Pomona's Travels: A Series of Letters to the Mistress of Rudder Grange from her Former Handmaiden

In Short

This epistolary novel follows Pomona, a sharp-witted and irrepressible American, as she and her husband, Jone, explore the English countryside and cities. Through her letters to her former mistress, she documents a series of misadventures—ranging from riding tricycles on hilly moors to navigating the rigid social structures of the Victorian era. The book has endured as a charming relic of 19th-century travelogues, capturing a distinct "American abroad" perspective that balances wide-eyed wonder with a stubborn, homespun refusal to be intimidated by history or class.

The Story

The narrative begins with Pomona and Jone’s arrival in England, where they immediately find themselves struggling to reconcile their American expectations of service and efficiency with the slower, more hierarchical pace of British life. Pomona, acting as the primary engine of the couple's itinerary, is determined to experience the "real" England. She avoids standard tourist traps, preferring to rent a cottage in the west of England, where she delights in the rural landscape, the "unadorned nature" of the moors, and the quaint, centuries-old customs of the local peasantry.

As they travel, their circle expands to include Mr. Poplington, a guide who introduces them to the nuances of British life, from stag-hunting to the intricacies of "bath-chair" etiquette in spa towns like Buxton. Pomona is a constant force of motion; she is never content to remain a passive observer. Whether she is intervening to save a stag from a hunter's knife, lecturing a barmaid on the merits of American independence, or inadvertently pulling a local man in a bath-chair through the streets of a town, her adventures are defined by her impulsive, high-spirited nature. She frequently compares these European experiences to her life back at Rudder Grange, often finding the British ways of doing things—like train travel or customs inspections—to be frustratingly archaic or unnecessarily rigid.

The couple’s journey takes them through the literary landscapes of the Lake Country, the historic streets of Edinburgh, and finally into the bustling, overwhelming sprawl of London. Along the way, Pomona successfully plays matchmaker for an acquaintance, finding deep personal satisfaction in meddling in the romantic lives of others. Throughout the tour, she remains deeply attached to her romanticized visions of history, often feeling as though she has "slid backward down the slope of the centuries" whenever she encounters old taverns or medieval architecture.

The journey concludes with a return to their native land. The finality of the trip is marked by a bitter encounter with American customs officials, which leaves Pomona disillusioned by the contrast between the "civil and obliging" reception they received upon entering England and the bureaucratic coldness they face at home. Despite this sour ending, the overarching arc is one of personal expansion. Pomona returns to the farm not just as a traveler who has seen the sights, but as an American who has tested her own mettle against the "Old World," having firmly established her identity as an independent, opinionated woman who finds both the charm and the absurdity in the world around her.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Pomona and Jone arrive in London, immediately clashing with local travel norms when they demand a private coach-and-four. Pomona, initially terrified of the height and fashion of the coach, quickly asserts her status and finds her confidence.

Settling into the country Seeking an authentic experience, the couple rents a remote cottage in the west of England. Pomona delights in the local "cultivated rurality" and begins to immerse herself in village life, feeling as though she is living inside a novel.

A new companion Mr. Poplington joins their party, serving as a guide to the local sights, including the wild moors. His presence leads to increased social friction as Pomona navigates the rigid expectations of the British class system and local innkeepers.

Escapades on the road The couple takes to traveling by tricycle, leading to several near-disasters on steep hills and narrow lanes. Pomona’s impulsive nature leads to a dramatic confrontation with a hunter over a stag, highlighting her fierce, if often misguided, sense of justice.

The journey north The party moves into Scotland, where Pomona becomes obsessed with the romantic history of Walter Scott. She finds deep "reverentialism" in historic sites, even while Jone remains more practical about their schedule.

Final reflections The trip concludes with a return to London and a departure for America. Upon landing at home, the harsh reality of the customs house serves as a final, jarring reminder of why the couple felt so distinct from the world they just visited.

The People

Pomona is the vibrant, driving force of the narrative. She is a woman of immense energy and strong opinions who desires to see everything, but is constantly grappling with her own lack of experience in the nuances of "polite" society. She is defined by her independence and her refusal to be cowed by the "lordly hirelings" of the old country.

Jone is Pomona’s husband, a more grounded and sometimes baffled participant in her schemes. He represents the practical American side of their partnership, frequently acting as the buffer when Pomona’s impulsiveness leads them into social awkwardness. He is content to follow Pomona’s lead, though he often longs for the comforts of home, such as American-style trains.

Mr. Poplington is an English acquaintance who bridges the gap between the couple and the local world. He is a man of tradition who is nonetheless charmed by the couple’s blunt American vitality. He serves as their guide and, eventually, a reliable friend who helps them navigate the complexities of British life.

In Its Own Voice

"I looked at the ladder and I looked at that top front seat, and I tell you, madam, I trembled in every pore, but I remembered then that all the respectable seats was on top, and the farther front the nobbier."

Pomona describes the internal conflict between her fear of heights and her desire to maintain social status while boarding a coach.

"If you was a man I'd break your head."

The hunter, enraged by Pomona’s intervention to save a stag, discards all notions of Victorian gender decorum in his frustration.

"I didn't care about the Radicalism. All I wanted was to get the two married, and then it would not make the least difference to me what their politics might be."

Pomona reflects on her successful, unsolicited matchmaking, prioritizing personal agency over the strict political divisions of the time.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book examines the tension between the romanticized, historic "Old World" and the pragmatic, fast-paced "New World." Pomona constantly measures the past against the present, finding that she loves the aesthetic of history but is often frustrated by the social rigidity it has left behind. The book explores themes of independence, the clash of class expectations, and the assertion of American identity in a foreign context. It asks whether one can truly experience a culture without being absorbed by it, and it highlights the friction that occurs when an individual’s desire for personal, authentic experience runs headlong into the immovable, centuries-old customs of a foreign society.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy character-driven, observational travelogues will find much to love in Pomona’s voice. She is an engaging narrator: confident, occasionally naive, and relentlessly curious. Her perspective is colored by the late-19th-century American zeitgeist, providing a window into how the "New World" viewed its European heritage at the time.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes that permeate the book. Pomona’s observations are frequently filtered through a lens of class and national pride that can feel jarring or exclusionary by modern standards. Additionally, the language contains Victorian-era dialect and sentence structures that may require a period of adjustment. The book is not a fast-paced thriller; it is a slow, meandering journey that rewards the reader interested in the social texture of the past. If you value a narrative that prioritizes the internal life of a sharp-witted woman navigating a world that often underestimates her, this book remains a delight. It captures the essential, timeless thrill of travel—the feeling of being completely out of one's element and finding, against all odds, that you are exactly where you meant to be.