An Accomplished Woman

Yesterday's read was An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan. I have enjoyed her other regency novels though technically this one isn't Regency: it takes place in 1799. It's a comedy of manners and a tribute to Jane Austen. The latter is very direct, it borrows key plot parts from Emma.

Lydia Templeton is a woman of 30, a real spinster in those times. She lives with her father in the ancestral home. Her brother and his wife live in London. Lydia is the eponymous accomplished woman; intelligent and well-read (even in Latin). She is also an accomplished musician. She turned down a marriage proposal at 20 to a local man and enjoys her single life. Since she has a relatively good income guaranteed, she does not see the need to marry. Into her happy life and quiet life, her godmother injects a ward, Phoebe. Phoebe has managed to fall in love with two men and can't decide between them. Lydia, much to her own dismay, is trapped by her sense of obligation, into taking Phoebe to Bath, the marriage-mart.

The plot is typical of the Regency romance genre. Lydia and Phoebe end up in Bath and meet all sorts of characters, not to mention marriageable men. My favorite of the comic characters is Mrs. Vawser, a woman secure in her own superiority because she is married. Mrs. Vawser manages to contradict herself in alternate sentences; she quotes what her friends say about her, and how they rely on her.

However, this book rises above the genre by being well written with characters that we enjoy. It's a well-researched book and full of humor. The characters don't fall into stereotype. Phoebe instead of being a "feather-headed" ingenue is an intelligent and pleasant companion for Lydia. And Lydia despite her accomplishments, is not as wise as she thinks herself.

One of the difficulties of writing a historical novel is to create a character we can identify with without giving her anachronistic characteristics. Morgan has successfully stayed on the right side of the border. She is not typical of the woman of the time but that stays eccentricity rather than falling into modern thought.

The ending is evident very early in the book. But it's a lot of fun getting there!