Mary Reilly
by Valerie Martin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Valerie MartinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2001-04-10
ISBN: 0375725997
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Mary Reilly
Book Review: Good (4.5 stars)
Summary: 4 Stars
Mary Reilly is an alternate telling of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It's told from the point of view of Dr. Jekyll's housemaid, Mary, an observant young woman who is nonetheless somewhat blind to what's going on around her. She keeps a journal of her observations, in which she chronicles the increasingly bizarre behavior of the man she calls Master; and her encounters with his new assistant, Edward Hyde.
It's not a long book, only about 250 pages, but there's a lot packed in. At first glance, it would seem odd that Dr. Jekyll seeks out the company of a lowly housemaid; but they really have a lot in common, both having gone through, or going through, periods of darkness in their lives--Mary with the demon her father, and Dr. Jekyll with his demon Mr. Hyde.
The tension in this novel, especially in Mary's encounters with Mr. Hyde, is palpable, as is the London fog, which seems to surround everything. Right from the opening scene (which I won't describe; you have to read it for yourself), I was immediately hooked into the story May's language and grammar are colorful, too, and make her voice unique. The end of the book is somewhat marred by the anonymous postscript, but otherwise I enjoyed this novel. It's been a number of years since I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but from what I can recall, Valerie Martin stays pretty close to Stevenson's book. Mary is for the most part knowledgeable about the world; but in several others, she's a complete innocent.
Summary of Mary Reilly
From the acclaimed author of the bestselling Italian Fever comes a fresh twist on the classic Jekyll and Hyde story, a novel told from the perspective of Mary Reilly, Dr. Jekyll's dutiful and intelligent housemaid.Faithfully weaving in details from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic, Martin introduces an original and captivating character: Mary is a survivor-scarred but still strong-familiar with evil, yet brimming with devotion and love. As a bond grows between Mary and her tortured employer, she is sent on errands to unsavory districts of London and entrusted with secrets she would rather not know. Unable to confront her hideous suspicions about Dr. Jekyll, Mary ultimately proves the lengths to which she'll go to protect him. Through her astute reflections, we hear the rest of the classic Jekyll and Hyde story, and this familiar tale is made more terrifying than we remember it, more complex than we imagined possible.
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