Von Arnim, Elizabeth. Vera.

VON ARNIM, Elizabeth. Vera. Read by Nicki Pauli. 8 cds. 9.5 hrs. Bolinda Audio. 1907/2008. 978-1-9214-1507-4. $103.95. Vinyl; plot, reader notes. A

This chilling portrait of an abusive relationship--courtship and marriage--in which a ruthless 45-year-old egomaniac, Everard Wemyss, overwhelms a naive 22-year-old, Lucy Entwhistle, is described perfectly by Pauli. In a cultured British semi-voiced narration she captures Wemyss's obdurate vindictiveness as easily as Lucy's babyish sentimentality, and every other character just as well. The time is around the beginning of the 1920s, when most women still humbled themselves before their husbands. As the novel opens, Lucy's father, to whom she has devoted her life, has just died. Weymss, out walking, comes across Lucy leaning dazed on the gate of her vacation home, and immediately begins to dominate her life. Although he never knew her father, he takes over the funeral plans and pursues her relentlessly. She is swept away by his power and aggressive masculinity. He demands total control and separation from her beloved aunt and all her father's friends. One soon learns to hate him and to feel exasperated by Lucy's cluelessness. Much of her devotion, however, is undoubtedly fueled by a new and thrilling sex life, but how long will she endure such abject subservience? The title of the book refers to the name of Weymss's first wife, who perhaps killed herself. A foreword and afterward describe the author's life, which was certainly unconventional, and help to explain why her depiction of Wemyss is so acrimonious (but not necessarily exaggerated). Pat Dole, Richmond, VA