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balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Judgment of Eve is the shortest Sinclair book yet in my reading of her entire bibliography. The author sets the scene wonderfully, and introduces the reader at once to protagonist, Aggie. Aggie herself is well-educated, but in true Edwardian fashion, the first quarter of the plot deals with which of her two suitors she will choose to marry. She is rather a progressive woman, willing to work if her fiance's salary fails to rise as he has been promised. Sinclair's prose is shrewd, as ever: 'Nature, safeguarding her own interests, had whispered to Aggie that young ladies who live in Queningford are better without intellects that show'.
After a move to London, the intellect which Aggie prizes above all else disappears once one child after another is born. Our protagonist rises to the challenge of motherhood, but Sinclair makes us aware that it - and the never-ending domesticity which comes with it - is far from a perfect life for Aggie: 'It was as if Nature had conceived a grudge against Aggie, and strove, through maternity, to stamp out her features as an individual'. Sinclair paints the role of the traditional Angel in the House in a very interesting light, essentially turning it on its head.
The Judgment of Eve is a short book, but it unquestionably has a lot of depth to it, and both asks and answers a plethora of question about womankind and their place within the world. Had it not been so brief, I would have definitely given it a five-star rating; regardless, it deserves to be read by a far wider audience.
After a move to London, the intellect which Aggie prizes above all else disappears once one child after another is born. Our protagonist rises to the challenge of motherhood, but Sinclair makes us aware that it - and the never-ending domesticity which comes with it - is far from a perfect life for Aggie: 'It was as if Nature had conceived a grudge against Aggie, and strove, through maternity, to stamp out her features as an individual'. Sinclair paints the role of the traditional Angel in the House in a very interesting light, essentially turning it on its head.
The Judgment of Eve is a short book, but it unquestionably has a lot of depth to it, and both asks and answers a plethora of question about womankind and their place within the world. Had it not been so brief, I would have definitely given it a five-star rating; regardless, it deserves to be read by a far wider audience.
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