The story in one page
Linnet leaves her Zillerthal home to tour as a singer with a troupe led by Andreas Hausberger. She marries Andreas as a career arrangement, though she feels physical revulsion toward him. In London, she meets Will Deverill, whose genuine affection highlights the hollow nature of her marriage. As she attempts to reconcile her Catholic upbringing with her misery, she discovers Andreas’s true character. Following an altercation where Franz Lindner fatally stabs Andreas, Linnet is freed from her legal obligation. The path is now clear for her to be with Will, leading her to eventually resolve her internal conflict between religious dogma and her desire for a life with him.
Who's who
- Linnet
A mountain singer seeking a life beyond the Zillerthal.
- Andreas Hausberger
The pragmatic troupe manager who treats marriage as a business.
- Will Deverill
An English outsider who provides Linnet with genuine love.
- Philippina
A fellow troupe performer and friend from St Valentin.
- Franz Lindner
A troupe member whose intervention changes Linnet's future.
What it's really about
- Institutional Authority
- Religious law versus individual instinct and personal happiness.
- Marital Integrity
- The morality of staying in a loveless legal union.
Why it's memorable
- Linnet reacting in pure terror to her first sight of a steam train.
- The American seer identifying a playing card by touch alone.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Will explains that Linnet’s loveless marriage was a moral failure and a physical violation. He argues that the Church’s refusal to allow her to leave an abhorrent union places institutional rules above human nature. Linnet recognizes that her own instincts correctly identified the marriage as a degradation. Though she initially struggles against her religious training, she finds solace when Will secures a dispensation that permits their union and finally quiets her conscience.
For your book club
- Is an unhappy marriage a greater moral failing than a broken vow?
- Does the author favor secular humanism over traditional ecclesiastical authority?