The Disorder of Longing

By Natasha Bauman, George Albert Brown, TurtleMe, et al.

When her husband arrives home carrying a crate of colorful orchids, Ada Caswell Pryce thinks he is bringing her a gift, a peace offering during an unhappy time in their marriage; little does she know how much these strange looking flowers are going to change her life. By Boston standards of the 1890's, Ada is not a good wife. Strong-willed and beautiful, she longs for the days at university when she was free to be herself. Her husband Edward is intent on curbing her wild behavior, but she thwarts him at every turn -- she drinks wine with the housekeepers, gives feminist books to her maid, and sneaks out for midnight horseback rides along the Charles River. To treat Ada's "hysteria," Edward restricts her daily activities and her relationships, then carefully choreographs her sexuality. Unable to bear another day of her stultifying and demeaning existence, Ada secretly plots ways to leave. Ultimately, it is her husband's all-consuming passion for collecting rare orchids that provides Ada with a daring opportunity for escape. Once free, Ada's lust for adventure takes her through the dangerous slums of New York, across the high seas of the Atlantic, and finally deep into the lush jungles of Brazil.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399154957
• ISBN13: 9780399154959
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Victorian woman takes her life into her own hands when the urge to fight or flee her husband becom

Recently I had the pleasure of seeing an orchid in bloom. I don't know enough about the plants to say more than it was purple and exquisitely beautiful and delicate and I was afraid to touch it in case I might damage it in some way. For a long time my step-mother has had one or two orchids but they're tricky plants if you aren't a specialists. Too much light or too much water or the wrong temperature could easily kill them. But in spite of (or perhaps because of) their finicky nature these plants have become somewhat of an obsession for serious collectors and amateur gardeners around the globe. "The Disorder of Longing" is a novel that combines the essential human nature to escape an environment that isn't conducive to growth (literal or personal) and the incredible sensuality of orchids, especially when the trade was first beginnings and procuring these pants required much more effort (and danger) then simple cultivation today. The overall effect is a sensual novel with a main character that unfurls like a blossoming flower itself. Ada isn't exactly a typical American Victorian woman. She went to college, had a married lover and participated (if half-heartedly) in the woman's suffrage movement. But she made a mistake that would dictate the rest of her life. She slept with a man she was seeing, and, as a man of the age and her high social station, he saw no other option then to marry. And so she did. For years Ada has been a housewife and has gained some minimal satisfaction from the role. But as her husbands Edward becomes more and more controlling (and obsessed with practicing only Tantric sex which as described in the book sounds just awful and pointless) and critical of her every action. Every minor protest to his total control of her life, every longing for friendship, adventure, love or a simple touch is added to a list of transgressions until Ada is being treated for hysteria. And yes, I mean that old Victorian treatment which if practiced today would get a doctor prosecuted for sex crimes. But Edward's growing interest in orchids and his contacts with orchid hunters has inspired a kind of longing in Ada to be free, to see the beautiful and unusual plants in their natural environment- Brazil. And when of the hunters brings a terrible side of Edward to light it only cements that Ada can see no option but to die or escape. And it is to the jungles she heads, dressed as a man and free for the first time in her life. But a Victorian woman had the same legal status as a child, lunatic or criminal and Ada has no legal right to do anything her husband doesn't want her to do. Can she out run him in his obsession to control her and both free and find herself amidst the green jungles and competitive orchid hunters of Brazil-or is there nowhere safe from his influence? This is a novel of complex characters in a time when men had every right and women none-if they married. When lines between races were extreme and the search for a rare flower

Orchids, and Proper Ladies, Victorian Times

Ms. Bauman's novel takes us to the restrictive world of Bostonian Ada Pryce whose life is ruled by her overbearing husband and Victorian times when women were expected to not speak their mind and to suppress their sensuality. Headstrong, educated and beautiful, Ada seeks liberation from her husband Edward, an avid orchid collector. Shedding her corset, Ava disguises herself as a man and travels from Boston to Brazil in search of a rare orchid. While the novel gives readers an insider's view of the most intimate details of a Victorian couple, it also gives a glimpse of Boston society in the late 1890's when the fight for women's suffrage was at full steam,and a strong middle class African American population had developed in Beacon Hill. Author Bauman's care and attention shows, resulting in a well-researched, highly readable first novel that should appeal to orchid lovers, and voyeurs into the peculiar Victorian times.

the disorder of longing

I loved this book. It made me want to go out and buy orchids. The characters are well developed and the historical setting pulls you right in. I felt like I was back in the 19th century with Ada. I couldn't put it down! Bauman has a wicked imagination (even though a lot of the weirdest things in the book are based on reality). I don't want to reveal too much here, because you just have to read it. It's a wild ride. -- Andy Philadelphia

Fabulous Story of a passionate adventuress

I love the attention to detail in this book, and the well-researched historical setting . Bauman's wonderful descriptions coupled with an exciting story make "The Disorder of Longing" a superior read. I was so eager to find out what happened next that I rushed through the book like a greedy pig! I plan to re-read it slowly and savor Bauman's luscious prose.