VOLUME 3 Review: A bit of a letdown after the interesting build up in Volume 2. Yes, we now get to see some of the story from 'the rake' Lovelace's point of view, and it is fun to see how well matched Lovelace and Clarissa are when it come to a battle of wits, but still....there were some really, really boring parts here. The story has almost taken on a whole "He said, She said" approach and while there is no really easy way to introduce multiple narrations in an epistolary novel except in the manner utilized here by Richardson, I still feel let down a bit after all the excitement in Volume 2. If I had to place a bet at this point, I would say that there are 10 to 1 odds that Clarissa will slip up first, and in a bigger way than she already has as the drama has now migrated to London, even if Lovelace has made a couple of tactical errors of his own on the 'conquest' front. Really, for a seasoned 'rake' to fumble even slightly is a bit of a revelation in itself. Onwards to Volume 4.... ( )