Book Report 1
The Man from St. Petersburg
Student Name
Class Name
January 18, 2013
In the compelling novel The Man from St. Petersburg the author brilliantly creates a world full of illusions in which nothing is as it seems. Each character is decorated with intriguing secrets and captivating internal conflicts. The perceived perfection of high society life is broken through the fascinating plot full of Jekyll and Hyde characters. Through the progression of plot, readers learn that social class does not exempt individuals from an ugly life full of drama and conflict.
As the story unfolds, readers learn early on that no matter how the plot ends someone’s heart will break, someone will betray someone else, and someone will ultimate die in a bloody mess. In a seemingly fancy world where people bow and curtsey, servants call masters “My Lord” and “M’lady”, eighteen year old girls haven’t the slightest clue as to how babies are made and where they come out of, and husbands and wives do not share the same bedroom, it is difficult to fathom deceit, secrets, lies, infidelity, and murder as a part of that majestic realm. However, the deep seeded theme of high society is not as perfect as it might seem.
Lydia Walden is perhaps the most complex character of the bunch. With a closet full of secrets the woman leads a total life of fraud and deception. On the surface Lydia appears to be a composed, beautiful and delicate creature. Under the mask however, Lady Lydia Walden is a mess of emotions torn between a love from long ago and her devotion and loyalty to her family. The woman raises her daughter, Charlotte, in a false reality of naïve innocence in every attempt to deter her from becoming the lustful Jezebel she had once been. She takes opium meant to ward off headaches and edgy nerves but instead overindulges with large gulps of the drug. But even more surprising is the fact that she carries the pain and secrecy of her lost love affair through a...