Christine McParland Rossi
St. Thomas More Writing Group
Not many novels blend lighthearted romance and philosophical themes, but readers will find both in The Awakening of Miss Prim. What on the surface appears to be the age-old tale of a man and a woman becomes a deeper exploration of beauty and truth. As Miss Prim discovers, how we approach and respond to these transcendentals ultimately shapes who we become.
The Awakening of Miss Prim tells the story of Prudencia Prim, a young woman who, in search of a refuge from modern society, takes a job as a personal librarian in the small European village of San Ireneo de Arnois. As Miss Prim gets to know her employer and the other villagers, she encounters a way of life that draws her in with its simplicity and beauty. The underlying philosophy of this community, however, both perplexes her and piques her curiosity—especially when it manifests in conversations with her employer. As Miss Prim realizes she’s attracted to more than a way of life, she begins to reconsider her own rigid convictions about the world.
When readers first meet Miss Prim, they learn of her multiple degrees, refined taste, and fixation on beauty and excellence. She’s a perfectionist who lives by an almost obsessive adherence to her personal views and values, looking down on those who fall short of her impossibly high standards. While her character is described almost to the point of caricature, it serves to heighten the contrast with the person Miss Prim gradually becomes throughout the book.
To the degree Miss Prim’s character is exaggerated in a negative direction, the community of San Ireneo is in a positive one. The reader may be as surprised as Miss Prim is to discover the countercultural lifestyle of this unusual community: where parents ensure their children are educated in the ancient Greek trivium; where goods are produced locally and residents own small businesses, setting their working hours according to their family’s needs; where books are abundant and computers and cell phones are nonexistent; where common conversation topics revolve around philosophy and literature; and where every visit with friends and neighbors is accompanied by handmade sweets or a home-cooked meal (and a pot of hot chocolate or glass of fine wine, of course).
Readers who wish for a simpler and more intentional lifestyle—especially one that values good books, good food, and good company—will likely find this setting delightful. Yet others may struggle to relate to the idyllic utopia of San Ireneo. But readers may think twice before categorizing this book as a fluffy, feel-good novel when they encounter thought-provoking lines like the advice of the village matriarch to Miss Prim: “Unless you allow the beauty you seek to hurt you, to break you and knock you down, you’ll never find it.” Or the mysterious insight from an old monk who shares with Miss Prim that “marriage is never about two, but about three.”
As this unusual community and its interesting residents influence Miss Prim, her “awakening” slowly and organically takes shape. However, one aspect of her growth lacks the same development, and it’s vital to the romantic subplot. At the beginning of the story, Miss Prim is dead set against marriage, considering it an outdated and unnecessary institution. She is thus appalled and outraged when the women of the village, including some of her new friends, conspire to find her a husband. A few chapters later, Miss Prim is suddenly open to the idea, without any explanation for this drastic change of heart. Yet this plot hole is forgivable for the reader who’s eager for the romance to unfold or who disagrees with Miss Prim’s marital opinions in the first place.
The romantic element is introduced subtly as Miss Prim gets better acquainted with her employer, whom we only know as the Man in the Wing Chair (named so because he was sitting in one when Miss Prim met him). This absence of a proper name lends itself to the mystery of his character. The story doesn’t reveal a lot about him except that he’s the guardian of his orphaned nieces and nephews, he tutors the village’s children in Latin, and he’s had an experience that has profoundly changed him and led him to be a part of the San Ireneo community. He’s also extremely intelligent, which the reader witnesses in the intellectual sparring matches between him and Miss Prim. These conversations intrigue and perturb her, as his perspective often challenges her own tightly held worldview.
Despite their ardent disagreements and conflicting convictions, Miss Prim discovers she’s developed feelings for her employer. Yet this romantic subplot maintains a secondary place in the story, serving as one of the main instigators for Miss Prim’s awakening. Whether or not her future can include the Man in the Wing Chair or staying in San Ireneo, her time there has begun a journey, and she will follow to see where it ends.I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy light, clean romance, especially novels that go beyond romance to probe its roots in the transcendentals. The Awakening of Miss Prim will resonate with anyone who longs for the good, the true, and the beautiful to be the heartbeat of a fuller life and better world.