The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Ridd brings Lorna the promised eggs, and Lorna starts to tell her story. An orphan is a world of violence, coarseness, and ignorance, she’s protected by her grandfather, Ensor, head of the Doone clan. Ensor has decreed the clan behave in front of Lorna to protect her. Aunt Sabina was her teacher and appears to be of a high social status.

We meet many new characters in this segment. One, Alan, is the son of a peer and tells Lorna he is her guardian. He has come to take her away from the clan and give her a more fitting life. He is killed by Carver Doone just for being in the area. Lorna witnessed this, and it changes her outlook.

Meanwhile, Ridd is in love with Lorna and longs to see her. He is commanded by the King to go to London on a, as yet unknown, legal matter. We leave Ridd stuck in London for two months.

1. How does Lorna and her Aunt Sabina fit into the clan?

2. Why is Lorna so protected by the clan?

I am asking myself the same questions. Do we know this yet?

I also wonder:

How did Alan find his way and be able to meet Lorna? (I was so surprised!)
How could Lorna trust him so blindly?
Can we be sure that he wasn’t a swindler?

The story is getting more and more fantastical. (:

Yes Alan was quite the surprise. The story does seem to be picking up speed

I haven't finished this section but Lorna's formal manner of speaking is really odd. She does say she reads a lot but still, she tells her story in long, complicated sentences. She also talks about what she is missing in her life. But how would she know what she is missing? Maybe she got some of this from her aunt? Actually I suppose the answer is just that this is the way novels were written at the time. But John Ridd has a more natural voice.

It might be interesting to compare Lorna with the heroine of the recent hit Where the Crawdads Sing - another young woman growing up in nature.

Robin wrote: "I haven't finished this section but Lorna's formal manner of speaking is really odd. She does say she reads a lot but still, she tells her story in long, complicated sentences. She also talks about..."

She could have learned what she’s missing from both her aunt and her reading. Her formal way of speaking, in my opinion, is to reinforce the difference in class between Ridd and Lorna. The Ridd family have always been working class. The Doone’s at one point were gentry.

I have no answers to offer just questions myself.
First, I was trying to figure out the where and why of Alan. A cousin and guardian yet a Scot. I presumed he was from the maternal side of Lorna's family trying to rescue her from the paternal Doone clan. Frankly, my visual of the whole book is more Scotland than England although I know this is set in the Exmoor area of Somerset.

The reference to Queen Anne through me off a bit until I remembered the narrator is older, narrating then from sometime between 1702 and 1714. I think the book is now in about 1683, Jan is 22 and I'm presuming the King is Charles II. I take it I'm not yet supposed to know why Jan is in London to testify and will soon find out.

The whole Doone clan confuses me a bit. They are suposed to be gentry but also murderous thieves. I would think retreating to solitary hideaways would dumb you down after a while. As to Lorna, I also wondered how she knows what she knows, but gather that the aunt, as mentioned, taught Lorna who seems educated. How big is the Doone clan that inhabits this area? From what Lorna says, it does not seem like very many, yet the clan would need to be large to defend themselves.

Brian wrote: "Frankly, my visual of the whole book is more Scotland than England although I know this is set in the Exmoor area of Somerset."

Same here.

I have the same questions many of you do, and not much more to add. I guess we still don't know who the woman was who approached John Ridd when he was a child on his way back home, since Lorna's mother would have been dead by then. I'm looking forward to learning why John is in London.

Charlotte wrote: "I am asking myself the same questions. Do we know this yet?

I also wonder:

How did Alan find his way and be able to meet Lorna? (I was so surprised!)
How could Lorna trust him so blindly?
Can we ..."

This was certainly one of the most surprising twists so far. No wonder Lorna is so cautious when John comes to visit!! Since Alan knows this family, Was he killed for more personal reasons than just cold blood? Do the Doones have more to hide than what meets the eye?

Despite the Doone's trying to cover up their treachery in front of Lorna, I find it interesting that 1.) She saw right through it [kudos to her!] and 2.)They couldn't hide it for long.

Gwenny Carfax has one of the most interesting backstories.

Ridd's London visit is obviously puzzling. The messenger said that his his fame had gone far and was known for his virtue. HOW!? What did Ridd do to gain such fame? Does this go back to the episode of finding justice for Uncle Ben's robbery? Does this even have to do with the Doone's?

So many great mysteries! Can't wait to uncover answers!