The House of Bondage by Reginald Wright Kauffman

[Winnifred]

A fellow-Librivoxer suggested I consider recording this novel after I'd recorded a non-fiction piece that referred to it.

I've now read the novel and feel that I couldn't really do it justice. There's a lot of speech and too many varied accents for me to feel comfortable tackling it. Plus, it's 469 pages -- a lot longer than anything I've completed so far, and I have three other solos on the go right now.

The novel is about prostitution and it's a grim story about a woman's downfall (she's only 16 when she's forced into the life). Kauffman pulls no punches in his description of her tragic life. I think it's a valuable work; it's just not for me. If anyone's interested to tackle this as a solo, here's the information I've gathered:

The House of Bondage (1910)
By Reginald Wright Kauffman (1877-1959)

https://archive.org/details/housebondage02kaufgoog/page/n12/mode/1up
and
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924074502026&view=1up&seq=1

No Wikipedia page for the author but there is a Wikisource page at: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Reginald_Wright_Kauffman.

30 chapters plus Dedication and Caveat Emptor
Chapter 0. Dedication and Caveat Emptor
Chapter I. "As If the Spring Were All Your Own” 1
Chapter II. A Deed of Trust 10
Chapter III. The Specter of Fear 28
Chapter IV. Awakening 50
Chapter V. The Birds of Prey 61
Chapter VI. An Angel Unawares 71
Chapter VII. Holiday 84
Chapter VIII. Mr. Wesley Dyker 98
Chapter IX. The Court of a Merchant-Prince 107
Chapter X. Another Sphere 123
Chapter XI. Under the Lash 138
Chapter XII. On Strike 151
Chapter XIII. Jail-Delivery 171
Chapter XIV. Rivington Street 192
Chapter XV. Impartial Justice 213
Chapter XVI. Sanctuary 232
Chapter XVII. "A Net by the Wayside” 247
Chapter XVIII. In Service 264
Chapter XIX. "Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum" 284
Chapter XX. The Sanctity of the Home 292
Chapter XXI. An Ancient Problem 304
Chapter XXII. The Serpents' Den 323
Chapter XXIII. Katie's Day 342
Chapter XXIV. Marian's Way 355
Chapter XXV. Daughters of Ishmael 371
Chapter XXVI. "The Least of These" 386
Chapter XXVII. Judgment 404
Chapter XXVIII. Husks of the Swine 414
Chapter XXIX. The Doors of the Shadow 437
Chapter XXX. Her Father’s House 452

Cheers,