she was by far the most fascinating little obsessive bitch-lover of his life; mailing him her pubic hair, cross-dressing to go to him, or occasionally to rob him, ruining her reputation as she drunkenly carried on with him right under the nose of her husband, her famous tantrums, prostrating herself and completely abandoning all dignity to rage in front of a lover who had already discarded her, but would find himself unable to quit her completely... her self-starvation and suicide attempts, her public scenes... how does this not translate into a good novel?? she just... can't write. maybe she was too close to the material, as she portrays "herself" confusedly and simultaneously as a victim and conqueror, her lover the most overexaggeratedly sinister creature ever written, vilified past any reasonable standard of believability. written as an apology, it comes across as an attack, and she certainly had every reason to attack, but it lacks control (quelle surprise). as a historical document, it is great, as a woman writes out her grief and anger and tries to reinstate her pride in the aftermath of a hugely public and scandalous liaison; unfortunately being a little too candid about other influential society types, dissolving whatever was left of her reputation - oops! so - cool psychological study, but a real drag to read.

ugh.

come to my blog!

[Sherwood Smith]

As a novel, this pretty much stinks. But as a roman a clef, it's great! Caro, dumped by Byron, was angry enough to pillory him--and the rest of society, too--in this novel that not only contains a couple of his dumpage letters verbatim, but features Caro as a double Mary Sue.

Yes, she couldn't seem to decide which Wronged Heroine type to be, so she puts herself in as both the fainting angel of a heroine who swans beautifully to death, surrounded by anxious loved ones who have absolutely nothing to do but wring their hands over her until her affecting death bed scene, and the galloping, fearless pistoleer heroine who rides over a cliff to her death. But that leaves modern audiences sorry for the horse.

The novel pissed off just about everybody, and nearly tanked poor Lamb's career--but it didn't, he went on to jolly Victoria into queenship.

[David Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glenarvon is a vastly underappreciated piece of literature. It does not tell a great story. It does not have a well-crafted plot. It gives us the confession of a tortured and self-centered spirit, taking revenge on life by laying bare the pains that made Lady Caroline miserable. The story appears to us as unoriginal, campy, predictable and saccharine. The accusations would be fitting, if it did not precede every novel it seems to copy by decades and centuries. In so many ways, looking past its many faults, Glenarvon (published in 1816) was one of the first great novels.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, how I longed for some coherency of plot or character to pull this together. There are intriguing pieces -- a plot to murder a ducal heir, the Irish revolution of the late 1700s, disturbing obsessive love, the fictional portrayals of Byron, Lady Melbourne, Lamb herself, and other prominent figures -- but they're only pieces, and only held my attention sporadically. Oh, well, I wasn't expecting it to be good: I just wanted it to be better.

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is often described as "unreadable," but I sped through it in a few days. Apparently, even the trashy novels of previous centuries were on the average better-written than the trashy novels of today. This is pretty high-quality dirt-dishing. And although Caro's roman-a-clefing is clearly biased, the fictionalized picture of Byron as someone who wanted to break social conventions himself, but expected the women in his life to stick to traditional roles that accommodated him, doesn't sound at all implausible.

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really have no idea what this book thinks it's doing. About seven different things at once.

Things I liked about it: it is very Extra. It has no chill. It is not concerned with the possibility that its content is too full of Drama and Feelings. Given the context, I appreciate it as Caroline Lamb's great exercise in idfic.

The early encounters between Calantha and Glenarvon also did well at depicting the creepy-fascinating nature of emotional manipulation/abuse, I thought.

Things I did not like about it: it's interminable. Pacing, what pacing? It can't decide if it's a straight-up gothic romp (foundlings! child murder! ruined abbeys!) or a psychological drama or a political novel about Ireland. I'm pretty sure everyone dies at the end because Caroline Lamb couldn't figure out what else to do with them. The portrayal of the Irish rebels is actually pretty racist - especially with how they're all so simplistic they unhesitatingly adore Avondale despite, yanno, being *opposed to everything he is and stands for*.

