| Title | : | The Unafraid |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1444664662 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781444664669 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 388 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1913 |
The Unafraid Reviews
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A proto abduction-romance: an American heiress (Miss Delight Warren) attempts to elope with a charming Montenegrin officer (Michael Balsic) after a whirlwind romance, only to be kidnapped by his forbidding older brother (Count Stefan Balsic) in order to keep her money out of the hands of the treacherous and dissipated Lieutenant Michael. But of course the only way to keep her honorably in his household is to marry her…
This has the trademark Eleanor M. Ingram tropes: passionate loyalty expressed as love between a nobleman and his devoted aide de camp (in this case, Danilo Lesendra, who also becomes a genuine friend to Delight, while being tangled in dark machinations set in motion by the evil Michael); fast cars; an American embracing a new life and home in a highly romanticized and feudal “old world”. Unlike others I’ve read, this one has a bittersweet ending rather than a purely happy one.
Would probably have aged better if it were set in “Ruritania” or “Graustark” rather than Montenegro—especially after the 20th century, the pervasive orientalism and sweeping ethnic judgments about different Balkan peoples (especially the stereotypes of greasy and shifty Muslim Bosnians) have particularly unpleasant resonances.
