Reviews

A Bold Stroke for a Wife by Susanna Centlivre

samripley1963's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

sherwoodreads's review against another edition

Aphra Behn was a talented, complex woman who could not be confined to a respectable domestic role, but she was not alone is writing exuberantly subversive comedy of manners.

Centlivre's play first was seen in 1718, and its influence is still felt today. Later in the eighteenth century she was considered too indelicate and bawdy, but it's rollicking good fun.

klabe15's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

wanillaberry's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

 A quick read, and delightfully entertaining. I would love to see a production of this live, especially due to the importance of costuming and disguise for the plot. While an effective satire, it did at times feel a little too formulaic, with the four guardians amounting to little more than extreme archetypes. The characters are quite flat and there is so much comedic potential missed out on. While not very prominent (despite being the central driving force of the play), Anne Lovely is the most interesting character for me. She is incredibly sure of herself and snarky, making her every opinion known and playing along wonderfully with the Colonel's plan. Despite her great characterisation, she is essentially a trophy to be protected/won by the men of the play, and I find it poignant that the "rescue" of Anne amounts to transferring ownership of her from the guardians to the Colonel. 

aliteralfield's review against another edition

challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A humorous novel by Centlivre critiquing the stereotypes of the 18th century . The exaggerated personas of the Guardians comments on the limitations that women had in choosing their own marriage. While being funny it is also highlights the issues of politics, capitalism and religious hypocrisy. 

chinchillameggy1's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective 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? No

3.25

theelliad's review against another edition

3.0

This is actually lowkey a slay????

thecaffeinatedpoet's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

emilylstevens's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ed_moore's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Susanna Centlivre’s play ‘A Bold Stroke for a Wife’ really surprised me. I was expecting it to be just another 18th century work about gender politics but the premise was so interesting and makes a really unique premise to explore. The play follows Colonel Fainwell who is in pursuit of Anne Lovely, though her deceased father left her fortune in the care off four guardians: a beau,  a merchant, a antiquarian and a quaker, each with opposing valued, and therefore making the agreement on a suitor that meets all their demands impossible, and therefore marriage and the fortune being released also impossible. 

‘Bold Stroke for a Wife’ is a play focused on deceit and disguise in order to gain the consent of all four guardians for Fainwell and Anne’s marriage. I enjoyed it, it was witty and an amazing plot idea, whereas I think the play faltered in execution in some means (though I am aware it could be completely different and flow well when performed on stage), whereas reading it some things for Fainwell’s plan to succeed seemed to occur far too conveniently with no questions asked, and each guardian far too oblivious of the situation than characters rooted in reality likely would be. 

On such note, the guardians aren’t so rooted in reality, they are each extreme stereotypes written in a means to criticise the types of men of the age, and in satirising this I felt an opportunity was lost given the play is a serious drama, where I believe the premise of the plot would have been far more effective as a comedy. Also for a story about Anne gaining freedom from her controlling guardians, this freedom is only into another marriage where Fainwell will control her fortune, and though a product of the 18th century I feel that Anne was given such a minor and submissive role in the story where she could’ve been explored so much more. 

Despite my criticisms and beliefs the play fell short in areas, I was still so surprised by this play as I picked it up expecting it to be completely un-noteworthy and a slog, but Centlivre instead completely inverted my expectations and for such my overall opinions on ‘Bold Stroke for a Wife’ are positive.