The Shuttle

Like most people, I grew up on Burnett’s children’s fiction. They were very beloved by me, but I had no idea she had written so much for adults.

I commute by train, and recently downloaded a bunch of her writings to my phone. I have read several novels of hers already, and found them to be okay but unremarkable.

“The Shuttle”, however, much more aggressive, much more cynical, and much more realistic than most of her other work. Economics, emotional abuse, battered women’s syndrome, the ugly side of life and more are discussed fairly openly and with pinpoint accuracy, particularly for the time. The heroine is very interesting, the villain is well articulated, and the story kept me fascinated.

I highly recommend this.

Started reading, then I realized how long it was and judged it not worth it. Got the sense from the few chapters I read The Shuttle was similar in theme to Trollope, Wharton and even some Henry James, yet somewhat more heavy handed in driving it’s theme home.

I have now read three books by Frances Hodgson Burnett and love her style of writing. She is able to capture the reader and keeps the plot moving even while introducing new characters. I'm a fledgling writer and get a lot of hints from her.