Sophie and the Sibyl by Patricia Duncker

Like Ali Smith in How to be Both, the author has no respect for the novel's traditional boundaries.

'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. What's more, Sophie worships the great novelist of questionable morals - and is determined to meet her.Ĭombining a tale of courtship and seduction with a lively imagining of George Eliot at the end of her boldly unconventional life and the height of her fame, Sophie and the Sibyl is both a compelling Victorian novel and a playful meditation on the creation of literature. Out of his depth, Max finds himself precariously balanced between Sophie and the Sibyl. Mischievous, wilful and daring, Sophie gambles recklessly and rides horses like a man.īoth women have Max in thrall - one with her youth and passion, the other with her wisdom and fierce intelligence. But Sophie proves to be nothing like the vision of angelic domesticity Max was expecting. At first, Max is lured by Sophie's beauty and his affectionate memories of their shared childhood. Yet Wolfgang has an ulterior motive: he wants his brother to consider Sophie von Hahn, daughter of a wealthy family friend, as a potential wife. Enthralling and intelligent, she soon has Max bewitched. When Max's bad habits get out of hand, Wolfgang sends him to the Spa town of Homburg, to dance attendance upon a celebrity author - the enigmatic Sibyl, also known as George Eliot. Clever, irresponsible Max is as fond of gambling and brothels as the older, wiser, Wolfgang is of making a profit. The Duncker brothers, Max and Wolfgang, own a thriving publishing business in the city.

Sophie and the Sibyl by Patricia Duncker