[Ben Lovegrove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lady Caroline Lamb's semi autobiographical novel about her relationship with Lord Byron, her mental illness becomes very apparent midway through when she asks the reader not to judge her character because they may not understand her insanity. This seems a very modern approach to mental illness, but it's also hard to have sympathy for the selfish character she depicts. Neglects to mention some interesting details of her life such as her fondness for page boys and that time she sent Byron a bloodied clump of her pubic hairs in the post. The introduction and notes in the Everyman edition are useful and informative. It deserves a reprint.

[Nix · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is true that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And after the last flame had been put out, we are left with this account of jealousy and loathing.

This is not a good book. Glenarvon is not a piece of literature. It is an exposé and a terrible one at that, by the one who is so inept as to look inward and take accountability of her own fault. It is out of touch, as our authoress probably was. Devoid of any logic and reasonings of a sane mind. And Lady Lamb must've known that too for she dramatised. Oh god, did she dramatise every aspects of her relationship with this Glenarvon, a stand-in for her lost love and her downfall.

Granted, the book is never deemed to be good by anyone or by any standards since its publication. It is simply a prehistorical twitter thread of a lovelorn woman. But the fact that it's not even *that* scandalous made me wished I had thrown myself off the cliff by that valley myself.

Two stars for Lady Lamb's attempt at keeping the wrath going on for three volumes

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't read this. While the connection to Lord Byron is conceptually appealing, it's not worth the effort. There is very little description of setting or indication of the passage of time, so the book mostly consists of dialogue in a formless, timeless void, which I found difficult to force myself to pay attention to.

[Maddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I wanted to know Caro's point of view of her 1812 affair with Byron. This book was a (heavily) fictionalized version of their love story and how it blew up in her face when the affair came to light. Also if Byron was anything like Glenarvon, he seems like he'd be a pain in the ass to deal with.

I did not find the character of Glenarvon charming in the slightest, though nearly all of the women in the story go mad for him. He annoyed me more than anything because he was extremely inconsistent. He would flirt with Calantha, beg her not to follow him, then he'd pledge his love to her and promptly tell her he was no good for her so she should go back to Avondale. He did this multiple times while she was having an affair with him (though it is so vague in the story).

Honestly, it could have been a better story if the plots actually worked together. There were tons of characters who did effectively nothing for the entire story, which confused things when these incredibly minor characters were mentioned again every so often. She should have simplified the story.

Really, this could have had more promise if Lady Caroline had an editor. She's not a terrible writer- there were plenty of passages that were quite beautiful even. The overall lack of focus though took away from the story.

The most interesting thing about this novel other than biographical background of the writer and her inspiration for the story is the obvious connection to Wuthering Heights this has. I felt dead sure that Emily Bronte must have read this novel before she wrote her own great novel. The three main characters (Calantha, Glenarvon, and Avondale) even fit the characters in her novel (Cathy, Heathcliff, and Edgar Linton). Their characters, relationships, and orders of deaths in their stories are remarkably similar. Wuthering Heights is much better crafted and the plots for it are fully fleshed out. So honestly you could skip this, read Wuthering Heights, and get a very similar story.

This is also very much styled as a Gothic novel. So there is much drama, brooding, and running around rural 19th century Ireland during a revolution. Of course, Byron's character is the villian though that shouldn't surprise anyone since he's the author's bad ex boyfriend. So if you like Byron, you might not like this story.

After reading this, I still don't buy that Lady Caroline was as crazy as everyone likes to depict her as being. Similarly, I don't think Byron is as evil. I kind of feel bad for both of them actually, since it seems likely to me that they both had pretty severe mental illnesses in a time when it was impossible to treat them.

I'm surprised though that Lord M was cool enough with Caro publishing this since she kills both the characters representing herself (Calantha) and him (Avondale). I can only imagine how awkward that must have been for their relationship, though it was probably pretty much over at that point. Though she paints him as near saintly in his kindness and gentleness, she also shows that he was fairly passive and inactive. It appears that the portrait of him in Victoria is fairly accurate, at least in the eyes of his wife, who would know him well.

