This review reveals much of the book's plot. However, I have no qualms because the back of the book also gives away the ending. The point of reading this novel, then, is not to race through to find what happens to the end, but to appreciate the fascinating development of the plot.

The Coquette, written by the 18th century author Hannah W. Foster, tells a dramatic story about a woman torn between two men. It is based on a true story of a socially respected woman named Elizabeth Whitman who died from childbirth in a tavern. At the time, the scandalous story spread quickly. How did a high-class woman get seduced by a man who she wasn't married to? Her pregnancy and death seemed to serve as a disturbing moral lesson to young women at the time. Stray from the path of morality and propriety and that's what you'll get.

The Coquette is similar to the Elizabeth Whitman story, except in the novel she is transformed to Eliza Wharton. When Eliza's fiance, Mr. Haly, dies, the path of courtship is once again opened for Eliza. Two men come out on top, vying viciously for her love. One is a charming, extravagant man named Major Sanford with a reputation of questionable morality. The other is a boring reverend named Boyer who wants to get married to a cheerful person like Eliza. The two men are opposites in terms of fun and morals. Eliza finds herself attracted to both, but more towards the charming Sanford. However, her mother and friends constantly warn her about Sanford's libertine nature and pressure her to reject Sanford for Boyer. In reality, none of the men are right for Eliza. Both men profess their "love" for Eliza, but Boyer is marrying for the wrong reason, and Sanford does not even intend on marrying Eliza (she's not rich enough for him). You'd think that Eliza would then be the one respectable character in the novel because she doesn't bend to all the pro-Boyer pressure but instead wants to marry Mr. Right, even if it means waiting a bit longer to make sure she gets the decision right. Of course, all this waiting is torturing the two suitors. After some dramatic events, Eliza ends up single and the two men married off to other women. Depressed, she practically throws her life away, meeting the fate of her real-life counterpart Elizabeth Wharton. The fact that Eliza's seducer is Sanford gives the whole plot a disturbing twist.

Naturally, there is so much more to the plot than what I have quickly outlined here in my review. By reading the novel, you can see what caused the fall of Eliza Wharton. And as is the case with many good works of literature, there are several possible interpretations of what those reasons might be. The novel is actually presented as a series of letters written back and forth between the characters in the novel. This is a wonderful way to get different perspectives of all the characters. It is interesting to see two characters describe the same event from their different points of view.

Some may say the message of this novel is simple: Stay away from deceptive men like Sanford and you'll avoid Eliza's fate. I think the novel is much deeper than that. Ultimately, it is a criticism on the sexist ideologies that were present in the culture at the time and is even present today. I suppose the modern-day analogy to Eliza's situation is the unplanned (and usually teenage) pregnancy. Our society places an unequal burden of guilt on the female. When things like this happen, eyes are almost always turned on the female rather than the male. The reader is invited to explore the rivalry of reason versus passion, the issue of gender roles, the meaning of marriage, and sexism. Eliza is a character that will evoke your sympathy and the story of her struggle is a true tragedy.

at the request of a fellow epinioner, an added note about the writing style:
as mentioned before, this was written in the 18th century. some people may be turned off by this, others will embrace it as an opportunity to experience a writing style they probably haven't encountered since their college days. this means the language is a little more complex than that of a "poolside" novel. not something that you can skim quickly through. there are a lot of image clusters in the writing that the reader should take the time to appreciate. again, the novel consists entirely of letters written between the characters, seventy-four to be exact. the book is 169 pages long, so each letter is about two or three pages. this makes it a versatile book in terms of reading. no more struggling to reach the end of a forty-page chapter.

Recommended: Yes