MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Literary Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson

Bookworm_Girl · 08-05-2018, 06:34 PM

I have finished the book! I am very interested to hear what others thought about the book. I agree with AnotherCat that this book is the type that you need to step away from and reflect on for a while. I think it has so many layers to it. I need to re-read the Galsworthy intro as well as the last book chapter and review my notes to refresh my memory. So for now I'm not going to post too many thoughts.

Overall I liked the book and am glad to have read it. I mostly struggled to get through Rima's tragic ending (how terribly sad and the shocking aftermath!) and the last 15% of the book. I felt it ended abruptly after all that mental & moral anguish, probably because I expected it to have more of a conclusion circling back to Abel in his old age talking to his government official friend.

Spoiler:

Hudson's naturalist training is definitely apparent and a highlight of the book. His descriptions are lovely. He has an eye for observation of the smallest technical details that most people would miss in nature and captures them well in the prose.

Astrangerhere has highlighted an interesting question about whether this was a romance or a nature novel. From my research it appears that most critics come down on the side of romance. I'm still thinking about it but probably agree.

I have a different perspective of the romance between Abel and Rima. I did not see it as a sexual conquest or that he wanted to possess her like material goods. I thought that it was very much on a spiritual level. She was the last survivor of a lost white race and was at one with nature uncorrupted by civilization. I thought that he held Rima up as more of a supernatural myth and idolized her innocence and perfection. I thought the descriptions of his passions for her used a lot of religious imagery to support that idea. His desires to me read more like typical lovers who want to embrace and kiss and have tender words rather than more base feelings. He is frustrated that Rima does not understand this new feeling of love and is unable to return these same types of gestures to him, even to communicate honestly and openly in a language that isn't her bird-speak. In the end, after her death, his thoughts of her approach sainthood as seen in the dedication in retrieving her bones/ashes and creating an urn and at the prominence of her memorialized remains in his house in the current times. When he returns to civilization he dedicates himself to living his life in a way that would honor the goodness of Rima's memory and spirit.

08-05-2018, 06:34 PM	#12
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I have finished the book! I am very interested to hear what others thought about the book. I agree with AnotherCat that this book is the type that you need to step away from and reflect on for a while. I think it has so many layers to it. I need to re-read the Galsworthy intro as well as the last book chapter and review my notes to refresh my memory. So for now I'm not going to post too many thoughts. Overall I liked the book and am glad to have read it. I mostly struggled to get through Rima's tragic ending (how terribly sad and the shocking aftermath!) and the last 15% of the book. I felt it ended abruptly after all that mental & moral anguish, probably because I expected it to have more of a conclusion circling back to Abel in his old age talking to his government official friend. Spoiler: I also didn't anticipate the manner in which Rima died. I thought that Abel would be witness to it and perhaps it would involve his gun. Hudson's naturalist training is definitely apparent and a highlight of the book. His descriptions are lovely. He has an eye for observation of the smallest technical details that most people would miss in nature and captures them well in the prose. Astrangerhere has highlighted an interesting question about whether this was a romance or a nature novel. From my research it appears that most critics come down on the side of romance. I'm still thinking about it but probably agree. I have a different perspective of the romance between Abel and Rima. I did not see it as a sexual conquest or that he wanted to possess her like material goods. I thought that it was very much on a spiritual level. She was the last survivor of a lost white race and was at one with nature uncorrupted by civilization. I thought that he held Rima up as more of a supernatural myth and idolized her innocence and perfection. I thought the descriptions of his passions for her used a lot of religious imagery to support that idea. His desires to me read more like typical lovers who want to embrace and kiss and have tender words rather than more base feelings. He is frustrated that Rima does not understand this new feeling of love and is unable to return these same types of gestures to him, even to communicate honestly and openly in a language that isn't her bird-speak. In the end, after her death, his thoughts of her approach sainthood as seen in the dedication in retrieving her bones/ashes and creating an urn and at the prominence of her memorialized remains in his house in the current times. When he returns to civilization he dedicates himself to living his life in a way that would honor the goodness of Rima's memory and spirit. Last edited by Bookworm_Girl; 08-05-2018 at 06:40 PM.