From the introduction:
"Virtually all we know today of Rebecca Rush is summarized in Samuel Austin Allibone's 'Critical Dictionary of English Literature and British and American authors' (1897):
Rush, Miss Rebecca, a daughter of Judge Jacob Rush... Was the author of 'Kilroy, a novel, by a Lady of Philadelphia,' 1812, 12 mo. Purchased by Bradford and Inskeep for $100." P. xi

A lousy 100 bucks for a seriously decent novel! Poor Rebecca.

Rush writes a story about an avaricious mother who, when her husband died leaving her and her two daughters practically penniless, goes after rich husbands for her daughters, with a vengeance. An author accomplished at character-drawing, some are comical while others are decidedly vile, especially the mother. When trying to get out of repaying her son-in-law the$900 he had lent her, she commences theatrics:
"The tears trickled from her eyes as she spoke, and she Drew out her handkerchief and wiped them away. Walsingham felt bad for an instant, but suspicion of her unworthiness checked his sensibility - 'What a Proteus,' thought he 'is this woman!-- last night she was all gaiety and animation! --this morning, the emblem of despondency-- next, raving like a fury! - then immovable as marble:--and now, she is weeping like a fountain to disarm me and my purpose!' p.88

Having successfully married her older daughter to a rich English Noble, she is enraged when her younger daughter and an impoverished young poet fall in love. Determined to thwart their marriage plans, she resorts to the lowest forgery and lies to convince her that he had thrown her over for someone else. She succeeded only too well, destroying these young peoples' lives. Ah, but the universe has plans for paying her and her forger-pal back:
"Happy at the full attainment of her wishes, Mrs. Hammond had now not a Care on Earth, beyond the preservation of her health, and the choice of her visits; and triumphing and having secured to her daughter the position of all which she considered desirable, had promised to herself a long succession of joyous years; when in the midst of the festivities which succeeded the wedding, she received a stroke of apoplexy which deprived her of her speech, and the use of her right side." P. 182

After her death, her daughter, while looking for financial papers her mother left behind, finds out her treachery. This literally kills her, and on her death bed, she entrusts the packet of letters to her best friend, telling her to give them to her lover after her death. This her friend does. Kelroy wants Helen (the best friend) to tell him who aided Emily's mother in the forgery of the letters. Do you know who is responsible for this, he asks her? Yes, replies Helen.
" 'Then why hesitate to do so?' said Kelroy. 'Fear not that any resentment of mine will cause you to repent your confidence; for rest assured I have no wish by entering into a useless contest with cowardice, and villainy, too exposed to light secrets on which the grave has placed its seal.' 'Since these are your sentiments,' replied Helen, 'You may be trusted, for Providence has Avenged you already.-- it was Marny - who by the bursting of a gun has not only lost his sight, but had his right hand so dreadfully shattered, that it was found necessary to be amputated.' " P.193 ( )

Anyone who enjoys reading books from centuries past, but is often put off by the number of pages, will find "Kelroy" to be a welcome exception, as it's less than 200 pages, but what pages they are! Rebecca Rush managed to pack so much story into so little space, and with so much depth of character, too. You get to know everyone so well, and you don't need hundreds of pages in which to do so. Not to mention, no wasted time reading page after page of unnecessary description. I, for one, couldn't care less about the flowers in the garden, the style of the furniture, the color of the drapery, etc., and can never picture things in my mind the way they're described anyhow, I see things from my own point of vision. Ms. Rush doesn't take up space with all this.

What she does instead, is to tell a story that will capture your attention from the start. I think of her as an American Jane Austen, but with a bit more knowledge of psychology. (More's the pity this was her one and only novel, unless there's an undiscovered one somewhere, I hope.) All the characters would make a great study in a Psych class on what motivates human behavior, especially the fascinating Mrs. Hammond, who can be termed the villain in the novel, or more accurately, someone you'll just love to hate, and yet can't help but admire.

The setting is Philadelphia in the early 19thc (the book was written in 1812, right before the start of the war), and the plot revolves around a familiar obstacle - love vs. money - yet goes further, as it becomes a study in human nature, and how unattractive it can be. That's not to say there's no classic hero and heroine, because the main focus is on both: Edward Kelroy, the handsome poetic genius who, for the time being, is without any money, and Emily Hammond, the sweet, lovely daughter whom Mrs. Hammond uses as a pawn in her game.

