The Disturbing Charm

Berta RuckProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 485K words
Chapters: 49

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Disturbing Charm by Berta RuckAuthor: Ruck, Berta, 1878-1978,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 16, 2011

Editor's review

Berta Ruck was a popular British writer of light fiction in the early twentieth century, and The Disturbing Charm continues in her characteristic brisk style, spinning a story around romance and chance with a distinctly period flavor. The book's strength lies in its readability: the plot moves briskly, the dialogue is lively, and it suits readers who want a lighter change of pace from long, serious reading. As a public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg, it preserves the original English text and offers a glimpse of popular fiction and reading tastes of its time. It should be noted that such works are meant for entertainment, with limited depth of thought or social critique, and their plotting bears the marks of an older era; today's readers may feel distant from some of its attitudes. Read as a piece of old popular narrative, however, its light appeal comes through more clearly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy early twentieth-century British popular fiction
Those looking for light English reading material to practice reading
Readers interested in old-fashioned love stories and social manners
Readers who need easy diversion for the commute or bedtime

Not a good fit for

Serious readers seeking deep social critique or literary experimentation
Those hoping for contemporary issues or modern narrative techniques
Readers sensitive to outdated gender attitudes and easily pulled out of the story

Reading tips

Read for entertainment; no need to scrutinize every sentence—just follow the plot.
Slow down in dialogue-heavy passages to catch the period tone and humor.
If the attitudes feel remote, treat the book as a sample of popular taste a century ago.
Read one or two chapters a day to keep the pace light.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this serious literature?

No. It is early twentieth-century popular fiction, carried by romantic entanglements and light plotting. It is highly readable but not especially deep, and is best approached as entertainment.

Is the original English hard to read?

Overall it is not difficult; narrative and dialogue dominate, and while the sentences are old-fashioned, the meaning is clear. Readers with intermediate English can finish it smoothly, and skipping the occasional archaic expression will not hinder understanding.

Why is it said to bear the marks of its era?

The relationships, gender roles, and attitudes toward love are rooted in British society a century ago, and today's readers may find them remote. That is precisely what makes it an interesting specimen of old popular fiction.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material to familiarize you with the rhythm of narrative English and conversational expression. But it is not a textbook; its grammar and vocabulary are period-specific, so it is not recommended as your only learning model.

Comments

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About the author

Berta Ruck Author · British (Welsh) · 1878–1978

Berta Ruck (1878–1978) was a Welsh-born British writer of romantic fiction, born in Murree, British India. She rose to fame in 1914 with His Official Fiancée and went on to write more than ninety novels, chiefly on themes of love and courtship. Her books are characteristically light and humorous in tone, with brisk plots and lively characters; her best-known works include Miss Million's Maid, The Boy with Wings and The Disturbing Charm. In 1909 she married the writer Oliver Onions. She died in Aberdovey, Wales, in 1978. Public information about her is limited, and few details of her writing career are recorded, yet the sheer number of her novels reflects her sustained activity and readership in the field of popular British romantic fiction during the first half of the twentieth century.