Camilla: Or, A Picture of Youth

Fanny Burney

May 2020 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

Camilla Tyrold and her sisters embark on an unpredictable path toward true love in this eighteenth-century English novel by the author of Evelina.

First published in 1796, Camilla recounts the romantic misadventures of the Tyrold sisters—spirited Camilla, sweet Lavinia, and witty but shy Eugenia—as well as their beautiful and flirtatious cousin Indiana Lynmere. As the girls come of age together, misunderstandings, hasty judgments, and impetuous decisions take their lives on unexpected paths.

For Camilla and her father’s ward, Edgar Mandelbert, falling in love is anything but simple. Handsome and upright, Edgar soon discovers he is intended to marry Indiana. But even as the attraction between him and Camilla becomes undeniable, jealousy, gossip, and their own youthful emotions present one challenge after another.

A major influence on Jane Austen, Fanny Burney’s Camilla blends lighthearted romantic comedy with gothic episodes of tragedy and misfortune in an evocative depiction of eighteenth-century English life.

About the author

Born Frances Burney, Fanny Burney (1752–1840) was an English author of satirical novels and plays. Burney was self-educated and began writing at the age of ten. She moved between literary circles and learned about the art of writing from her peers. At the age of twenty-six, she anonymously published the novel Evelina, which became an instant hit and an inspiration for Jane Austen’s writing. After revealing her identity as the author of Evelina, Burney released Cecilia to less acclaim. In 1802, she visited France with her husband and son, and due to the Napoleonic Wars, was forced to stay in the country for ten years. Burney spent the remainder of her life in London, where she published her father’s memoirs prior to her death.