The Four Feathers (Hardcover)

The ideals of the novel reflect those of Victorian England: men fight for their Queen and country without hesitation. While Harry's motives are partially justified by the author, he is still presented as a coward. The entire idea of British Imperial glory is actively espoused by the novel. While this is engaging in a historical context, a classic should have universal themes which retain relevancy. Unfortunately, one of the major themes of this book does not.

Finally, the character development is very clichéd. Ethane is the stubborn, independent woman, while Durrance's increased awareness after his blindness is another expected episode. An interesting point about the character development is that important information is conveyed through the actions of each individual. This makes the revelations much more believable, despite the third person narrator.

While the book was an interesting read due to historical value, overall I feel that it falls more into the period piece section than literary classic.

One reason I was fascinated by the book is that it is a cross-cultural experience. The book is now over a hundred years old, so the world-views and values of the characters and the author are significantly different from my own. Certainly I would agree with other reviewers that the Arabian and African characters are nothing but silhouettes, and that colonialism is not necessarily something Westerners should be are proud of. But these things are in line with the worldview of the author and his society. Other contemporaries of Mason may have questioned the values of the day, but he doesn't explicitly oppose them. Even if the reader doesn't agree with the 19th century values, one can still appreciate how the characters each wrestled with their lot in life within the framework of their society.

I also enjoyed many of the author's insightful descriptions. At one point he describes the reason for Ethne's fear and reluctance to play her violin as that she considers it her "indiscreet friend" (p. 191). It will reveal her feelings when she most wants to keep them in. Then there is the simply hilarious description of Captain Willoughby's social skills, or lack there of, on page 241.

Having seen one of the movie versions first, the original story had some surprises for me (pretty hard to squeeze a 400 page book into a two-hour movie). Ethne's character has a lot more depth and fascination than the 1977 movie. And the adventure story line has a few extra twists as well. Also, Feversham as a main character is almost absent more than he is present. The story is his, but it is told as observed and discovered by the other characters.

This story offers adventure combined with a serious romance. If you can go along with the late 19th century perspectives on life, this is a story worth reading.

Still, I think readers will be in for a bit of a disappointment here. Not for the book itself which is a sublime piece of writing, a work typical ot the pathos of the time, but because of the lack of action contained therein. This is a pyschological and emotional work. The main charcters have many inner feelings to deal with. The plot moves slowly at times, building to a gradual crescendo typical of Victorian novels of the day before it resolves itself in rapid sequences.

The film versions convey the general impression of the book, but there are not big clamatic battles of Omdurman or prison breaks which made the Korda movie such a rousing epic. Here Harry Faversham is very much on his own to resolve his fears and inner emotions, as are his friends. Its good to see a book like this revived, but readers who come to it from the movie theater or video are apt to be suprised at what they find here. Lets hope the find the suprise a pleasant and interesting one. I know I did.