As I was busy surfing for new books to add to my e-library, I came across The Unseen Bridegroom, an ancient novel by Canadian writer, May Agnes Fleming, I decided to give it a try. The title was interesting and intriguing at first glance.
Let’s just dive into the review.
Novel : The Unseen Bridegroom
Author: May Agnes Fleming
Published in: 1912!
Read on: March 1st 2025!
As I mentioned earlier, the title was interesting enough for me to download it, but it had an alternative title too, Wedded for a Week! If I had seen this other title of the same novel, I would’ve guessed it to be a story about some hot headed couple, marrying and divorcing in a jiffy and would have skipped reading it!
Anyway, the story starts with a millionaire heir, Carl Walraven, returning home to his widowed mother, after 20 long years! He ran away from home at the age of 19 years. I sympathise with the mother, who had to stay strong all along. While Carl Walraven is busy flirting with Blanche Oleander, to get himself a wife, there enters Miriam Dane, a gypsy looking servant lady wearing worn out rags. She threatens to expose Carl Walraven and his deeds, if he doesn’t adopt Mollie Dane, daughter of Mary Dane.
So, off he goes and brings home the 16 year old, golden blonde haired beauty, a stage actress, Mollie Dane. Everyone suspects that she’s Carl Walraven’s illegitimate child and still love her dearly. Carl then marries Blanche inspite of opposition from both his mom and Mollie Dane. (Turns out they were correct about Blanche, women’s intuition indeed!)
As a debutante in the high society, Mollie captures the hearts of most eligible bachelors around her. Mollie is a loving and down-to-earth person, but her only folly is, her flirty nature. She has Hugh Ingelow, Dr.Oleander and Sardonyx competing each other for her affection. She rejects all the three of them brutally, infront of a septuagenarian Baronet, Sir Roger Trajenna, whom she agrees to marry! She is in love with his title, money, social standing and old age too!
On the day of her wedding, she is kidnapped and held captive by a male in black mask, who agrees to free her, if she gets married to him! Within two days of captivity, she agrees to marry him. She is married off by a reverend (who was also forcefully kidnapped) and sent home within a week.
Once home, Mollie decides to find out who her husband is. She is ready to forgive her kidnapper, if he turns out to be Hugh Ingelow! (She comes to the realisation that she is in love with him during her captivity), but if the kidnapper were Dr. Oleander, she plans to kill him off, with Strychnine no less, since she hates and loathes him.
I am not going into details, but Mollie is kidnapped a second time, trying to find her masked husband and held captive again, the kidnapper being Dr.Oleander. She is finally rescued by Hugh Ingelow.
The truth about birth of Mollie Dane is also revealed here, which is a little unexpected.
All is well that ends well and Mollie ends up marrying Hugh Ingelow.
What I liked:
1. The easy language and editing. I didn’t have to skip any boring paragraphs or pages!
2. It tells us about the people in the olden days, their thinking and life before any major technical advances in America.
3. The 17 year old protagonist, Mollie gets a redemption arc. She changes from flirty minx to a matured adult by the end. ( To make her change, the author put her through suffering!)
What I didn’t like:
1. The female lead is kidnapped twice, as if it’s normal! Was the period around 1912 not safe for women in America?
2. Mollie is forced to marry, which is regressive.
3. The description of the lead pair or the other supporting characters is not particularly good. I only know Mollie had golden blonde hair which was curly and that she is beautiful and that the male lead is handsome! With such description it is difficult to picture them while reading the novel.
When I read the Harry Potter series, I could imagine what everyone looked like and felt I was in their world, which is saying something about the author, because there were hundreds of characters in all the books combined!
P.S:
1. Just because I have listed some cons in this novel doesn’t mean it is a bad one. It only shows the evolution of English literature.
Jane Austen books are so big, with flowery language, that it gets boring to read and needs full concentration. But, her books are popular even now because of their ability to explain the people of that era in minute detail! ( Her observations are accurate and clever) Every writer has their strengths and weaknesses.
2. I have few more books of May Agnes Fleming and I can give better insight about her writing style, only after reading the other works.
3. Do you know about Stockholm Syndrome? It is the psychological state of mind, where the victim of crime such as kidnapping or abuse etc begins to sympathise with their kidnapper or abuser! It really does happen! In this novel, Mollie almost forgives the kidnapper, hoping it was Hugh Ingelow!
I have started watching a Chinese limited series and let’s see how this goes.
Till the next post, bubye.