Writing a century later than Jane Austen, Whitby’s work examines many of the same themes: women and marriage, concepts of honor and pride, passion and love, and self-sacrifice. In The Awakening of Mary Fenwick, we find a naïve young woman who has been raised in a sheltered and isolated home by a grieving father. Mary, calm and responsible, is contrasted with her younger sister Cicely, whose birth resulted in the death of her mother. Cicely is a freer spirit and her exuberance and the painful association with his wife’s death leads the father to send her off to Paris to be raised by an aunt.
Following the death of the father, the aunt assumes a guardianship over Mary and, within a short time, introduces Mary to Godfray Fenwick. Their wedding is a drab affair and on the same day Mary is inadvertently presented with a letter written by Godfray’s sister congratulating him on his successful acquisition of an heiress.
The stage is set and we experience Mary’s humiliation and rude awakening to the realities of her situation. As the novel progresses, both Mary and Godfray evolve and awaken to their desires and disappointments. Whitby handles these evolutions masterfully and intersperses vignettes of village life and personalities.
If you enjoy the works of Jane Austen, you will find this book full of life, love, tragedy and triumph.
