Caitriona is very much a woman constrained—by her status as a widow, by her poverty and her fall from high society, even by the clothes she wears. Were you therefore surprised by how her story turned out?

Caitriona is very much a woman constrained—by her status as a widow, by her poverty and her fall from high society, even by the clothes she wears. In our introduction to her, on the novel's first page, Beatrice Colin writes, "She had laced tight that morning, pulling until the eye holes in her corset almost met, and now her chest rose and fell in shallow gasps as she tried to catch her breath--in, out, in and out." Were you therefore surprised by how her story turned out?

Caitriona was very constrained by both her class and the time she lived in. It I think by decision at the end of the book she was able to become independent

I agree that Cait was very constrained by her class and in the time she lived. It was like if a woman wasn't married she could not function. It was a catastrophe is she lived alone because society felt that women weren't able to take care of themselves. but also the times were different since most women did not work unless they could be a housekeeper, nanny, etc. Women were not allowed to do anything or frowned upon to take are of themselves.

Throughout history there have been women who run counter to the societal currents of the day. Some wrote novels and had them published under men's names. Some went trekking around the world, unchaperoned and intrepid. Notice the " some " in those sentences--it was rare but they carried it off and were even admired for their spunk and independence. Cait was unchaperoned from the start--she was the chaperone--but she was more or less her own woman. She had been living alone since being widowed and though she struggled financially and had to take a convenient job to retain her independence she was shown to be a woman who would not easily succumb to the traditional place of a woman. That she went to West Africa was a big, but not totally out of character step for her. Good for Cait!

I was not surprised where Caitriona ended up. She was so independent, but she knew society would never let her live the way she wanted so she found a place that would.

Although constrained by the society in which she lived, I think that Cait was a strong woman who always felt that she could overcome these constraints and live a more satisfying life. So she ultimately devised a way to escape her ties, with the Arrols, with Paris and sadly with Emile, to live a happier and more fulfilling life. I was not surprised at all with how her story turned out, but in the end we are left to question as to whether she lived happily ever after with Emile. I guess we can create our own ending.....

No I was very happy that she was able to be with Emile. She loved where she lived. The people loved her and word spread about the type of person she was. Even Emile had no trouble finding her in Africa. She did not have to feel shame for her love of Emile. I felt she could be respected for the work she was doing and could see him when he came to Africa. She was not dependent on Emile and could exist without him.

Yes. Although she faced a truly dreary life if she stayed in England, it seemed a happy ending tacked on. Nothing prior to this prepared the reader for it.

I was not surprised that she went to Africa. What choices did she have? She couldn't get a real job. How would she support herself? She didn't like being a chaperone. She didn't think she had a real future anywhere else. This opportunity presented itself, so she took it, perhaps out of desperation.

I thought the ending was a bit contrived, but I bought into the idea of Caitlin going to Africa to do good work and teach. I liked the fact that she was finally free to be herself and that Emile went looking for her. It freed them both to live for themselves and still create a better world. Happy endings are always a welcome surprise for me.

I was not surprised. She was a strong self sufficient person. She never felt fully comfortable in any of her prior roles. She had limited her choices and gained her freedom by rejecting the proposal.the possibility of a future restored relationship will be the basis of asexual.