322. Quartet

Quartet
Jean Rhys
1928
Around 200 pages

Frequent readers will know that I appreciate hot goss, especially when it has to do with the authors on this blog. This is a semi-autobiographical novel based on Jean Rhys' affair with Ford Madox Ford while her husband was in jail, which was briefly tolerated by Ford's wife, Stella Bowen. Man, it would have been delicious to watch the various creepos on this blog be Me Tooed. 

Stephan and Marya are living hand to mouth in Paris, relying on Stephan's shady art deals to sustain their lifestyle. Stephan is arrested and sentenced to one year in jail. Marya moves in with H.J. Heidler and his painter wife Lois. Heidler has a well-known habit of inviting young women to lodge in his spare room, and taking advantage of them while his wife turns a blind eye. 

I love Jean Rhys, she really tackles perspectives that are rare in this era of the List. I particularly enjoyed The Wide Sargasso Sea (justice for Mrs. Rochester), but we have awhile before we reach that entry. I loved Marya as a character. She trusted the men in her life, as she had been taught to, and gets screwed by their selfishness and egoism. Sounds about right.

Short and sweet. 

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Adapted to a film in 1981 with Maggie Smith.

UP NEXT: The Childermass by Wyndham Lewis. This is a hard book to track down, but I haven't been thwarted yet!