Camilla

When Camilla arrived from Amazon, I shuddered at its bowling-ball weight and inch-and-a-half spine bearing 900+ pages. (One blogger refers to such works as "rectangular doorstop[s] containing infinities.") So much for my goal of plowing through two or three books in a week. At this rate, I’ll be ready for examinations in 2015. Fortunately, the story engaged me enough to make me forget the discomfort of a treadmill for several of those hours of reading, though it took me two weeks to finish it.

First published in 1796, Camilla features the matrimonial aspirations of three sisters—the daughters of a country pastor, including the ever-worthy, Camilla—and their female cousin. Camilla and her childhood soul friend, Edgar, grow in esteem for each other until their affections blossom into full-grown love. Yet a long, lo-o-ong series of misunderstandings continues to keep them apart.

I kept wanting to tell these young people, “Communicate already!” But of course teens of marriageable age in that day could not just meet under some tree and talk unchaperoned. In that way we’ve come a long way, BFF.

Wildly popular when it released, Camilla reveals Fanny Burney’s profound insight into the human heart and her skill at developing lovable, virtuous characters—not an easy task. Her wisdom and humor make for delightful reading. Highly recommended, though its weight makes it unsuitable for anybody's carry-on bag.