402. After the Death of Don Juan

After the Death of Don Juan
Sylvia Townsend Warner

1938
Around 300 pages

Did you ever want to read the novelization of an opera? I sure didn't. I hate the opera, and left halfway through Don Giovanni. This thoroughly scandalized the Pittsburgh Opera crowd, which is admittedly a pretty sorry bunch. This novel played out like an opera, and it really wasn't my vibe.

Within the first paragraph of the novel, Don Juan has already tried to rape Anna, or as Miss Sylvia puts it, "he began to make love to her, so forcibly that she protested." Do we really have to include the word "love" in that sentence? In the same paragraph, Anna's father tries to intervene and is killed by Don Juan. It's like in medias res, on speed. Everybody behaves like they are lusty stage characters. I should mention that this takes place in eighteenth century Spain, with a Socialist perspective.

It's strange to read a non-contemporary historical fiction novel. Historical fiction is often much more telling about the era it is written in than it is informative about the story's setting. In this case, we see Warner's communist leanings, and there's very little emphasis placed on the horrific abuse of women present in the story. Very operatic.

That was a bit of a mess to be honest.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Warner was in a relationship with Valentine Ackland, which survived for 40 years despite Ackland's infidelities and alcoholism. 

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