The History of Susan Spray

Fülszöveg

"Susan dreamed a strange dream She had a curious sensation of being
mistress of the world and of the suns, and she seemed to hear herself
saying over and over again triumphantly, 'I am my own — I am my
own'"
Born in 1834, Susan is the eldest daughter of a poor Sussex field labourer,
Adam Spray, and his wife Ruth. Her large family belongs to the Colgate
Brethren, an obscure religious sect which takes Susan to its bosom the
day she declares, at the age of six, that she's seen the Lord. But the Spray
children are soon orphaned; thrown helpless upon the world Susan and
her younger sister, Tamara, find themselves working on a Sussex farm.
Tamara spends her time in dalliance with young men, while for Susan,
destined to become a preacher, the Ten Commandments, the Burning
Bush and Ezekiel's temple are her daily — and nightly—fare. Yet Susan
can sin and fall in love like any mortal : and when she does it is as glorious
as a vision of God and his cherubim, and as consuming... Tovább

Fülszöveg

"Susan dreamed a strange dream She had a curious sensation of being
mistress of the world and of the suns, and she seemed to hear herself
saying over and over again triumphantly, 'I am my own — I am my
own'"
Born in 1834, Susan is the eldest daughter of a poor Sussex field labourer,
Adam Spray, and his wife Ruth. Her large family belongs to the Colgate
Brethren, an obscure religious sect which takes Susan to its bosom the
day she declares, at the age of six, that she's seen the Lord. But the Spray
children are soon orphaned; thrown helpless upon the world Susan and
her younger sister, Tamara, find themselves working on a Sussex farm.
Tamara spends her time in dalliance with young men, while for Susan,
destined to become a preacher, the Ten Commandments, the Burning
Bush and Ezekiel's temple are her daily — and nightly—fare. Yet Susan
can sin and fall in love like any mortal : and when she does it is as glorious
as a vision of God and his cherubim, and as consuming as the fires of hell.
Sheila Kaye-Smith (1887-1955) was born at St Leonard's-on-Sea, Sussex,
and lived nearly all her life in the surrounding countryside. A prolific
novelist, the author of fifty books, she wrote of her beloved county as
Hardy did of Wessex. This splendid, unusual account of the life and
loves of a Sussex labouring girl was first published in 1931.
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The cover shows
"Amaryllis, or the Shepherdess" by William Holman Hunt.
Reproduced by kind permission of Sotheby's Belgravia.
Net in the U.K. only L3.50
Fiction 0 8606 Vissza