Camilla (Oxford World's Classics)

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Summary: Camilla by Fanny Burney
Review: Along with Belinda and The History of Sir Charles Grandison, essential reading for all Jane Austen enthusiasts. In Camilla you will find Austen's inspiration for many different characters and situations. The 17 year old heroine of the novel is Burney's most enchanting. Her adventures are rich and surprising.The color of the 18th century infuses this book. Bring handkerchiefs, for there is pathos aplenty, but in a pure, non-cloying form. Eugenia, the stunted and unlovely but spiritually and intellectually exquisite sister of Camilla provides the soul of the book. This book contains suspense, glamour, romance, great wisdom and greater folly. Anyone who adores 18th C lit. will be sorry to turn the last page, though a thousand preceded it. In many ways this is Burney's happiest and most hopeful book. It was written as she was celebrating her liberation from spinsterhood into the estate of a married woman at age 40. We would be very lucky if anyone ever thought to turn this one into a film.

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Summary: Worth the effort
Review: Although this book may seem intimidating due to its length, it kept me entertained the whole time. I am a huge Jane Austen fan, and I had also read Burney's Evelina. After reading Camilla, I have found an author that I enjoy as much as Jane Austen: Fanny Burney. Burney's works seem neglected by Hollywood; while reading this novel, I kept imagining what a great role some of the characters would provide for a movie. (However, I couldn't think of one scene which I wouldn't be disappointed to have left out in a screenplay of normal length.) Camilla's uncle (Sir Hugh Tyrold), her brother Lionel, and various suitors actually had me laughing out loud. This book is 1000 pages entirely composed of "the good parts" of Jane Austen's novels. I felt like I was there in the world of Camilla. I cringed everytime Camilla did something that Edgar, her love interest, interpreted in the wrong way. It was almost painful, and I could sympathize. It is a great novel which should be a part of the library of any fan of Austen or 18th century literature.

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Summary: Loved every minute of it.
Review: I just finished reading Camilla. I'm very sad it is over. I am not an avid reader, but Camilla has made me one. If I can read a 900 page book, I can read anything. But I don't know if anything will be as good. I am a big fan of the Austen movies. I finally read Pride and Prejudice. I was a little disappointed that it was slow moving. I found Camilla the opposite. I just ordered Evelina and Cecilia. I can't wait.

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Summary: Loved every minute of it.
Review: I just finished reading Camilla. I'm very sad it is over. I am not an avid reader, but Camilla has made me one. If I can read a 900 page book, I can read anything. But I don't know if anything will be as good. I am a big fan of the Austen movies. I finally read Pride and Prejudice. I was a little disappointed that it was slow moving. I found Camilla the opposite. I just ordered Evelina and Cecilia. I can't wait.

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Summary: Austen she ain't
Review: Like the other readers who reviewed this book, I am a huge Austen fan. I've read "Pride and Prejudice" so many times I can quote whole paragraphs by heart. So when I discovered Fanny Burney, a contemporary of Austen's, I couldn't wait to get into her books. "Camilla" is the second book by Burney I've read, and it's reinforced my initial impression that Burney is not up to Austen's caliber as a novelist. She tells an interesting story, but her characters seem too much like stock pieces acting on a stage, and the overly dramatic dialogue doesn't help matters much. Austen's genius was in not only telling a mesmerizing tale, but in bringing her characters so completely to life that they seem totally real. Austen's novels are of their own time and for all time; Burney's books are stuck rigidly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

A singular problem with "Camilla" is Camilla herself; she comes across more as a sweet but empty-headed ingenue, tripping from one mess to another and managing to make mountains out of molehills. Her younger sister Eugenia, crippled and disfigured with smallpox but well-read and profound, is a far more interesting figure, and if she had been the center of the book, it would have been a far more interesting book. By 600 pages we get kind of tired of Camilla's incessant mess-ups, and just wish she'd hurry up and marry Edgar and have done with it. As another reviewer stated, I would like to see "Camilla" brought to the screen; with the fat trimmed from the novel, a good script, and in the hands of a good director, it might be a better movie than a book. Taken on its own, "Camilla" is not a bad book at all; but there is no way it can stand up to Austen.

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Summary: Worth the effort
Review: This is a long novel, but well worth the effort. If you like Jane Austen then you should find this a rewarding book to read.

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Summary: Should have been called Eugenia.....
Review: Why do I think it should have been called Eugenia? She is the character whom you will respect and adore the most at the end of this book. But before I elaborate on that further, let me say that this is the second book of Fanny Burney's that I have read and she is the author who has, by far, the best gift for pulling her readers into the very emotions of her characters. The characters in Camilla felt like very real people to me by the end of this book. This is not just due to the fact that it is almost a thousand pages long - I felt this way within the first few chapters. Ms. Burney was a great inspiration to many later authors, most notably, Jane Austen. In fact, scholars believe that Camilla was the direct influence for Austen's masterpiece, Sense and Sensibility. The flavor of Austen's books were clearly cooked up while she was reading Ms. Burney, and you'll find that the inspiration and enjoyment Ms. Austen received while reading Camilla, as well as other Burney books, is no mystery.

The story follows two sisters, Eugenia and Camilla, and their cousin, Indiana, in the months preceding their marriages. Not only are the lives of these three women explored, but we see several equally strong male characters and the supporting cast is as delightful, frustrating, and dramatic as good supporting characters should be. Although Camilla is darling and sympathetic, you may, as I did, find that much of what she goes through could have been easily avoided. Much of what occurs involves Camilla's suitor, Edgar, who decides, based on the advice of a friend, to look for her faults and be sure she loves him before declaring his love and asking her to marry him. On the other hand, Camilla, who is deeply in love with Edgar is given advice by her father to avoid him and hide her feelings for him as much as possible (to avoid complications in their already established friendship). This of course, places everything in a muddle as both are working against each other. On top of this, Camilla seems to have a knack for finding herself in situations, which Edgar always just happens to witness, that appear less than flattering to her character. The reader finds themselves frustrated with the continual thousand page cycle that ensues, but fear not, by the end you find that Ms. Burney planned and shares these frustrations. As you can imagine, the book deals greatly with the expectations placed on young women, trust, prejudice, and giving individuals, especially those we love, the benefit of the doubt.

Ms. Burney writes about her characters in such a vivid manner that you feel as if you can actually see what's going on. Facial expressions, emotions, settings, etc. are painted with subtle yet strong master strokes. Besides giving us Camilla's story in full, Ms. Burney gives us multiple strong sub plots. Eugenia's story is perhaps the most dramatic and in my opinion, more powerful and moving that the main story. I will not spoil the book by giving you the details other than to say that she overcomes insurmountable odds, and does so with a grace that will endear her to you.

Besides giving us wonderful human interest stories, Ms. Burney once again weaves intrigue, wisdom, tragedy, comedy, and a host of surprising plot twists in this book that will hold the reader glued to every page. It's length was never felt. In fact, the closer I came to the finish line, the slower I read because I didn't want the book to end. Despite it's being a thousand pages long, I finished the book rapidly and never felt a numb, boring moment. Camilla will capture you from her opening pages and hold you betwixt the beginning and end in utter turmoil, suspense, awe, and, most importantly, rapture.