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thorney's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny
sienna1508's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
3.0
I had to read this book for school, and I found it quite enjoyable - more than some other books for school 😅. I did kinda find the ending to be a bit confusing, but I will have to give it some more thought...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
gkcnoble's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.75
[Torvald] HELMER.
[following her]. Come, come, my little skylark must not droop her wings. What is this! Is my little squirrel out of temper? [Taking out his purse.] Nora, what do you think I have got here?
NORA.
[turning round quickly]. Money!
HELMER.
There you are. [Gives her some money.] Do you think I don’t know what a lot is wanted for housekeeping at Christmas-time?
NORA.
[counting]. Ten shillings—a pound—two pounds! Thank you, thank you, Torvald; that will keep me going for a long time.
HELMER. Indeed it must.
NORA.
Yes, yes, it will. But come here and let me show you what I have bought. And all so cheap! Look, here is a new suit for Ivar, and a sword; and a horse and a trumpet for Bob; and a doll and dolly’s bedstead for Emmy,—they are very plain, but anyway she will soon break them in pieces. And here are dress-lengths and handkerchiefs for the maids; old Anne ought really to have something better.
Pp 6
In A Doll’s House Ibsen explores the complexities of the Victorian era through Torvald and Nora Helmer’s porcelain marriage. Ibsen’s play serves as a brutal metaphor for the fragile nature of the Victorian patriarchal society, highlighting the constraints placed on women's autonomy. Ibsen red-flags the obstacles women face in surviving a legal system that predominantly favours men in areas such as marriage, divorce, financial control, and child custody. Nora, for instance, assumes the role of a brainless, superficial wife to meet her husband's expectations, all the while secretly borrowing money to maintain the family's financial stability. As expected, men are not exempted from the patriarchal belief system, which hinders individuals like Torvald from loving Nora as an equal. He diminishes Nora’s sex, labels her a ‘skylark’, a ‘squirrel’, and ‘sweet little spendthrift’, and then emotionally blackmails her when she points out his flaws. In Torvald’s eyes, Nora is both a pretty doll satisfying his caprices and a nail upholding the androcentric hierarchy. However, by the play's conclusion, Nora outwits Torvald, no longer allowing herself to be subjected to his tyranny.
Ibsen’s play embodies the ‘undomesticated’ spirit of renowned feminist and advocate of women's rights, Mary Wollstonecraft (1792), who once said: "I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves."
[following her]. Come, come, my little skylark must not droop her wings. What is this! Is my little squirrel out of temper? [Taking out his purse.] Nora, what do you think I have got here?
NORA.
[turning round quickly]. Money!
HELMER.
There you are. [Gives her some money.] Do you think I don’t know what a lot is wanted for housekeeping at Christmas-time?
NORA.
[counting]. Ten shillings—a pound—two pounds! Thank you, thank you, Torvald; that will keep me going for a long time.
HELMER. Indeed it must.
NORA.
Yes, yes, it will. But come here and let me show you what I have bought. And all so cheap! Look, here is a new suit for Ivar, and a sword; and a horse and a trumpet for Bob; and a doll and dolly’s bedstead for Emmy,—they are very plain, but anyway she will soon break them in pieces. And here are dress-lengths and handkerchiefs for the maids; old Anne ought really to have something better.
Pp 6
In A Doll’s House Ibsen explores the complexities of the Victorian era through Torvald and Nora Helmer’s porcelain marriage. Ibsen’s play serves as a brutal metaphor for the fragile nature of the Victorian patriarchal society, highlighting the constraints placed on women's autonomy. Ibsen red-flags the obstacles women face in surviving a legal system that predominantly favours men in areas such as marriage, divorce, financial control, and child custody. Nora, for instance, assumes the role of a brainless, superficial wife to meet her husband's expectations, all the while secretly borrowing money to maintain the family's financial stability. As expected, men are not exempted from the patriarchal belief system, which hinders individuals like Torvald from loving Nora as an equal. He diminishes Nora’s sex, labels her a ‘skylark’, a ‘squirrel’, and ‘sweet little spendthrift’, and then emotionally blackmails her when she points out his flaws. In Torvald’s eyes, Nora is both a pretty doll satisfying his caprices and a nail upholding the androcentric hierarchy. However, by the play's conclusion, Nora outwits Torvald, no longer allowing herself to be subjected to his tyranny.