[Surreysmum · Rating 1 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1983; I read a 1972 edition of this 1816 book:]. This is truly a tedious book. But one cannot help feeling a certain amount of slightly revolted pity for Lady C. Certainly she doesn't lack for words, but she does not seem to have been able to make up her mind exactly how to channel all the bitter feelings into a workable novel. So Byron-Glenarvon ends up being half Gothic monster and half the man she fell in love with (and almost no Byron at all, except for his looks and charm of manner). The plot is difficult to follow and doesn't really matter - the particularly piquante qualities of the roman à clef disappeared, of course, long ago - what is left is this insistent hurt, the foolish, damn-all determination to tell everyone when some male is cruelly shaming and rejecting one. And I cannot bring myself to criticize, tho' I deplore, that impulse, since I lived through it myself not so very long ago. Perhaps the most interesting thing that came out of it was the desire to read a biography (if there is one) of William Lamb.

[Henry Percy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had heard for years of this roman a clef, and I finally had to see what all the tumult was about. Caro wrote this as revenge on Byron for abandoning her. Her character in the novel is constantly whining hysterically, a put upon, misunderstood victim. Bah! Glenarvon, the Byronic hero, is despicable, but we knew he was.

[Lee Foust · Rating 2 out of 5]

"So many strange asseverations, and so many inconsistencies, could only excite doubt, astonishment, and suspicion..." (Chapter 96)

Not a great read for pleasure, but an interesting read nonetheless. There are lovely passages but I either found myself confused by too many characters or bored with the endless middle section of the heroine's incessant back-and-forth regarding her love for the Byronic hero, Glenarvon, and the duty she owed to her husband. Love just ain't what it used to be--or should I say our mores and scruples regarding love ain't what they used to be.

Perversely, the passages I enjoyed the most were the completely outdated moralizing summations of the narrator. When a paragraph began something like, "Those who are honorable are..." Or "To love is to..." it was usually wise and impressive. Lamb should have been a kind of sentimental philosopher, perhaps, instead of a novelist, for I found her ability to navigate these outdated truisms rather remarkable, even convincing. As for plot, pacing, etc. well, a slow read.

But as for that:

"Vile cheats! he knew not, impudent Reviewer,
Clear spring of Helicon from common sewer."

--A New Canto,
attributed to Lady Caroline Lamb

[Jenna Gareis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Five things about Glenarvon by Lady Catherine Lamb 📚📚

1. Whew! What a hot mess of a novel.
2. Written by the queen of historical hot messes, I did anticipate this wouldn’t necessarily be fine literature but wowzers…it was tough to follow.
3. As an inward glance into the author herself this book is an invaluable resource and provides (me at least) with endless ports to fascinating material.
4. As a literary work…nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.
5. Highly recommended for those interested in Caroline Lamb herself. Otherwise, you can skip this one.

[Elizabeth Rasche · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a melodramatic retelling of Caroline Lamb's experiences, sort of like dramatizing your life to make a point (and perhaps sting a few of the people you know!). As a simple story, it's very theatrical and overblown (for example, she makes her ex-boyfriend, Lord Byron/Glenarvon, pretty much a demon from hell), but it's fascinating in its way.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roman a clef of Byron and Lady Jersey etc.

[Sofía Sierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The evil (Glenarvon) has been defeated (I finally finished it).

[F · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Florence Foster Jenkins of literature.

[Miss Wormbook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had low expectations for this book based on the reviews of other readers… but was I surprised at how good this actually was! I hated Glenarvon, I expected better of Calantha, I liked Lord Avondale, I was conflicted about Lady Margaret. All the book needed was a good editor, and then I would be the first to profess it a masterpiece of Georgian literature. If anything, it made clear to me the proof, surprisingly, of Lady Caroline Lamb's utter ingenuity, and it is one of the few novels belonging to my favourites' shelf that shocks me to have not been received more favourably by the wider public.

[Shani Cxx · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this novel, which is a shame because I really wanted to; it's about Byron (very thinly disguised as Glenarvon), written by one of his ex-lovers. All I can say is, Lady Caroline Lamb really was a bit of a nutter judging by this book and I don't blame Lord Byron for trying to distance himself from her at all.

[Isadora Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

An entertaining, if sometimes loosely written, fictional account of the failings of Lord Byron, man.

[Harmony Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

The style is florid and stilted. I could not connect to or root for the characters at all. I had hoped for something better.

[Eric Boles · Rating 1 out of 5]

***”They fly so slowly who fly from what they love”

[Su]

Read later.