Jassy

by Norah Lofts

She was the daughter of a preacher and a gypsy. A strange and elusive child with powers of prophecy, she grew into an even stranger woman. From those around her she inspired love and admiration or furious hatred. Nothing in between. And somehow Jassy could transform even those who loved her into her enemies. Barney Hatton, the disposessed heir of Mortiboys, loved her but not enough. Lindy, a servant girl who worked there, loved her too much. Elizabeth Twysdale, who taught Jassy her lessons, hated her more with every passing day. And because of the people around her, the people who loved or loathed her, Jassy's life was destined to be one of passion and anguish.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Gothic, Historical, Fantasy, Historical Romance, Audiobook

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Norah Ethel Robinson Lofts Jorisch (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.

Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts.

Reviews

[``Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jassy is one of the best Norah Lofts novels I've yet to read so if you're in the mood for a really good gothic I think you'll like it too.

To me, Jassy was the female version of Heathcliff - her mother being a gypsy - and it was never a good idea to mess with Heathcliff!

As Jassy is buffeted by life's travails she leaves a long trail of tears and heartbreak behind her.

Is this her fault or not?

Jassy has a mean streak that will brook no insult as she ruthlessly and easily destroys those that stand in her way of achieving happiness.

This should be a great book to read during the cold winter months.

I'm glad to see that Norah Lofts books are being reprinted for a new generation of readers. Like Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff, I think Jassy will be remembered for many, many years

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ending came up and smacked me in the face. Describing this in any aspect as a romance or related genre is similar to classifying Julius Caesar as the old balding guy who got stabbed but had something to do with some former governmental group in Italy. It's NOT a romance. It's also not bewitching as in the T.V. program of decades ago. Two words used to describe this are not.

The last narrator of Section 4 is a mute disabled servant. And she is the closest to understanding the core of the 5 or 6 main characters interactions that came before her.

All timing and progression is in chronological order and there are 4 narrators. None of which are Jassy.

This story seats in the English culture and countryside as much as it seats itself in the past female role and expectations to manipulate. It is a stunning psychological study but even more than that a societal fabric of belief and custom supreme.

How could Dickens have become so glorified and Norah Lofts been trampled by the feet of oblivion.

This is why I am a Anglophile. My copy was from 1945, is yellow- the binding is cracked so badly that 3 pages in the middle and 3 in the front are loose. I'm going to have my home library decree this is fixed and never weeded. There are only two in the entire 4 state system.

If there are any other Norah Lofts I have not read out there, I will find them.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously, what did I just read?

Would I want Jassy as a friend? No. Actually, would I want any of the characters to be my friends? No.

This gothic-like mixture of horror, light romance and extremely odd characters was first published in 1944. The content was divided into 4 parts, and the reader was given different perspectives of Jassy:

1) Genesis in Exile
2) Complaint from Lesbia
3) Neurosis in Arcady
4) Lunatic Eclipse

I couldn't help but imagine WWII broiling outside Mrs. Lofts' house as she wrote this book. She was 40 years old and within a few years her first husband, Geoffrey Lofts, would pass away. Was he ill for a long time? Was Mrs. Lofts supporting the family with her writing? Together, they had one son, Clive, and one year after Geoffrey died, she'd marry another man. I mention all of this because I found Jassy to be very strange and I wondered how much all of this affected the plot.

Lastly, I discovered the story was made into a film in 1947 as 'Jassy' starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price.

[Chio Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was Amazing!!!! I never thought it could be possible to hate and love almost all the characters in a story. "Jassy" is narrated by the most important characters who get to know the heroine in their own way. "They either hate her or love her" (I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HEAR THE STORY FROM JASSY'S PERSPECTIVE THOUGH).

This plot has everything; love, friendship, jealousy, etc.... I couldn't put it down, not even to see what time it was! This book is all about learning the ups and downs of human nature. How a person can sacrifice herself so much for others but still received only hatred and mistreatment in return. There are some factors such as poverty and marriage that made this book even more interesting for me to read.

All I have to say left is that I thought the ending was one of the saddest endings I have ever read, but at the same time it was memorable and thought-provoking. I can't say it enough, this author manages to bring up the good and bad sides of the characters without making you detest them or totally love them.

