Emily Hudson

By: Melissa Jones

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Synopsis: At the start of the American Civil War, Emily, an orphan, is expelled from school because of her "extravagant" friendship with another pupil and her unsettlingly wild nature. Sent to live with her rich, puritanical uncle and his family by the sea in Newport, she longs to be an artist, but her attempts at selfexpression are frowned upon by her estranged family. Her uncle seeks to rid himself of her through a marriage, even though she has no fortune. Despite the formidable restraints of her new life, Emily forms a close alliance with her cousin William. Ailing and ambivalent about his sexuality, William becomes obsessed by Emily's spirit and beauty and uses it as a way of funding his own creativity. He rescues Emily from an uncertain future by inviting her to accompany him to England, where she enrolls as an art student, dependent on his support. Dramatically told in beautiful and tender prose, Emily Hudson is a brilliantly readable novel that will appeal to anybody who has ever sought to be true to themselves but also to find love.