Evelina: or The History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World (Penguin Classics)

Fanny Burney lived from 1752 - 1840. Evelina was the first book she wrote when she was twenty-five. The first publication had to be published under the name of a man before the publishers would look at it, but it didn't take long for Fanny to claim ownership. The book was wildly successful, even though it didn't' make much money for Fanny. She wrote three more books after this one, but none of these really remains readable today. Evelina stands alone in this regard. The book is another one that is written as a series of letters. Evelina is not your usual heroine. She is bashful and somewhat deficient in charm. But she is beautiful and young, and because of this there is a lot of optimism in the novel that things will turn out alright for her. That is why the book is so enjoyable. The reader sees all the difficulties in her path in her quest for a brilliant marriage, but somehow we know she'll make it and things will be OK. This is quite a readable book, and I enjoyed it.