Este fue un gran libro lleno de personajes inolvidables que siempre viviran en mi memoria. Me pude conectar con la historia desde que empece a leer el libro y me hizo recordar mis propias virtudes y defectos. Aparte, la autora lidio con factores muy comunes que existen en el planeta como pobreza, trabajo y matrimonio. Los personajes eran tridimensionales y siempre despues de cambiar de pagina me sorprendian con un lado nuevo de su personalidad.

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having picked up several disappointing/frustrating books recently.... finally! a novel with interesting characters and a well-told story :).

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to period pieces and historical fiction, Norah Lofts is as good as anyone. Jassy's story is told in 3 volumes, each by a different person, and links the periods in her life together. Loft's wonderful writing style, great plot and character development., and very descriptive imagery gives Jassy the feel of reading Bronte or Thomas Hardy.

[Veronlca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read

You can depend on it. Nora Lofts wrote so many good books. She doesn't,like many novelists, provide a happy ending and tie everything up with a pretty pink ribbon. Her characters have flaws and are therefore realistic. I read Jassy years ago and found it just as enjoyable the second time. Enjoy

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saturday Review called this book "spellbinding" when it was published in 1944; it is still spellbinding. Lofts' characters are so real that I felt I knew these people.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is well-crafted. Lofts uses a unique device telling the life story of the title character from the first person POV of those who who interact with Jassy, but never from Jassy's POV. I highly recommend this book.

What I like so well about Lofts's style is how the reader is immersed in the time and place in the first page and the story moves right along clippety-clop so that by the time you reach the last page you feel almost breathless.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of my favorite authors. It never fails -- when I pick up one of her dusty old books in a used book store, I know I'm going to be up until 3am many nights in a row. Her characterization and ability to capture a time in history is exquisite.

[Shoujo85 · Rating 1 out of 5]

** This is a QUICK REVIEW of my thoughts on the book **

I thought Jassy was supposed to be very good book so I borrowed it from the library. It turned out to be a lot older than I had thought it was and the language was the more formal and ponderous kind you find in old books. But it was the tone that really didn't sit well with me. I started to suspect from fairly early on that things might not turn out idyllically and after reading 37 pages I decided to jump forward to a few different spots and see if it was worth the trouble of reading the whole thing. It didn't seem to be so I relegated it to the ‘back to the library’ pile. The main trouble is I think it’s supposed to be one of those ‘literary fiction’ books which are generally very introspective and depressing, and usually don’t have happy endings. In other words, the complete opposite of what I like to read!

Is there a Happy Ending? I skipped to the end, and although I wasn’t sure of what had happened up until that point, or in fact, who the characters I was reading about were, I don’t classify a book where two women end up getting hanged as having a happy ending.

Content Rating: Mature themes PG/M

I didn’t read it all the way through but I think there are some mature themes and a general air of depression which makes this book highly unsuitable for children and probably completely uninteresting to teenagers. There is talk of witches, madness, drunkards, adultery, etc. Not my cup of tea at all.

Romance Rating: Unsure

I started this book under the misapprehension it would be about the main character, Jassy, and no doubt involve a romance of some kind. The story is divided up into four ‘books’ each told by a different character, none of whom is Jassy herself, as far as I could work out. I only got part-way through the first book (told by a boy in the village who describes her as being both ugly and beautiful) and it seemed increasing unlikely that a romance element would emerge anytime soon. I skimmed through the rest of the book randomly and didn’t come across anything else promising so I decided not to finish it.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have probably read Jassy 7 or 8 times and own two copies of it. This last time I especially enjoyed reading about Dilys feelings for Barney Hatton which struck me as funny! The first time I read it I felt very sorry for Barney but this time I remembered that he is really only in love with Mortiboys. Its strange how feelings change over many readings of a book.

[Wynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jassy is one of my favorites and this thread and characters continue over several books.

