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May Sinclair
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Life and Death of Harriett Frean (20th Century Rediscoveries) Kindle Edition

by May Sinclair (Author), Francine Prose (Introduction) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 83 ratings
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“In a few short pages,” writes Francine Prose in her Introduction, “May Sinclair succeeds in rendering the oppressive weight and strength of the chains of family love.” Young Harriett Frean is taught that “behaving beautifully” is paramount, and she becomes a self-sacrificing woman whose choices prove devastating to herself and to those who love her most. An early pioneer of
stream-of-consciousness writing, Sinclair employs the technique brilliantly in this finely crafted psychological novel. Evoking the style and depth of her contemporaries Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence, Sinclair’s haunting narrative also reflects her keen interest in the theories of Jung and Freud. The text of this Modern Library 20th Century Rediscovery was set from the first American edition of 1922.
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  1. Print length
    84 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Modern Library
  5. Publication date
    January 5, 2011
  6. File size
    275 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A little masterpiece.” —New Statesman


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

May Sinclair (1863–1946) was an acclaimed, popular, and prolific novelist, poet, philosopher, translator, and critic. Less well known today than her contemporaries Virginia Woolf and Rebecca West, Sinclair wrote 23 novels, 39 short stories, two philosophical texts, a biography of the Brontë sisters, and several poetry collections. She is widely credited with coining the term "stream of consciousness" and was a patron to the young Erza Pound.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004FGMQUM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Modern Library (January 5, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 5, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 275 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 84 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1499170866
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 83 ratings

About the author

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May Sinclair

May Sinclair

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
83 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sammie
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn’t Stop Reading
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very good reading. I was lured in immediately and could not stop reading until it was finished. Short and captivating.
One person found this helpful
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Tapsandtomes
4.0 out of 5 stars I Lay Reading: The Life and Death of Harriett Frean
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2016
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See full review here: [...]

I was most intrigued by Prissy and Harriett’s relationship. There are declarations of love–they say they will never marry for love of one another. It seems very gay. And then strangely…they fall in love with the same man? What a weird love triangle. Love quadrangle? It was all very tragic, indeed.
One person found this helpful
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Coneflower Books
3.0 out of 5 stars A Strange Little Story
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2012
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I am currently interested in reading books written during the turn of the century. This is why I was led to this little book. It is small enough that I read it in one sitting.

It was a strange, sad tale, and I had to keep reminding myself of the time period in which this piece was written so I could view the writing from another vantage point. It helped to read the introduction to set the mood for this book, plus it helped to better understand the background of the time period.

I did enjoy Sinclair's character descriptions; they were so thorough that the reader could conjure a mental image of the person. If you like period pieces, this one certainly portrays the constrained life of a woman of the time.
3 people found this helpful
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Kim
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2013
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I love books written long ago and this one did not fail to please. It is well written and is an interesting look at an unmarried woman 100 or so years ago.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Sad book.
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
Died as she lived. Sad book.
One person found this helpful
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Leonie
2.0 out of 5 stars It would be a good book for a woman's studies course and has some ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
I couldn't finish Harriett Frean. It was rough going. May Sinclair's style is clunky and slightly hysterical. It would be a good book for a woman's studies course and has some historical interest but not much fun to read.
2 people found this helpful
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Gypsi
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking Stream-of-Consciousness Narrative
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2016
Life and Death of Harriett Frean follows, as one might expect, the early life through to the death of Harriett Frean. She was brought up to be a perfect Victorian lady, and taught early on to be "morally beautiful", which in turn led her to become prideful in any little self-sacrifice she made. As a result, she lived a narrow existence, self-righteously congratulating herself on how she lived her life.

There is very little descriptive passages or even action. Instead, the story is told mainly in thoughts and conversation, in the stream-of-consciousness style. This is extremely effective in telling Harriett's story.

It is a short book, and easy to read, but still manages to be quite thought provoking. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a stream-of-consciousness narrative; other readers might not find it as engrossing.
3 people found this helpful
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OkiesKid
3.0 out of 5 stars Pitiful, lonely life
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2013
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An easy read but left me wanting more from the lead character. I don't care for weak characters who don't have an opportunity to redeem themselves.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kernowdog
5.0 out of 5 stars A whole lifetime of denial packed into just over 100 pages
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2018
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Recommended by a reliable source, and it turned out to be a sound recommendation. It's a very short novel but packed full of emotion and turmoil; well worth seeking out.
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sally tarbox
4.0 out of 5 stars Harriett Frean
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2018
Verified Purchase
A short read, and yet one which takes the reader entirely through Miss Frean's life, from infancy to old age.
An only daughter, Harriett soon becomes entirely subject to her parents' will - not through any bullying on their part, for they love her deeply, but through (it seemed to me) a combination of moral conviction and a certain sense of superiority:
"She passed through her fourteenth year sedately, to the sound of Evangeline'. Her upright body, her lifted, delicately obstinate, rather wistful face expressed her small, conscious determination to be good. She was silent with emotion when Mrs Hancock told her she was growing like her mother."

Life is not always clear-cut, and when her friend's fiance starts making advances to Harriet, she must decide how to act...
And all the time she is growing older, becoming ever more decidedly an old maid.
I thought the author did a wonderful job portraying a character at different times in her life, from the tiny tot being trained to behave 'properly', to the slightly supercilious young girl...and set-in-her-ways elderly woman.
One person found this helpful
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S V Charman
2.0 out of 5 stars Where were chapters 13-15?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2021
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I know I only paid 99p for this but I did expect to receive the complete text. It wasn't until I got to my book class that I realised everyone else had a further 3 chapters in their editions. That being said this book is packed with more social history (which is the focus of our reading) of the mid to late Victorian period than the small number of pages would suggest and well worth a read.
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June
4.0 out of 5 stars Not a great copy, but still a great story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2019
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The copy was pictures of pages in an old book, each page photographed twice, which is why it needs so much memory. Other side the story is short and sweet.
I
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Quick read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2018
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I read this for one of my university modules and was pleasantly surprised. It was a nice, quick read but is also quite saddening.
One person found this helpful
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