Posted by Magnus Smith on January 16, 2014 at 23:01:15 user Magnus.
In Reply to: Re: Mehalah posted by Elizabeth Jolley on January 15, 2014 at 17:47:12:
Ugh, not Mehalah! It is a story of misery with no entertainment to be had out of reading it. Not quite as disgustingly hideous as Wuthering Heights, but close.
This is my opinion I suppose, but I urge you not to let it be one of those books where you press on to the bitter end, hoping it gets better. You'd be wasting your time. I do admit it must have been well written to invoke such a strong feeling of hatred for the leading male character, but I can't say anything else nice about it.
Isn't this book's only link to Ransome in its description of the eerie Essex marshes? The fact that he had a copy at home doesn't mean he loved it.
Baring-Gould also wrote a book entitled Old English Fairy Tales from 1895, so he may have come to Ransome's attention because of the love of fairtytales?