[BLRBrazil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a superbly written book that takes the unusual approach of portraying the title character through the eyes of people who were affected by her. That is actually highly relevant to modern life, as we are exposed to impressions about so many public figures yet rarely ever get to know them personally, but only through the revelations of others (many of whom only know the person superficially, if at all, themselves).
Nevertheless, in Jassy's case one learns to 'read between the lines' of the stories we are given, which are at least as revealing about the natures of the people telling her story. It is not a book to browse through or sample, as the portrait is built up gradually and one only gets the full picture near the end. I have chopped and changed this review in an effort to do justice to the book while avoiding spoilers - a very challenging task!
It is a very moving story of an intelligent and spirited girl who manages to overcome much of the adversity of her humble birth, but in doing so generates envy and enmity in other, less worthy individuals. At the end, the reader may become frustrated by the apparent passivity of an individual who has shown such spirit, determination and initiative throughout her life. Has she finally been beaten, or has she acquired the deep wisdom that comes with understanding?
Whatever your conclusion, she certainly made her mark and the fact that a book can inspire such strong feelings in its reader is surely a testament to the quality of the writing.

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gift via Amazon from friend Alice in Colorado. It's one of her favorite books. This edition is a good-shape original hardbound from 1945. No dust cover ... I read a couple of pages last night to get the "feel" of things and liked what I read. Ms. Lofts' style sounds like a combo of caustic Dawn Powell and chatty Chas. Dickens. Should be fun.

I only read 20 more pages last night, but there's plenty going on. It's all about the characters and plot. Not that much physical description of the town and countryside. Ms. Lofts is skillfully spinning an intriguing tale.

- Connections to "Wuthering Heights"(the gambling debts and loss of house) and ... I forget. I'm also thinking of "Reading Turgenev"(Willam Trevor).

I gotta say one thing: this story is one very well-crafted and enjoyable soap opera. Props to Ms. Lofts.

And so to the end of this well-crafted but depressing tale. What's it all about? Mismatched love? Perhaps. How hard fate can be. It causes Jassy to miscalculate in a VERY drastic way and costs her dearly. BTW, the British late-1940's film version drastically alters the plot(natch) and for the most part takes away the dreary conclusion.

More connections: "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" and Vanity Fair"

- 3.75* rounds up to 4*.

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most twisted books I've ever read. Told in sections from the POV of four different people throughout Jassy's life--but none of them her and all with a bent of their own. Dark, Gothic ending, but I won't say more than that.

[Spitz]

late 18th century, gypsy girl.

[Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each chapter of the novel recounts an experience with Jassy from the perspective of 4 people. The depth of the psychological character study is astounding. From one perspective we see one who grows from poverty and yearns for what he cannot have. From another we see a futile one sided love that gets twisted into angry jealousy resulting in an ugly rejection of the sapphic interest. And from another, is a girl raised with privilege in wealth and appearance. She is not raised with love but neglect and abuse, and thus yearns for identity and love. Yet because of her own snobbishness, she creates her own dissatisfaction with life.

And then, when I had cried myself into an empty hollow shell, a thought struck me. Was my trouble merely that I wanted to be loved? Not that I myself loved too easily or too well? It was feasible. Nobody had loved me yet. Mother hadn’t, or she would not have left me behind. Father didn’t, or he would have gained some comfort from my presence. Charles hadn’t, that was plain. And so, aware of a great lack in my life, I ran round seeking love, like a hungry puppy seeking for food and, like a puppy, courting rebuffs and disappointments.

Finally, the last account is told in heartbreaking simplicity, from the perspective of a mute, who understands in her own way, but cannot communicate through to others. Her utter devotion to Jassy is a parallel to Jassy’s own devotions and sacrifices.

A major theme that appears is the consequences of actions, or perhaps more specifically, the results of acting upon desires. Both good and bad actions, are taken down swiftly in this cruel world of Lofts’s creation, yet it is written down in a sense accurate to the understandings of the time (I’m guessing it takes place sometime in the 1800s?) What’s left from this is a sense of blunt shock, much like the quieting nature of real life flavored with strong emotional writing. Lofts doesn’t stay focused on just one specific demographic (aka the rich) but takes from a variety of unlikely perspectives.

‘Thank you,’ she said calmly. ‘Yes, you liked him. Many people didn’t. The rich men hated him because he tried to make them see reason and the poor men hated him because he tried to make them see sense. And between them he’s dead now. That’s what you get for being good .’ The faintest trace of wildness crept into her eyes and her voice. She let go of the chair back. ‘For being good,’ she repeated. ‘You’d better mark that, Barney. Because you could be good too. I can see it in you sometimes. But now you know. Don’t let being good make a mess of your life, like he did.’ The little wild flash faded and her face went calm again.

