Seton, A. (1972). Green darkness. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett Publications Inc.

02/20/08 to 03/28/08
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Seton couldn't make up her mind whether she was reporting something that really happened vs. writing a novel. In the introduction she pledges her allegiance to Theosophy and belief in reincarnation. She further says that she based the 1960s portion of the novel off of at least a real place, and that all of the historical accounts of the 1550s support the events she depicts in that portion of the novel. I wish Seton had either written us a flat-out exploration of someone's past lives or a completely made up story. The hybrid version simply falls flat. My guess would be that the 1960s portion is more of a fiction since it reads with more style and appeal than the historical portion.

In addition to this stylistic complaints, the content of the story is aversive with characters that seem like misogynistic archetypes rather than real people. Seton's present day heroine is weak and floppy. She clings to her husband despite his disgusting treatment of her. And her historical counterpart is so shallow and self absorbed that she is equally unsympathetic. Seton's hero is unattractive in the extreme and leaves me thinking that only some cosmically unfair force would entice any woman to pursue him with the intensity that Seton depicts. Either that or his unavailability was enough of a challenge that the heroine pursued simply because he was running the other way.