Problems with Reviews

As Tara already mentioned, there were some reviewers who seemed to have misunderstood the characters in this novel.  Two of the reviews seemed to merely nitpick at the way Opie chose to phrase some things and others missed the point entirely.  The second review seemed to have misunderstood some aspects of the novel, especially in naming Glenmurray as the hero in the novel rather than Adeline.

The review that appeared most trustworthy, was the one from European Magazine, though I attribute this to the fact that this review is largely summary with a couple sentences remarking on the quality of the novel.  My only problem was the reviewer's summary of Mrs. Woodville, in which the reviewer claims that without her instruction Adeline's mind would have remained "without improvement and without knowledge" (300).  I disagree with this assumption.  It was not until after Mrs. Woodville's death that Adeline was able to pursue her own interests.  Adeline appeared to be eager to learn anything and would have attempted to do so without Mrs. Woodville's interference.  Adeline would have remained uneducated in "housewifery" and the other domestic knowledge that Mrs. Woodville supplied her with, but Adeline seemed to love to learn and would not have been completely "without knowledge."  It was important, however, for Adeline to receive such an education from Mrs. Woodville to illustrate to readers how an education can be practically applied in contrast to Mrs. Mowbray knowledge.