What is your view of Charlotte? Do you think that she and Bay could be happy together?

What is your view of Charlotte? Do you think that she and Bay could be happy together?

I found Charlotte interesting, strong and very centered. She was likable and kindly and open-minded though surrounded by a lot of people who were quite the opposite. I really admired her determination to pursue her interest in photography and perfect her skills despite what those around her thought. She handled a lot of tense and difficult situations with great dignity. As to her and Bay, I think they have a chance to be happy as he is, in the end, financially secure which allows him to not look like a fortune hunter and his inherent kindness and intelligence as well as hers bode well for them.

I liked Charlotte. She knows who she is and what she is. She understands that a big part of who she is to the outside world centers around her inheritance. She knows it is possible that the reason people, her brother and sister in law, her aunt, etc, want to be with her is her inheritance and what they can get from it. But it doesn't seem to effect her as much as it does others. An example is the jewelry. She doesn't care if her sister in law wears it. And she even hocks it. She has her interest in photography and that means more to her. It is refreshing to see that. It is refreshing to see her follow her own dreams.
Someone in her position could be a tyrant to everyone around her. But she isn't. She tries to get along with everyone but also holds her own ideals and is true to herself.

I like Bay too. He is a victim of circumstance in that he is good looking and he uses it. He is a great horseman and uses it. He has done a lot in his life to be where he is in the army, or whatever they call it in England.
I think they could be happy together. Because they are both genuine people.

I so agree with you both about Charlotte. She was way ahead of most of her female peers. Because of her nature she just might survive marriage to Bay. And she has the strength to overcome fulfilling that day's expectations of the woman's role in society.

But Bay - I believe he will make life miserable for her. My sense is he will find it difficult to be much different than he is, He seems to mean well, but his traits of womanizer and gambler are hard to change. Can he overcome these character traits? How long before his own needs overshadow Charlotts. Will it be a problem living off her wealth - I somehow think he will do just fine, What about Charlotte's own intellectual curiosity and her artistic needs that she meets through photography? Even with society beliefs about her inheritance and the responsibilities that goes along with it, I believe life in America might better satisfy her need to be her own person. And Bay? I'm not at all certain that a handsome horseman will get him quite the notoriety he enjoyed in England. I just don't see a "happiy ever after" ending...

I really enjoyed Charlotte and the evolution of her personality. She was so different than the majority of women during that era. From her choice of hobby to her lack of knowledge and indifference towards fashion, hair trends, and monetary/social gain were all things that endeared her to me. At the end of the book, I was completely convinced that she & Bay would be very happy together. She seemed so different than Bay's other women, which lead me to believe she would always be able to hold his attention and keep him guessing. But I'm a hopeless romantic and was rooting for Charlotte to find true love & happiness from the beginning.

According to the author's notes, Charlotte was almost entirely a creation drawn from her fertile imagination. The real Bay Middleton did marry a woman named Charlotte but little is known about her. I thought she was the strongest, most likeable character in the novel. Forthright and ever more confident, she was not a great beauty but had her own interests, the courage of her convictions and was self-determined. Born to wealth but still dependent on her brother's approval for financial and marital decisions, she learned to manipulate him and his new bride to her own advantage. I like Charlotte best of all and was heartened to see her triumph. Definitely a worthy heroine.

Yes, by the novel's end, it was clear Bay had learned to appreciate Charlotte's resolve and would support her desire to travel and become a polished photographer. They seemed well suited and had emerged from his expected fling with Sisi. Charlotte would not bend to his will but was very much her own woman.

I found Charlotte admirable morally, surprisingly strong willed given the era and quite witty. I so want Charlotte and Bay to be happy together but I'm old enough to know one doesn't change a man easily if at all. It seemed Bay had enough of fooling around with other women and he certainly didn't want to be 'owned' by Sisi. In a way though he would still be owned by Charlotte's money. Bay reminded me of Rhett Butler.

I really liked Charlotte. She was her own person. She didn't seem to be affected by her wealth. Outward appearances meant little to her. She was able to speak her mind in an era in which it would have been difficult to do so.
I don't know if she and Bay will find lasting happiness. I hope so. I liked them both. If not, I feel like Charlotte will make it on her own. She is a strong woman, pursuing her dreams.