Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Mary Reilly
Book Review: A return to the original
Summary: 5 Stars
Valerie Martin returns to the original ideas of Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by eliminating the girlfriend figure which quickly found its way into adaptations beginning with a play only a few years after the original. Valerie Martin also returns to the original by allowing her readers to see the world which Stevenson attempted to write about by emphasizing class/race/gender distinctions and showing the dual nature of England of Stevenson's time. Martin, intriguingly shows more of Mr. Hyde than the original allowed the audience, thus drawing in fans of the original and exciting first-time readers. This book is a must-buy for anyone who enjoyed the original or the 1991 play by David Edgar.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.
Book Review: Great Idea, Wonderful Execution
Summary: 5 Stars
To really appreciate MARY REILLY, I'd recommend first reading the original THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson (a quick read) and then dive into MARY REILLY. You will really appreciate the way Ms. Martin weaves her story through the original.
(I was excited when the film version was released. John Malkovich would make an awesome Jekyll and Hyde. But the star was Julia Roberts and the original story was completely destroyed. DO NOT go by the film. Horrible.)
Book Review: Mary Hartman! Mary Hart...uh, oh - Mary Reilly! Mary Reilly!
Summary: 1 Stars
I have been trying to learn about the system of using servants in 19th & 20th c. England, and somewhere I read that this book gave a good picture of what it was like. Alas, I should have just gotten it from the library. The idea behind this story is a good one, but unfortunately what we got amounts to a dressed-up soap opera, sloppily written, pointless and uninvolving. I found myself counting the pages to the end, and I learned absolutely nothing new or useful about how servants worked. It's rare that I buy a book I decide not to keep, but this is one.
Book Review: Mary Reilly's Emotional Appeal
Summary: 5 Stars
K. Gordon
Dr. Laurie Leach
WRI1150H
8 December 2004
Mary Reilly's Emotional Appeal
Mary Reilly was written in 1990 by Valerie Martin to provide another perspective to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886. Overall, I thought the book was successful in answering some of the questions I had about what it was like to work as Dr. Jekyll's servant. Although reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde prior to reading Mary Reilly provided a more broad perspective on the several murders that took place, Mary Reilly was far more pleasurable to read as it appeals to more emotions.
The story began with Mary's journal entry about having been locked up in the closet and clawed by a massive rat picked off the street. It was horrifying and infuriating at the same time. I couldn't believe that a father could do such a thing to his daughter. Her hands became scarred and horrendous-looking. I can't even imagine what it was like for her growing up being the kid in school that no one wants to come by because of the appearance of her hands. It wasn't her fault that her dad took pleasure in torturing her. Her mother couldn't even help her out because she was too afraid. Luckily, Mary was able to leave her father and started working for Dr. Jekyll.
Mary Reilly was told through journal entries, which were easier to follow than the character perspective jumping seen in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Every day, she worked on her hands and knees serving Dr. Jekyll. Once every week, she'd have a half-day to herself. Back in primitive society, women didn't have that much freedom. This whole novel made me grateful that the ways of society have changed and for the better, if I should say. Although Dr. Jekyll wasn't a very demanding individual and really looked after his servants better than most other elite individuals, just the thought of not being able to do as you please was suffocating.
What made this novel appealing was the developing friendship or companionship between Mary and Dr. Jekyll. This was definitely taboo back in the days where servants were not allowed to have any special relationship with their masters. As I read about their conversations with each other, I couldn't help but hope that they'd defy the standards of having no real relation between master and servant. I hoped that they'd somehow end up together. Of course, romance novels were always interesting to read. Readers often get caught up in finding out what'll happen next and if the lovers will finally do what they desire. That's what happened in this novel. A little romance made Mary Reilly all the more irresistible to put down.
Mary Reilly differed from the other novel with this insinuating romance along with more suspenseful events. I thought reading Mary Reilly was far more horrifying than reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The moments when Mary would say that she felt something strange in the room, I would think that it was Mr. Hyde. Whenever I thought about Mr. Hyde lingering around in the room somewhere, I remember a movie character that scared the living daylights out of me as a child. It still does to this day. This character was a stubby but gory-looking leprechaun that went after some teenagers that stole his gold coins. Whenever Mary would be frightened to see Mr. Hyde, I would also get the chills thinking about the leprechaun. I didn't know when Mr. Hyde would come into view and that was what kept me on my toes.
Several of Mary's encounters with Mr. Hyde really made me cringe. There was this one part when he smears his bloody hands over her face. This gave me chicken skin and I had to take a moment to myself before reading on. I've never had that kind of reaction to reading a book before. There was also the time where Mr. Hyde sank his teeth into Mary's shoulder and held her in a presumably intimate way that made me overcome with this mixture or anger and sympathy for her. I thought "oh no! He's going to rape her! Fight back Mary!" Fortunately, Mr. Hyde stopped and I found myself extremely relieved. I thought "geeze, this book never fails to surprise me."
Another part of the novel that made me sorrowful was when Mary's mom had died. The poor mother couldn't read any of Mary's written letters to her. When she passed away, the landlord sold all her belongings and stored her body into some dingy hole in the basement. This woman definitely had a difficult life living in the shadow of her husband. Because Mary worked all the time and her half-day wasn't enough time for her to visit her mother, she probably had many regrets not being able to spend more time with her mother. If I was her, I would've regretted it so badly. Her mother's death encouraged me to live my life to the fullest, taking it with full stride so that when I die, I won't have anything to regret.
Mary Reilly was by far the most suspenseful novel I have ever read. The journal entry format of the novel created a more personal and intimate atmosphere. It made me feel as if I was Mary scrambling about the house cleaning this and that and talking to the doctor. This in turn, made it easier for me to take on Mary's emotions of fear and compassion for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde versus reading the story as if I was an onlooker. Because Mary Reilly was easier to follow with Mary's narration and because it had a more profound effect on my emotions than The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I'd have to say Mary Reilly was more enjoyable and entertaining to read.
More Mary Reilly reviews:
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