Some other characters of merit are Helen Cathcart, Emily's closest friend who's level headed and gives the best advice, and her brother Charles, an independent thinker who makes up his own mind without following the crowd, as well as their warm hearted, well meaning (and a bit silly) mother, whom Mrs. Hammond finds very convenient at times. There's also Walsingham, the wealthy Englishman who marries Emily's older sister, Lucy, and the villainous Marney, who gained wealth and social status, but lost any moral scruples he may have had.

Let's not forget Dr. Blake, Helen's very persistent (and very unwelcome) suitor, a comical character who has some of the best lines in the book, and Dunlevy, the nice guy heir to his uncle's fortune, who adores Emily, but has to be content with only her friendship. There's also "Old Henry", the family butler, who gives Emily's romance with Kelroy a helping hand.

The novel tells it like it was when it comes to aristocratic society, that so many want to be a part of, and where so few are welcome. Money and social status are everything, and if you have one without the other you may get by, but it won't be easy, and if you have neither, don't even think about it!

And so it wasn't easy for Mrs. Hammond, when her husband passed away and she discovered he had spent much more than he earned and left her a lot less than she expected. How she contrives to keep up her former wealthy facade is what motivates the story, as everything that occurs has its roots in this.

Even more so, when it comes to two characters who were never even there, except in spirit (pun intended). Mr. Hammond is already dead when the novel begins, and likewise for Kelroy's father, who, like Emily's, made some foolish decisions (in his case, real estate investments) that put his family in financial straits. Without these two invisible men, there'd be no story.

Mrs. Hammond's efforts to keep up appearances have plunged her deeper in debt, and she decides her best means of acquiring the actual wealth to make the fantasy real is to marry her daughters off to wealthy men. In preparing them for this, she gives them quite a talk, which includes a tale of maternal love, self sacrifice, wishes for their happiness, and how money is the key to that happiness, and only fools fall for anyone without it. The book's worth reading just for this scene alone.

Her daughter Lucy is her carbon copy, and excepts her mother's philosophy without a doubt, and soon lands herself a prize, though with a bit of subterfuge on her part. Emily, on the other hand, is a kind soul with a warm nature, a complete contrast to her cold, selfish sister. She knows instinctively that her mother's way of thinking is not what it should be, and part of the conflict in the novel stems from her wish to please her mother, yet do what she knows in her heart is right.

This book can be termed a romance with a dark side, as there's more to it than love vs. money. Kelroy is obviously not the man Mrs. Hammond wants for Emily, but it becomes more than just a lack of wealth. Unlike others, Kelroy soon sees through her facade, and knows how fragile it is, which causes her dislike of him to turn to an obsessive hatred. She'll do whatever's necessary to keep him away from her daughter.

So much was packed into so few pages, that I don't want to risk saying too much and giving anything away, but I do want to mention some scenes, that emphasize Ms. Rush's talent. She has a flair for comedy, like when a visit is paid to the Gurnet family, who became wealthy, but had no class or education to back it up. Their attempts to impress couldn't backfire more.

Neither could some of Mrs. Hammond's attempts to put off her creditors, assuming they'll wait patiently for her to pay them. No such luck. Not to mention her scheme to keep Kelroy and Emily apart before they can declare their feelings for each other.

Nothing beats the conversation/confrontation between Mrs. Hammond and Walsingham, the son-in-law she thought she could wrap around her finger, unless it's when he realizes that his beloved wife Lucy is not all she pretended to be.

I don't think there's one dull scene in the book, and it won't take long to read, and that's not just because it's so short. It's a book you won't regret reading, or forget reading. So start reading!













( )

Kelroy was published in 1812 by an American woman author whom we know very little about. Set in the upper echelons of Philadelphia society, it's the story of a beautiful, calculating widow who, having been left somewhat impoverished by the death of her debt-ridden, rich husband, takes the view that her two beautiful daughters will be her retirement plan, so to speak. She decides to invest what fortune she has left in her daughters and marry them off to wealthy young men all while carrying on the ruse that she is still a very wealthy woman and her daughters have an inheritance. Talk about controlling! Still, she's more than a two-dimensional villain. The daughters are very different, the eldest is more like her mother, the younger sweeter. Kelroy is not the best title for the book, imo; it would be like naming Pride & Prejudice "Darcy" - Kelroy is the name of the charming, moody and penniless poet that the younger daughter falls in love with. It's fascinating to compare upper class American society with that of England of the same time through the pictures we have of it in literature. Rush's prose can be a bit pretentious and she doesn't have the wit of Austen, of course, but still I found the book compelling and the ending somewhat unexpected. ( )