Summary
Summary of Thelma
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Love crosses two different worlds
Sir Philip Bruce-Errington is rich, bored and ready to sail away from the life he knows. In the Norwegian north, a girl's song across a fjord draws him toward a world unlike his own. A farmhouse buried in roses stands far from the drawing rooms of London, not only in distance but in spirit.
The romance brings those worlds together and asks which is more honest. Philip's meeting with the golden-haired girl opens a story in which love must face the habits and judgments of very different communities.
Key idea 2
Rumour stands between Philip and Thelma
Start free to read
Key idea 3
Hospitality breaks through the village gossip
Start free to read
Key idea 4
Love grows under threats and curses
Start free to read
Key idea 5
A promise carries lessons and danger
Start free to read
Key idea 6
Social triumph leaves Thelma feeling lonely
Start free to read
Key idea 7
Unspoken confidence puts trust at risk
Start free to read
Key idea 8
The same virtues mean different things
Start free to read
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
Readers who enjoy old-fashioned love stories with wild northern scenery, mysterious caves, devoted friends and a sharp, funny look at London society. Anyone drawn to Norse legend and family loyalty will find plenty here.
What this book is
Picture a sun that never sets, a boat sliding out of a cave and a girl whose song rings across a Norwegian fjord at midnight. It follows Sir Philip Bruce-Errington, a rich and bored English baronet who sails north in his yacht and meets a golden-haired girl. The book sets a farmhouse buried in roses against the drawing rooms of London, and it asks which world is the more honest.
In this summary
- 1A song at midnight draws a strangerFree
- 2Gossip builds a wall around her
- 3A farmer covers his knife with his foot
- 4Rumour, a dinner and a foundling
- 5A proposal, a curse and a kiss
- 6A kiss in a crystal cave
- 7A bride in London's dull gold
- 8A reception that crowns the fisherwoman
- 9What the story is about and how it is told
Key point 1 of 9
A song at midnight draws a stranger
The book opens on the Altenfjord in June, where the sun still stands in the sky at midnight. Sir Philip Bruce-Errington lies on the shore, rich, handsome and a little tired of everything. Then a woman's voice rings out in an old mountain song, and a boat slides out of a cave.
A tall girl of about nineteen springs from it, her hair the colour of the midnight light. She laughs at his clumsy sign language and refuses to give her name. He is unused to such a refusal, and he is stung and curious.
He walks into the cave she left. A heavy door carved with the word Thelma opens on a hall of shells and a granite coffin bearing the same name. A dwarf named Sigurd rushes in, raving about a rose of the northern forest.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Check yourself
Why does Philip visit the Güldmars despite the warnings?
Right. “With his friend George Lorimer he rows to a hidden cove and follows a path through the pines to a rose-covered house.”Not quite. “With his friend George Lorimer he rows to a hidden cove and follows a path through the pines to a rose-covered house.”
What lessons does Olaf give Thelma before her marriage?
Right. “He gives the bride three virtues, which are truth, humility and obedience.”Not quite. “He gives the bride three virtues, which are truth, humility and obedience.”
Why does Philip assume Thelma will never doubt him?
Right. “Philip is a good husband, but a quiet pride makes him sure she would never doubt him.”Not quite. “Philip is a good husband, but a quiet pride makes him sure she would never doubt him.”
Questions about Thelma
What is Thelma by Marie Corelli about?
It follows a wealthy English baronet who meets a Norwegian farmer's daughter under the midnight sun. They marry and move to London, where her honesty meets the gossip, spite and false friendships of fashionable society.
Who is Sigurd in Thelma?
Sigurd is a deformed foundling whom Thelma's parents rescued as a baby and raised beside her. His mind is clouded, he loves her like a servant and more, and he fears the stranger who may take her.
Why does Olaf Güldmar cover his knife with his foot?
It is his gesture of welcome. By putting his foot on the knife, Olaf shows that he trusts the two young men because they told him the truth about why they came.
Is Thelma a true story and when was it written?
No, it is a work of fiction by Marie Corelli, published in the nineteenth century. It borrows real places such as the Altenfjord and London and real Norse legends, but tells a fictional story.
Is Thelma easy to read today?
It has a warm, direct narrator, vivid scenery and a clear love story, with comic scenes among Philip's friends and below stairs in London. Lively dialogue keeps the pages turning.
