About this title: A woman named Sara Monday is imprisoned as a thief, among other events, culminating in her becoming a victim of masculine violence. The novel is part of a trilogy that includes TO BE A PILGRIM and THE HORSE'S MOUTH.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Dell
Date Published: 1941
Description: Good Minus Condition. D153. Writing on cover; tanning; solid reading copy. "The story of a woman who couldn't refuse..." Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 500 grams. Inventory No: 068853. read more
Description: Very Good. Some yellowing to wraps, creased front wrap at bottom corner, spine also creased, text lightly yellowed. Still a tight and sharp copy. Great! Prompt Service-Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Penguin, U.K.
Date Published: 1955
Description: Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Name on cover. Spine slightly cocked. Small tears at spine. Soiling. Solid reading copy with clean pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: NYRB Classics
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780940322172ISBN:094032217X
Description: Good. X-Library with usual markings. Pages tight and clean. All books have issued dustcovers unless otherwise noted. Pictures always available upon request. All books wrapped in bubble wrap and shipped in a cardboard container. read more
Edition: No Edition Stated
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Universal Library, New York
Date Published: 1941
Description: Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Name in pen on first pages, a couple of notes in pencil written on title page. Crease to front wrap. Solid copy with tight binding. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Jupiter Books
Date Published: 1968
Description: Very Good. This is the first volume of what is probably Joyce Cary's major achievement, the trilogy of novels that centre round the fictional artist Gulley Jimson and the persons connected with him, Sara and Wilcher, a trilogy that continues with "To Be a Pilgrim" and "The Horse's Mouth". Good, tight copy. Light tanning to cover and edges. read more
Description: Good. Publishers Overstock. A Good copy with a Remainder Mark and wear to the covers and the extremities. Buy with confidence from an Independent Bookstore where the owners, a husband and wife team, have over 30 years of combined bookselling experience. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Date Published: 1941
Description: Fair. Vintage 1941 hardcover lacking its dustjacket. Book itself is OK shape, has fading, no marks moderate wear to hardboards. MendoPower Employment Services will immediately and carefully pack this book in high-quality bubble lined, envelopes, then send you an email when it ships. We appreciate your business and welcome any questions. read more
"Sarah Monday, the protagonist of Herself Surprised is a wonderful character. She is everyman/woman in her loves, dishonesties and irrationality. Who couldn't relate to her while she does things she doesn't understand herself and hurts people she loves and only wants the best for? There are also beautiful passages where she loves and appreciates her life in the simplest things--her job as a cook with a well stocked kitchen, a beautiful garden. Cary has portrayed a wonderful, true-to-life-in-all-its-complexities woman."
"I expected more depth from this character. I didn't trust the author's voice about the character's motivation for her behavior. I suppose there are women who do things for the reasons Sara does, but I've never known anyone like her. It's part of a triptych - three novels that show the same events from three different perspectives, and perhaps the author just doesn't relate to her from inside her head. I thought I"d read the other two, but I'm not really motivated after this one."
"Joyce Cary continues to be the author whose books give me the most pure pleasure. I find myself grinning a lot and exclaiming things aloud while I read his work. The first time I read this book, I didn't think I liked it very much because it contains the character of Gulley Jimson, so captivating in The Horse's Mouth, but he isn't the focus of Herself Surprised, and I thought I wanted him to be. But around my third or fourth reading of The Horse's Mouth I started to realize that a book from the point-of-view of Sarah Monday ought to be amazing, and indeed it is. Her obsession with pleasure, and her exquisite manner of rationalizing everything she does, juxtaposed against her deep, but always swiftly thrust aside religion, make for an intriguing and very authentic character. I love how she constantly manipulates everyone around her and convinces herself that she didn't know she was doing it at the time. I think it's funny, and very true-to-life, how she is constantly indulging herself in any way she likes while pretending that she has been trying to resist every sensual temptation. And all the while she fears that God will punish her, but she keeps insisting that all her faults are just a result of the way she was made. Joyce Cary knows how to make profound character explorations & personality observations more delightful to read than anything in any more overtly humorous book I've ever read. This is a book I'll be coming back to again, for sure."
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