Ibsen’s play embodies the ‘undomesticated’ spirit of renowned feminist and advocate of women's rights, Mary Wollstonecraft (1792), who once said: "I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Classism, Grief, and Sexism
roxanne_beznosiuk's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Read it for school. Was rather enjoyable :3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness
Minor: Classism, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Sexual content
booksanna's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As someone who does not particularly consume Classical books for enjoyment, but for more knowledge, this book brought me neither. Although I loved the character plot and development in the book, I felt that the ending fell flat and undelivered the great meaning of realizing the purpose of your life. I did enjoy the lesson about staying true to yourself, however its delivery could be more skillfully explored. I also felt that the shortness of the book really limited the author’s ability to deliver the story to its full potential. Although I did enjoy reading this, it could have been executed better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexism
phantomgecko's review against another edition
sad
fast-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
5.0
But no! Instead, against all my expectations, my girl dropped him and decided to live for herself.
This play is from the 70s. The 1870s. And wow.
Ibsen denied this was a feminist work, but...idk death of the author and whatever.
5 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
onyxisalive's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible book. The development of the main character Nora accepting the truth of her life and seeking to correct her ignorance is amazing to read. Through the book you see her subtle notice of the truth of her life and a desire to be more independent- the plot of the book just seeks to draw out those qualities and force her to confront them, this book handles this task incredibly well and brings about an interesting conclusion.
One thing I love as well, is that her husband isn’t painted as a villain, in the conclusion it becomes clear that he is just as ignorant as she is (albeit in a different way) he just hasn’t fully come to realise this yet.
The other characters in this book are also really interesting (with the exception of the forgettable doctor Rank).
This book does have flaws though. Mainly being that reading the environment descriptions does feel akin to reading someone’s shopping list, however the book is really good overall and this doesn’t really worsen the experience of reading this book for me. There are other ways this book isn’t perfect (which I won’t touch on), but all in all it is amazing.
Overall, very good plot with interesting characters and an important message (very ahead of its time). Would definitely recommend this book.
One thing I love as well, is that her husband isn’t painted as a villain, in the conclusion it becomes clear that he is just as ignorant as she is (albeit in a different way) he just hasn’t fully come to realise this yet.
The other characters in this book are also really interesting (with the exception of the forgettable doctor Rank).
This book does have flaws though. Mainly being that reading the environment descriptions does feel akin to reading someone’s shopping list, however the book is really good overall and this doesn’t really worsen the experience of reading this book for me. There are other ways this book isn’t perfect (which I won’t touch on), but all in all it is amazing.
Overall, very good plot with interesting characters and an important message (very ahead of its time). Would definitely recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment and Death of parent
ashley_1206's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
honestly i expected so much more from the way my teacher was hyping this book up. i was highly disappointed i think it was just so mid. like the mc annoyed me and so did all the characters and i feel like the ending was so meh. i cant wait to do a project on this bc i was already analyzing as i read so yeah. but anyways it was mid!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
theaceofpages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I can't say I was a big fan of this book. The characters were annoying and the writing didn't particularly captivate me. I can, however, admire what this work set out to do and the extremally unusual and complex female representation for the time. I can, for example, admire Nora's strength even though I don't like her. I do wonder how much of that is her having to suppress herself because of the times and bow things have changed since. I do also wonder how much of that was narrative choice (I listened to an audiobook. While this was of high quality, I did get annoyed at the ways the characters spoke at times). I can see why some people love this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Classism
bookerbride's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Xenophobia