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eososray's review against another edition
5.0
I ended up reading East Lynne with one of my book groups and hated it. Because of that it was recommended I read Thomas Hardy and George Gissing. So, I started with this one and it was splendid.
The two main protagonists are Monica Madden and Rhoda Nunn, one not ready to give up the conventions of a safe marriage and one determined against it absolutely. This book is their story, of marriage, loneliness, heartbreak and the emergence of the "New Woman".
I am a fan of any book with great female characters, ones that have a mind of their own and are independent and capable. I'm even okay with female characters who are moving toward such an attitude even if they aren't already there. And within this book I found one of each type. Both of whom I really liked. Their trails and tribulations made for a great story and I look forward to reading more from this author.
*A small note about the audiobook, it was a download from Librivox and read entirely by Elizabeth Klett. If anyone has listened to these free audio recording, you know that they are not all equal, but this particular one was very good, the narrator did a good job of the voices and sounds quite professional.
The two main protagonists are Monica Madden and Rhoda Nunn, one not ready to give up the conventions of a safe marriage and one determined against it absolutely. This book is their story, of marriage, loneliness, heartbreak and the emergence of the "New Woman".
I am a fan of any book with great female characters, ones that have a mind of their own and are independent and capable. I'm even okay with female characters who are moving toward such an attitude even if they aren't already there. And within this book I found one of each type. Both of whom I really liked. Their trails and tribulations made for a great story and I look forward to reading more from this author.
*A small note about the audiobook, it was a download from Librivox and read entirely by Elizabeth Klett. If anyone has listened to these free audio recording, you know that they are not all equal, but this particular one was very good, the narrator did a good job of the voices and sounds quite professional.
readindigo's review
3.0
Started off really strong but was rather difficult to find the desire to finish. 3 stars. Great themes but just rather unenjoyable.
lindenblatt's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
5.0
George Gissing is amazing. I loved this.
A really powerful story about women fighting against their so-called “duty”: marriage. Such emotive passages on the plight of marriage and how it isn’t always the best option for women in the Victorian period, despite it helping them to socially advance and become financially secure.
I was quite annoyed by how Monica’s story ended, seemed quite unusual compared to the rest of this radical story, but overall a really great book.
A really powerful story about women fighting against their so-called “duty”: marriage. Such emotive passages on the plight of marriage and how it isn’t always the best option for women in the Victorian period, despite it helping them to socially advance and become financially secure.
I was quite annoyed by how Monica’s story ended, seemed quite unusual compared to the rest of this radical story, but overall a really great book.
elias123's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
mooka's review
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Coming at the tail end of the victorian era, this book provides various perspectives of gender roles and expectations of women during this era. These various POVs, does beg the question- what is Gissing wanting us to understand from his perspective?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Classism, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism
annebennett1957's review
4.0
Written in the 1890s about women and how marriage usually works against them. An astonishingly feminist book for the time period in which it was written and published.
kristinana's review
4.0
This novel was surprisingly good. I was expecting something more like a polemic, something in which the Issues were more important than the story. But what I got instead was surprisingly readable, well-written, and even quite suspenseful. (Okay, not in a thriller kind of way, but in a Victorian marriage plot kind of way.)
Unlike an Issue novel like Ruth (oh, Elizabeth Gaskell, I like you, but that novel has some problems!), where the protagonist is primarily a bland vehicle for making a point, The Odd Women has interesting, flawed, complex characters who sometimes make poor choices. It also has some characters that verge on being one-dimensional -- such as Mr. Widdowson -- but even he has moments in which you sympathize with him. Almost all of the characters appear as though they'll be one-dimensional, but then they surprise you -- particularly the two main female characters, Rhoda and Monica. Although each one is designed to demonstrate a "type" of unmarried woman -- one with an intellectual disdain for the institution and the other who sees it as her only real option for an easy life -- Gissing takes both of them in unexpected directions. In the process, he makes one of the strongest cases for female equality that I've read in a Victorian novel, openly criticizing Ruskin's idea of separate spheres and arguing for female education and intellectual development as well as personal freedom and employment opportunities. He may not have all the answers or be able to envision a strong alternative to marriage, but Gissing never -- not even in the ending, where critics often complain Victorian novels become conservative -- backs away from his conviction that without true, mutual understanding and belief in equality, love cannot exist.
Unlike an Issue novel like Ruth (oh, Elizabeth Gaskell, I like you, but that novel has some problems!), where the protagonist is primarily a bland vehicle for making a point, The Odd Women has interesting, flawed, complex characters who sometimes make poor choices. It also has some characters that verge on being one-dimensional -- such as Mr. Widdowson -- but even he has moments in which you sympathize with him. Almost all of the characters appear as though they'll be one-dimensional, but then they surprise you -- particularly the two main female characters, Rhoda and Monica. Although each one is designed to demonstrate a "type" of unmarried woman -- one with an intellectual disdain for the institution and the other who sees it as her only real option for an easy life -- Gissing takes both of them in unexpected directions. In the process, he makes one of the strongest cases for female equality that I've read in a Victorian novel, openly criticizing Ruskin's idea of separate spheres and arguing for female education and intellectual development as well as personal freedom and employment opportunities. He may not have all the answers or be able to envision a strong alternative to marriage, but Gissing never -- not even in the ending, where critics often complain Victorian novels become conservative -- backs away from his conviction that without true, mutual understanding and belief in equality, love cannot exist.
olivethebooks's review against another edition
5.0
An instant favorite. I picked it up from the library on a whim. It looked like a really obscure Victorian classic and I barely skimmed the title before adding it to my pile. I left it for about a year - the luxury of having 20 three week renewals - pursuing other books with more eye catching covers in the meantime. If I can find this in a really nice edition I will definitely buy myself a copy.
This is such an understated book and I also can't believe it was written by a man in the 1890's! It's definitely not that stuffy Victorian image you might conjure up. It's incredibly forward thinking and radical for the time. The characters were very well written and I did worry it was going to be all social commentary with a very slow, dragging plot. It was not. I was gripped. I had a couple days of work where I was exhausted from reading it so late into the night because I absolutely did not want to put it down. I'm still enamored with this book and part of that is because I totally wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much. There were lovely insights into aspects of Victorian society that are usually left out completely or glossed over in other novels of the time but not in such a way that you feel like you're reading non-fiction.
I was really dismayed that Rhoda and Everard never reconcile and end up together, but I think I would have been far more upset had they done so because I'm not convinced it was a good match long term and I like a healthy dose of realism.
This book is about women, feminism, marriage, Victorian patriarchal society, and the unmarried women who are outliers in that society.
This is such an understated book and I also can't believe it was written by a man in the 1890's! It's definitely not that stuffy Victorian image you might conjure up. It's incredibly forward thinking and radical for the time. The characters were very well written and I did worry it was going to be all social commentary with a very slow, dragging plot. It was not. I was gripped. I had a couple days of work where I was exhausted from reading it so late into the night because I absolutely did not want to put it down. I'm still enamored with this book and part of that is because I totally wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much. There were lovely insights into aspects of Victorian society that are usually left out completely or glossed over in other novels of the time but not in such a way that you feel like you're reading non-fiction.
Spoiler
I was really dismayed that Rhoda and Everard never reconcile and end up together, but I think I would have been far more upset had they done so because I'm not convinced it was a good match long term and I like a healthy dose of realism.
This book is about women, feminism, marriage, Victorian patriarchal society, and the unmarried women who are outliers in that society.
joann_l's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0