Anne is a novel by American author Constance Fenimore Woolson published in 1881. Woolson's works have fallen into obscurity, but I learned about her on a summer vacation to Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. She spent a lot of time on the island, included it in her writings, and has a memorial there. Now she is best known as the niece of [[James Fenimore Cooper]] and the good friend of [[Henry James]]. I read an excellent biography of Woolson last year, [Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist] by [[Anne Boyd Rioux]], and wanted to read some of Woolson's novels.

I started with Anne because it was Woolson's first novel and supposed to be her most popular and accessible. I went into it honestly thinking it might be sort of a slog, but I ended up absolutely loving it! When we meet Anne, she is a teenager living on Mackinac Island with a blended family and in near poverty. But she is happy - she loves the island and there is some really excellent nature writing here by Woolson. When Anne's father dies, she becomes engaged to her childhood sweetheart and they both go off into the world to try to make some money. Anne is sponsored by her wealthy and hard-hearted Aunt to attend a finishing school in New York with the idea that this will set her up to teach and that will be the end of her relationship with her aunt. But Anne is a lovely person, and she meets friends in high places and begins developing complicated relationships in this higher society circle.

I was really sad when Anne left the island and worried that losing that setting would make the rest of the book uninteresting, but Woolson sets up a beautiful romance in the middle of the book that includes all the typical drama of the era. There are misunderstandings, hidden feelings, and missed chances between several potential couples. And I was totally enamored. And then the Civil War happens, providing another great background/setting for the action.

I will admit that the last fifth of the book takes a plot turn that is a bit far-fetched, but it is not out of line with many novels of the era.

I'm sad that this book is not in print and isn't more widely read. If I had to compare her writing with someone, I'd say she has the technique and drama of a [[Charlotte Brontë]] and the keen observation of [[Anthony Trollope]]. I would really like to read more of her books and hope I can find them! Please give her a try if you are a fan of this era of writing! ( )

A year ago I read a collection of Constance Fenimore Woolson’s short stories and, for the most part enjoyed the stories. I can’t really say the same about this novel.

I discovered Constance Fenimore Woolson and the book Anne through its connection with Mackinac Island. Every few years we spend a week at a relative’s home on the island. Wanting to know more about the history of the island we all love so much I started digging around and discovered Constance Fenimore Woolson. Part of her first novel, Anne, is set on Mackinac Island, where Fenimore Woolson often vacationed. There is a home, built in 1899 when Anne was still a popular best seller, on the island named Anne’s Cottage in honor of Fenimore Woolson and her heroine Anne. There is also a tablet on the island honoring the author and her fictional heroine.

The novel started out alright. A little slow maybe but a decent enough story about a young woman living on Mackinac Island and the struggles she and her family faced. It was setting itself up to a typical bildungsroman. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the island, a place I have biked and explored a number of times and could easily picture what I was reading about.

When Anne leaves the island the story began to change tone and pace until I found myself reading a melodramatic trope. And things just kept getting more and more unbelievable the more I read. I was already rolling my eyes and scoffing a bit too much when all the sudden the last quarter of the novel became a murder mystery/amateur detective novel. What???

As far as our eponymous heroine is concerned, I think the reader was supposed to find her brave and courageous, in fact we were told a number of times that she was brave, but she ran away from almost every trial or difficult circumstance that she faced! And when she did actually face up to something, it was only when practically forced to do so.

Meh. I just don’t care for melodrama

As I said, I enjoyed the short stories that I read but when writing a full length novel things seems to have gone off the rails for Fenimore Woolson. Her writing seems better suited to short stories where she can end things before they get a little out of control. ( )