The Belles of Williamsburg by Mary Maillard

I read a review copy of this book provided by the publisher, in exchange for this fair and honest review.

The Belles of Williamsburg by Mary Maillard is a collection  of letters exchanged between Eliza Fisk Harwood and Tristrim Lowther Skinner between 1839-1849. They met when Skinner lodged with Eliza's foster mother (her childless godmother) while studying at William and Mary College. The correspondence was kept up over 10 years, from their friendship up to their marriage. During this period, Eliza grows from a young teen (13) to a young woman, chronicling her debut, period as a belle and their engagement.

Part of this story is uncomfortable for modern day readers: Skinner has decided he wants to marry the 13 year old Eliza and keeps up the correspondence while waiting for her to reach courtship age. From the letters, it isn't clear what attracted him to the young girl, though it wasn't unusual at the time, considering that other 13 year olds were already engaged. 

It is also good to have some previous knowledge of the time period. Eliza and Tristrim are keeping in contact with each other, not writing for future generations. They don't bother to explain conventions of their time or to introduce the people around them, since both are familiar with Mrs Galt or Mr Thompson.

Overall, it is an interesting collection but reading it is long, slow and often boring. It does show how the young couple related to one another and it is very interesting from that perspective. The foot notes and excerpts from a contemporary novel add details and explanations for the reader. It isn't a narrative, though, where an editor mercilessly slashes out everything not related to the main plot, etc. It will be priceless to those interested in mid 19th century society. I doubt it will be of much interest to most readers, who may prefer a more condescend version, with more contextualization and using excerpts from the letters, instead of the whole text of them.