And Jassy herself is an intriguing figure that kept me turning the pages, leaving me fascinated at the depths of her character as each chapter revealed a different dimension to her person. One viewed her as a friend, or perhaps in a little sister sort of manner, revealing the childish aspects of Jassy’s nature, but also the mature elements that she had to become to compensate for her mother’s identity and her father’s reputation. Another viewed her with irrational and consuming hatred, and described her as one with a burning and dangerous temper hidden under a cold impeccable mask of self control. The third treated her as a disposable friend really, first seeing her as a beneficial ally due to her rationality against sticky situations. Later on, the third is aptly presented with the cold cut line of Jassy’s trust in others. And the fourth... sigh the fourth recounted the vulnerability of her character, and furthermore, the lengths to which she is devoted to her loved ones. The title of this book really can be none other than Jassy. Sigh. Now excuse me while I go on pondering about the lingering sadness this book left me with.

[Stephanie Sanders-Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the rather angsty tale of a stormy young lady who inspires intense emotion in everyone she meets. Is she bad? Is she good? Who’s to say! She’s Jassy! I would call this a gothic romance (with only a smidge of romance). I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t what the marketing lead me to believe. There was no real overarching message or theme that I could decipher, but it was entertaining.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. I loved Jassy and found her fascinating. I also enjoyed only seeing her through the people around her. A great gothic story. Truly one of my favorites now. I will definitely seek out more Norah Lofts.

[Deb White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Jassy Woodroffie, written from 4 perspectives: Barney, the boy who lost his ancestral home Mortiboy's; Elizabeth Twysdate who ran a school for young ladies; Dilys Helmar, a girl from the school which her father owns; and Lindy, a mute servant at Mortiboy's.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a silly little period piece, but ultimately enjoyable.

[Jessica]

recommended by Alice.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars Very interesting being told the story from the other characters' perspective and not the main character.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Jassy” is an addictive story and the best novel I’ve ever read. The way the author has constructed the plot and developed the characters is borderline genius.

Four different narrators tell the tale, none of whom are Jassy. This leaves her with a kind of aura, and it works. Some characters like her, some don’t, while others fit somewhere in between.

I like her a lot, right from her first scene, which is described by Narrator One, namely Barney. Jassy and her parents move in next door to him. He’s nearing his fourteenth birthday at the time. Jassy, as we later learn, is eleven, but Barney thinks she’s about six because of her smallness.

It’s a simple scene but incredibly vivid. They’re carrying their furniture across the lawn to the house. Except for the mother, that is. She doesn’t help at all. She’s some sort of gypsy, which is the only excuse given for her standing by idle while her husband and daughter do all the carrying.

The father, as we later learn, is completely opposite to the mother. He’s an activist, ready to stand for a good cause and help those in need, plus he’s religious.

Going back to the aforementioned scene, we have little Jassy doing most of the work without complaint. Although Barney describes her as ugly, owing to a bulging forehead and oversized mouth, she nevertheless comes across as endearing.

The main reason I’m giving this simple scene so much attention is because it’s stayed with me like a memory. It’s as though I’ve seen it myself, not second-hand. Several other scenes have done likewise.

Moving on, we learn Barney’s greatest ambition is to one day reclaim a house called Mortiboys, which was in his family for many generations, only for his father to lose it at cards. They were forced to move into a farm, from which Barney can see Mortiboys and often stares at it, dreaming it’ll one day be his.

At times, Barney comes across as selfish, but more than once he proves himself to have a good heart. He also sounds like a typical teenager. He hates his father for losing Mortiboys but he loves his mother.

His father, incidentally, is an amusing character. He never speaks clearly, so his dialogue features a mix of coherent language and the repeated word “mumble”. You get the gist of what he’s saying, but it’s a lovely comic touch every time certain words are replaced with “mumble, mumble”.

One of my favourite scenes is when Barney first meets Jassy. I won’t go into detail, but he helps her out of a scrape, winning her devotion. She hasn’t made any friends because the village children know her mother is a gypsy, which makes them suspicious of Jassy. From a writing standpoint, this is a clever way of making the reader sympathise with the title character.

A few more quality scenes with Barney and Jassy come later. In these, we see how Barney is outwardly impatient but inwardly caring.

