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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Tomalin does another great job here, and this is a pleasure to read...even if I came out of it disliking Dickens even more than I did before.
This book was definitely a biography with a definite bend towards detection. Through careful analysis, Tomalin peels away history to find Nelly Ternan. I enjoyed reading about the lengths Dickens went to hide Nelly and maintain his public image. I loved the mental work Tomalin did to bring Nelly to life. The book is a fast and interesting read, touching on many subjects from drama in the Victorian era to transportation and finally, Nelly and her status as mistress along with everything that came after for her. A must read for fans of theatre and literature.
At a certain point do I really care. Certainly it's interesting but I do feel like part of the paparazzi.
It could have been so much more. While impeccable research creates visibility for Nelly Ternan she never quite emerges from the shadows. Though acknowledging the Victorian mores that colored the lives and relationships of Dickens, the Ternans, their literary and theatrical peers and the "Them" of society at large, the author did not explore deeply enough how internal and external daily life was carried on among these very different cohorts. None of the "characters", not even Dickens have depth or breadth to them; in not better anchoring them to their times they float about a bit like ciphers.
In many respects it was the intersection of Dickens' fascination with the theater with the Ternan's life as second tier actresses amid the morally claustrophobic climate of Victorian England (a climate created not a little bit by Dickens) that is the most compelling source of the drama and pathos of this very sad story.
This is a profoundly sad story. A conflicted and increasingly self-justified public persona invaded the life of a socially marginal family of four struggling women and treated them as characters in the novel of which he was the protagonist. Dickens' hagiographers liken Nelly to Miss Havisham's Estella. I think Nelly was Pip to Mr. Dickens as Estella.
I am anxious to read Peter Ackroyd's biography of Dickens. If it is half as good as his biography of Thomas More it will, perhaps, add the depth missing from this account of Nelly Ternan and Dickens.
In many respects it was the intersection of Dickens' fascination with the theater with the Ternan's life as second tier actresses amid the morally claustrophobic climate of Victorian England (a climate created not a little bit by Dickens) that is the most compelling source of the drama and pathos of this very sad story.
This is a profoundly sad story. A conflicted and increasingly self-justified public persona invaded the life of a socially marginal family of four struggling women and treated them as characters in the novel of which he was the protagonist. Dickens' hagiographers liken Nelly to Miss Havisham's Estella. I think Nelly was Pip to Mr. Dickens as Estella.
I am anxious to read Peter Ackroyd's biography of Dickens. If it is half as good as his biography of Thomas More it will, perhaps, add the depth missing from this account of Nelly Ternan and Dickens.
Quite an interesting read about a woman who has been largely written out of Dicken's life. A woman who may or may not have been his mistress but with the secrecy surrounding her and her relationship with Dicken, and from the belief of many of the people around her (including at least one of Dicken's children) was.
This is an interesting account of her life and the way she was written out of the story. You can see the frustration of the author as she tries to link some details together but fail because of the lack of evidence, evidence that was burnt or destroyed.
Nelly Ternan was an actress, from a family of actresses and lived on the fringes of society. When she and Dickens met (and there is evidence that they did act together, in playbills etc) her life changed, along with the life of her family. The jury is still out whether it was all a good or bad thing.
This is an interesting account of her life and the way she was written out of the story. You can see the frustration of the author as she tries to link some details together but fail because of the lack of evidence, evidence that was burnt or destroyed.
Nelly Ternan was an actress, from a family of actresses and lived on the fringes of society. When she and Dickens met (and there is evidence that they did act together, in playbills etc) her life changed, along with the life of her family. The jury is still out whether it was all a good or bad thing.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Child death, Pregnancy
Thank you so much to the Goodreads First Reads giveaways program for a copy of the movie tie-in edition of The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin.
Tomalin’s biography chronicles the life of young actress Nelly Ternan and her secret relationship with Charles Dickens. Much of the book is also devoted to the theater scene in Victorian era England. While this well-written and researched story illuminates such an interesting period of history, I found the tone to be a bit too scholarly for a casual read.
Tomalin’s biography chronicles the life of young actress Nelly Ternan and her secret relationship with Charles Dickens. Much of the book is also devoted to the theater scene in Victorian era England. While this well-written and researched story illuminates such an interesting period of history, I found the tone to be a bit too scholarly for a casual read.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A thorough and readable biography of a woman I didn't know existed, but who was an important invisible woman in the background of one of the nineteenth century's biggest authors.
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/day-550-the-invisible-woman-the-story-of-charles-dickens-and-nelly-ternan/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/day-550-the-invisible-woman-the-story-of-charles-dickens-and-nelly-ternan/
First, goodreads needs to implement a feature wherein we can rate the beginning, middle, and end of books, because if that were the case, my rating for this book would definitely end on a 5... Here is my advice-if you are a tried and true lover of all things Dickens and, therefore, would rather him stay on the Victorian pedestal you have placed him on--skip this read! If you aren't, if you are more like me (a person who always likes knowing that even those we admire the most had their flaws,) then get this book from the library and read on. The first few chapters give a lot of background on Victorian and even some pre-Victorian theatre history and famous actors, but the rest of the book focuses on what many have been able to piece together about the relationship between one Ellen Ternan and Charles Dickens. The sleuthing becomes more impressive-and believable-as you progress.