Not Wisely, But Too Well by Rhoda Broughton (1867)

This is a novel of mixed fortunes - it is over-exuberant, seeming to have been written when Broughton was particularly young. There are judgments she makes in the craft of its writing which seem quite ill-advised. The best example is a tendency to utilise quotations at far too many junctures; there is one early chapter absolutely littered with them. On the other hand it has many fine moments, and some sparkling wit, and has a brightness and resulting colour which cannot be denied. At the time of publication I believe it was regarded as quite racy, given that the heroine, Kate Chester, falls passionately for a married man, and a wicked one. Interestingly the crucial scene of their relationship is enacted in the now-destroyed Crystal Palace. Its tone now feels of course much more standard, falling somewhere between Jane Austen and Elizabeth de la Pasture - and comfortably so. It can be a damning thing to say but it's appropriate in this case: this is a novel which holds out promise. Her talent for the comedy in family is already obvious here, as is her capacity to keep a plot humming, though this element needs ensubtling (if there is such a word). The word which sums the whole book up is 'hothouse' I think - dangerous stuff in these young hands. I look forward to watching develop the ameliorations and the expansions of her growing maturity.