Most of the time, Jassy is neat in appearance and well-conducted in her manner; however, every so often she loses her temper, and she becomes violent. This is usually after someone uses violence on her, but she’s standing up for herself and is remorseful soon after, even when her actions are (arguably) justified.

I found Barney’s narrative absorbing, and like his section best of the four narrators. I can only fault it on one point: it includes a spoiler. Without going into detail, Barney mentions one of the characters would be dead by a specific time, so when that time nears, and people are worried, we know it’s going to happen. If we didn’t know, we’d be in suspense. So, this is one of two needless spoilers that I wish the author hadn’t included.

The second narrator is a female schoolteacher approaching fifty. She’s an interesting character who takes the narrative in a whole new direction. While Barney’s section covers about one year, this part covers five, so Jassy is sixteen by the end of it.

We don’t see Jassy as much in this second part, but she influences almost everything that happens to the narrator.

The third narrator, Dylis, is a girl of Jassy’s age and, as her narration progresses, she becomes harder to sympathise with. This is because of her self-centred nature, which the author superbly portrays.

We get to see Barney again, but of course this time from without, not within. Dylis and Jassy visit him, this being the first time Jassy has seen him in five years. I love how the author has crafted this reunion. It’s suspenseful and, although Dylis is narrating, you feel Jassy’s nervous excitement. She on the most part acts as though seeing Barney is not a big thing for her, yet a couple of Dylis’s observations of Jassy’s body language reveal the truth. I won’t be specific here, but it’s a wonderful example of “showing”, not “telling”. Aspiring authors could learn much from this scene (and many others).

Dylis is the daughter of the man who beat Barney’s father at cards and won Mortiboys. Barney, who’s now a tall and handsome eighteen-year-old, has met the beautiful Dylis before when she showed him around Mortiboys. She’s as pleased as Jassy to see Barney again.

A lot of the action transpires at Mortiboys, which needs many repairs, only Dylis’s father won’t pay to have them fixed.

Without revealing anything important, I'm disappointed to state that during Dylis's narration the author includes the second of this book's two spoilers. It's something Dylis mentions when she states she's now an old woman. What she says she's done in her life robs a huge element of suspense from the story. I can't elaborate further without giving it away, but anyone who's read "Jassy" will understand, and will surely be as annoyed as me about it. It serves no purpose for Dylis to give up this info. I don't understand why an author of such great talent would drop this spoiler and the earlier one in Barney's narration.

This third section covers about a year before the story changes narrator for the fourth and final time. If ever there was an unreliable narrator, this girl Lindy is it. That’s not to say she’s lying. Far from it. Problem is, she has mental issues, and is referred to as a “looney” by the rest of the villagers – except for Jassy, who’s kind to her and persuades Dylis’s father to give her a job at Mortiboys.

This fourth narrative is shorter than the previous three. It’s the hardest to read because of the strange language and Lindy’s hallucinations (she sees an angel every so often). From a writing perspective, though, the author does an excellent job with delving into Lindy’s disturbed mind and portraying her perspective of life.

Lindy always refers to Jassy as “She” in the same way as Christians refer to God as “He”. Lindy’s devoted to her because Jassy is kind, where others aren’t, and she arranged a job for her, while others wouldn’t employ her.

I can’t relate too much more about this final section without spoiling surprises, but I’ll touch on the ending. Again, I won’t give anything away, but the following three paragraphs might be too vague for anyone who hasn’t read the book, so it might better to read it afterwards.

When I got to the last sentence, I reacted with something like, “What! Is that it?” Not because it’s badly done, but because it’s abrupt and not how I imagined it would end. Also, I was reading this for free on Open Library, and thought I’d another ten or more pages to go. While I expected some back matter, I didn’t expect so many adverts for other books, so I thought there’d be at least another eight pages before reaching the end.

Once I got over the above surprise, I initially felt disappointed. Not because of how it was written, or that it made no sense, or anything like that, but because it’s not what I hoped for. I mentioned above that it’s an abrupt ending, which it is, and on first impressions is a definitive ending.

