4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Interesting Character Study
Date of Review: Aug 14, 2008
The Bottom Line: Good if you want to round out your literary education. Or have an afternoon to spare. But I wouldn't rush out and buy it, it's a pretty mellow read.
A good short read, I was able to finish this one the afternoon after work. The Virgin and the Gypsy concentrates on analyzing a young girl, Yvette, and how she interacts with her family in the early industrial age in England. Yvette is coming into her young adulthood and entering the courting scene, yet bored and unchallenged she goes through her life foggy and vague. One day she runs into a gypsy, and begins to finally have romantic feelings towards a man. She is intrigued by his station and attitude towards life. I would say that this book mainly focuses on analyzing personalities rather than developing any kind of plot. Yvette is continuously described as being foggy and "cobwebby", immersed only in herself with no concern for others. There is also a man who is constantly being referred to as cold and wintery. This book takes place over a brief span of time, less than a year or so, so there's not really any character development so much as learning more about who the characters already are. I think it's an interesting read if you'd like to feel a sort of mysterious imagery, but there's really no point to the story. Nothing really happens. There's not really a plot at all, and the story ends with no action taken. So, as the book was only about 140 pages long, I would not consider it a waste of time. But really, it's probably one I wouldn't have minded missing out on. It's got a moody feeling to it as well, so don't read this if you've got any sort of plans that evening, or you'll probably head out in a bad mood.
