Cover of Lady Rosamond's book

Lady Rosamond's book

  • Free to read
  • 5 hours to read
  • 44 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Lady Rosamond's Book; or, Dawnings of Light" by Lucy Ellen Guernsey is a historical novel written in the mid-19th century. The story unfolds during the year 1529, following the life of Lady Rosamond Corbet, a young girl living in a convent, who navigates her identity and aspirations amid religious duties and family expectations. With her family's ties to nobility and her mother's expectations, the narrative hints at themes of duty, family, and possibly the supernatural, as Rosamond contemplates her future and the role she is destined to fill. At the start of the novel, Lady Rosamond, reflecting on her life, introduces herself as a daughter of a knight and recounts her experiences at the convent where she has spent much of her upbringing. She reveals her struggles between personal desires and familial obligations, particularly regarding her impending life as a nun, a decision she grapples with deeply. Themes of religious duty, personal sacrifice, and friendship emerge as she interacts with her fellow nuns, particularly highlighting the differing personalities and beliefs that shape their community life. The initial chapters set the stage for a rich exploration of both the mundane and the profound aspects of life in the 16th century.

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  • Historical fiction
  • Great Britain · History · Henry VIII, 1509-1547
  • Diary fiction
  • Women
  • Convents

Read the opening

Chapter I

I SUPPOSE I had better begin by telling how I came by this book, though that is not the beginning either, but perhaps it will do as well as any other to start from. Dear Mother says I am to write a chronicle of my life, as it seems some ladies of our family have done before me. So here I begin by first putting the date:

Dear Mother Superior was in the library this morning, looking at the work I have been helping Sister Gertrude to finish, of putting the books in order, and writing out a fair list of them. Sister Gertrude cannot write on account of her eyes, and she does not know Latin, and as I do, and can write a fair hand, I was able to help her, which pleased us both well.

[I do shrewdly suspect there was another hindrance more vital than the dear Sister's eyes, but I would not have hinted such a thing for the world. If she did not know writing, she knew many another thing better worth knowing.] *

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Contents

Show all 44 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III: Feast of St. Agnes, April 20
  5. Chapter IV: Feast of St. Catherine, April 29
  6. Chapter V: Eve of St. John, May 5th
  7. Chapter VI: May 15th
  8. Chapter VII: St. John Baptist's Day, June 24
  9. Chapter VIII
  10. Chapter IX: July 14
  11. Chapter X: St. Mary Magdalene, July 21
  12. Chapter XI: August 1
  13. Chapter XII: August 2
  14. Chapter XIII: August 12, Feast of St. Clare
  15. Chapter XIV: August 14
  16. Chapter XV: August 25
  17. Chapter XVI: St. Michael's Eve, Sept. 28
  18. Chapter XVII: October 28
  19. Chapter XVIII: All Saints' Day, Nov. 2
  20. Chapter XIX: Nov. 4
  21. Chapter XX: Nov. 8th
  22. Chapter XXI: Corby End, April 20, 1530
  23. Chapter XXII: April 23
  24. Chapter XXIII
  25. Chapter XXIV: April 25, Sunday
  26. Chapter XXV: April 30
  27. Chapter XXVI: May 12
  28. Chapter XXVII: June 1
  29. Chapter XXVIII
  30. Chapter XXIX: June 20
  31. Chapter XXX: June 30
  32. Chapter XXXI: June 30
  33. Chapter XXXII: July 20, Tremador, in Cornwall
  34. Chapter XXXIII: July 30
  35. Chapter XXXIV: Aug. 3
  36. Chapter XXXV: Aug. 5
  37. Chapter XXXVI: Aug. 18
  38. Chapter XXXVII: Aug. 20
  39. Chapter XXXVIII: Aug. 30 — the day after
  40. Chapter XXXIX: Coombe Ashton, Sept. 10
  41. Chapter XL: Sept. 12
  42. Chapter XLI: St. Ethelburga's Shrine, Sept. 30
  43. Chapter XLII: Tremador, All Saints' Day, Nov. 1
  44. Chapter XLIII: Stanton Court, May 12, 1590

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About this edition

This free edition of Lady Rosamond's book by Lucy Ellen Guernsey comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #72426, released 2023-12-15. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Historical Novels.

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