Reflecting on it, though, it’s really an open ending. In other words, it could’ve carried on with a different outcome to what’s implied. First, Lindy is an unreliable narrator. Second, who is she relating all this to? The reader, obviously, but considering how it ends, and how it’s put together, it suggests (to me at least) that she’s relayed all this to someone somehow. If so, it would change Jassy’s path. Third, Lindy relates in detail how a reputable character listens to Jassy’s story (I can’t be more specific without giving it away, but anyone who’s read the book will understand), so he could then tell certain important characters (important in their positions in society and important in Jassy's personal life), which would surely alter matters for Jassy, perhaps leading to the ending I was hoping for. Fourth, I could be wrong on all accounts and the ending is as definitive as it initially implies.

Ultimately, is down to the reader’s imagination. Open endings can be annoying, but if you’re not happy with it, you can interpret what happens next in a way that suits you.

I’ve thought a lot about this because “Jassy” is one of few novels to make a lasting impression on me. It kept popping into my head regularly for three or four days after reading it. And it’s the scenes featuring Jassy that are most vivid. We never get into her mind, yet my sympathies were utmost with her during all four narratives. At first, I thought it was a shame Jassy didn’t narrate a section, but now I think if she did it would’ve taken something away from this engrossing story.

I’ll always be grateful to the late Norah Lofts for crafting such a thought-provoking novel and for creating such a charming character as Jassy.

***

Added three months after the above text:

I've since read Norah Lofts's 'Nethergate', which features several characters from 'Jassy', and is mostly set in the same area. Jassy is referred to several times, though she doesn't appear in any scenes, and it makes clear what happened to her. 'Nethergate' isn't a sequel, but arguably it could be.

[Shadoshard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot older than I anticipated, but that was part of its charm - the rest was Jassy herself.

I tried to consider the main subject of the story - Jassy - as a very flawed character and as I read I realized I was doing so to justify the unfairness she was being subjected to. Each narrator telling the story of themselves with Jassy as a background figure to prop them up - or their ire at her because of their own pettiness just made Jassy that much better in comparison. I wound up liking her all the more and saw her as the sacrificial lamb to their sins; they use her, they blame her, they foster their bitterness upon her and I wound up angry at the author for putting such a likable and wonderful person in such a dead end situation, the author cackling in my ear, "Welcome to real life, sucker." And how marvelous of her in such a dead pan way to shoot into the genre of historical romances the truth of the matter; we don't always win. And many times, through no fault save bad luck. I'll say this - it wasn't a perfect read, but it is one of my favorites and in my mind, I'll spin better for Jassy and the deserved dross for the rest.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jassy is four mesmerizing accounts, as narrated by different people, of an oddly 'designed,' for lack of a better word, young girl whose strength of spirit and capabilities is beyond her years. The beauty of this story is the author's wonderful style of writing. Though the novel is not my usual genre and was my mother's shared recommendation, I found myself enjoying it quite alot because of the quality of writing. Story-wise, the ending was unexpected but harder to read and sort of fell a bit flat in terms of understanding the novel's purpose for Jassy besides unearthing the worst in others rather than the best, and for appreciating her loyalties and uniqueness. Maybe that's enough, though. For me, the ride was wonderful, the destination not so much. I would still recommend it.

[Lord English SSBM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is something of a hidden gem. This is one of the few works to decide that its main character won't be the one whose perspective we see the story from and actually take it to its logical conclusion. A lot of the questions surrounding Jassy herself are never resolved because we only see her through the point of view of characters other than herself, which goes a long way in preserving the sense of mystery that gothic books tend to live and die by. The light (possibly) supernatural elements are a neat touch. The book's single lesbian is not portrayed very well, but it's not especially bad for someone in the 1940s writing about a time even farther in the past, and the one Romani character-Jassy herself-is perfectly fine.

[Linda Cooper-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly beautiful and sad

Unlike any book I’ve ever read, Jassy broke my heart. There are people in life who, through no fault of their own, seem like a magnet to draw bad luck and misery upon themselves. Jassy is such a one. She’s so exceptional, loyal and good hearted. It’s so unfair that there are two kinds of people who either love her or hate her. We always wish for happy endings but sometimes they don’t happen.

[Margaret Conmey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the 4 book collection and Jassy is first in the compilation book
An unusual story but other than it’s setting not especially historical, unlike other Norah Lofts books which I have read ; her books usually provide varying amounts of historical information as part of the story but this aspect was lacking
I am glad I read the Town House trilogy before this book as some of the families, towns ,etc ,overlap
Very depressing ending