Camilla

1796, Oxford University Press edition 1999
Fanny Burney
Camilla, or A Picture of Youth
Original price $15.95, purchase price 50 cents to $1
A bit shabby paperback
C+

While this is for the most part a more realistic book than Evelina, it's much sadder and just about every character except Lavinia deserves at least one swift kick.   I do like the sisterly dynamic among Camilla, Lavinia, and poor Eugenia, and as in Evelina some of the contemporary details are interesting.  It's worth noting that even 18th-century readers thought that the 900-page novel was too long.

Swift Kick Top Ten for Camilla:
10.  In a novel full of bad advice, Dr. Marchmont deserves mention for his misogynous distrust of even Camilla, a girl that Edgar has known since childhood.  
9.  Camilla herself gets on my nerves.  Yes, she's young and naive and well-meaning, but some of what she does, like frequently flirting with other men to win over Edgar, makes me question her supposed intelligence.  Also, she lies dying in an inn, wallowing in self-pity, rather than just go home and put herself at her very kind parents' mercy.
8.  Sir Sedley goes beyond Mrs. Arlbery's advice to make Camilla become infatuated with him enough to forget Edgar, and the way he exploits the Lionel-debt situation is scummy.
7.  Mrs. Arlbery is the main person giving Camilla bad romantic advice, messing up their relationship even more than Dr. Marchmont does.
6.  Miss Margland is a spiteful spinster governess who, not content with spoiling her shallow charge, comes in and sneers (verbally as well as physically) every time Camilla and Edgar have a chance to reconcile.  I can't think of one redeeming moment for her, but at least she does less damage than any of the Top Five.
5.  Sir Hugh may be a sweet old uncle, beloved by his family, but from the moment he exposes Eugenia to small pox onward, his attempts to help make matters worse.
4.  Clermont Lynmere is a not only a lazy, spoiled fop rather than the serious Greek & Latin scholar that Sir Hugh hopes to match with Eugenia.  He's also cruel and abusive (sometimes physically as well as verbally) to everyone except his sister.  Not to mention that he runs up huge debts that Sir Hugh must pay.
3.  Mrs. Mittin is never comic relief, like the annoying but amusing Madame Duval in Evelina.  She's instead annoying and exploitative.  She's the main one giving Camilla bad financial advice, which has worse consequences than anything Mrs. Arlbery does.
2.  Bellamy pretends love for Eugenia throughout most of the novel but turns out to be an abusive fortune-hunter, who's also trying to seduce romantic but naive Mrs. Berlinton.
1.  Brother Lionel gets the top spot because he messes up multiple people's lives (particularly Camilla's), financially and romantically, all while jesting as if he's done nothing wrong.  Yes, Bellamy is scum, but he's a scummy stranger.  Lionel uses his family's love for him to exploit them.  He does repent in the end, but this book would be several hundred pages shorter without all the crap he inflicts.