Vera
Gelesen von Greg W.
Elizabeth Von Arnim
(4,284 Sterne; 67 Bewertungen)
Vera (1921) by Elizabeth von Arnim is a black comedy based on her disastrous second marriage to Earl Russell: a mordant analysis of the romantic delusions through which wives acquiesce in husbands' tyrannies. In outline the story of this utterly unromantic novel anticipates DuMaurier's Rebecca. Naive Lucy Entwhistle is swept into marriage by widower, Everard Wemyss. His mansion "The Willows" is pervaded by the spectre of his dead wife Vera, with whom Lucy becomes obsessed. ... Here the servants are partisan for both wives, and lose no opportunity to disrupt Everard's unctuous, oppressive household routines. An extraordinarily black vision of marriage, also continuously funny, the novel's power lies in the wit and economy of the usually prolix Von Arnim.(Introduction by Wikipedia) (8 hr 33 min)
Chapters
Bewertungen
Brilliant, insightful exposition of the narcissist
DarthLaurel
(5 Sterne)
Wow! Anyone who has been intimate with a narcissist will listen to their tale being told in the detailed character sketch of the husband of Vera.
A portrait of abuse
benefitsingers
(5 Sterne)
I am not really sure how anyone could say this book is a black comedy. Listening to the story all I could think about was my own sister who is in an abusive (mentally) marriage. I would encourage women to listen to this story because it truly portrays how and why women get themselves in these bad situations. The reader, Grew W. was excellent. He has to read and be the voice of a man who is very unlikeable and overbearing, he really is a fantastic reader and does an excellent job. I hope to find other narrations he has done. The story does end rather abruptly which I think in some ways even further adds to the bleakness of what Lucy's life will be.
(3 Sterne)
An interesting Edwardian story but how we wished to see Wemyss get his comeuppance! A note to American readers - the ancient British aristocratic name Wemyss is pronounced Weems not Wimmiss! Several English names have these non phonetic pronunciations e.g. Beauchamp is Beecham, Cholmondeley is Chumleigh. It would be wise of readers to check before they commence recording, this has been an irritant all the way through.
New fan...
jenniebrown
(5 Sterne)
...of Elizabeth von Arnim who is a master of character study. After reading von Arnim's "The Pastors Wife" I had to find more of her fully engrossing stories. Iâm halfway through "Vera" and am drawn into this tale of two people who fall in love under distressing circumstances. The foreshadowing of doom lends a tenseness to the story that keeps one listening hour after hour. Delicious! The narrator is wonderful except for the mispronunciation of "Wymiss" which is properly said as "Weems" as another reviewer stated. Iâm American but my dearest friend is British and is a wealth of information on old aristocratic names and English slang. The story is very good and the narrator is so wonderful that it is easy enough to overlook his mistake. (I do wince a bit tho). Very highly recommend and Iâll be listening to more of Greg W's narration!
Julia McCullough
(5 Sterne)
This is a captivating story and in horror and hopelessness, I felt compelled to listen to the entire book hoping he (the husband) got what he so richly deserved. I was in a short unhappy marriage when I was very young and to see the Narcissist laying trap after trap for his victim (anyone he felt he had power over) made me feel ill. Thank you to author and reader for bringing to us this book, a book that describes a a narcissist with perfect and timeless clarity. I am very grateful to Libravox and their talented narrators for bringing us all of these older books. I am very nearly unfit to read a modern novel after listening to these treasures. Julia
A story of narcissism
zafiris
(5 Sterne)
This is a brilliant book, excellently read but hard to listen to at times as it actually describes the process in which a narcissist traps his victim. The author nails the psychology of the perpetrator and victim. The book ends abruptly but we know how these abusive relationships usually end - either the victim is murdered or reduced to such a pitiful state that she (normally it is a she) lives a life of misery. This book is a must for all women to read.
the story of abuse
Christine Zaf
(5 Sterne)
This is a brilliant book, excellently read but hard to listen to at times is it actually describes the process in which a narcissist traps victim. The author nails the psychology of the perpetrator and victim. The book ends abruptly but we know how these abusive relationships usually end – the victim is murdered or reduced to such a pitiful state that she (normally it is a she) lives a life of misery. This book is a must for all women to read.
I had to quit listening
TwinkieToes
(0 Sterne)
I had to stop listening. The previous reviewer nailed it: this is a portrayal of mental/emotional abuse. I've never experienced it, but I kept picturing a man I had briefly dated. His seeming devotion was similar, and I suspect his overbearing manipulation would have been similar, too. Thank God I didn't become a victim to it like Lucy does. I just couldn't take it anymore and had to stop listening. The reader does an excellent job, and the technical quality is great.