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buta_comes_home's review against another edition
4.0
Phyllis Rose writes about 5 well documented marriages of varying kinds in an era we have some distance from but believe we understand the rules of.
What I enjoyed most (aside from random details wonderfully presented - although sometimes the narrative can be dense, the voice sometimes not quite enough to engage) was the style of biography where each couple is at the centre, neither party being prioritised.
Overall Phyllis Rose captures the parallel nature of two individuals living together in a way I’m surprised hasn’t been employed more often since. There is an argument here but the main impression I’ve got from Parallel Lives is patterns of people and marriages, and what can happen possibly in any era with a marriage.
(I have to admit I’ll need to come back to this one if I find myself in a relationship as some things I recognise but find less relevant at the moment. I live in the UK so the society / culture and attitude to marriage would be more relevant than it might perhaps be to another nation.)
What I enjoyed most (aside from random details wonderfully presented - although sometimes the narrative can be dense, the voice sometimes not quite enough to engage) was the style of biography where each couple is at the centre, neither party being prioritised.
Overall Phyllis Rose captures the parallel nature of two individuals living together in a way I’m surprised hasn’t been employed more often since. There is an argument here but the main impression I’ve got from Parallel Lives is patterns of people and marriages, and what can happen possibly in any era with a marriage.
(I have to admit I’ll need to come back to this one if I find myself in a relationship as some things I recognise but find less relevant at the moment. I live in the UK so the society / culture and attitude to marriage would be more relevant than it might perhaps be to another nation.)
dianais's review against another edition
4.0
Although it has taken me a long time to read, I have grown fond of this book. The chapters about George Eliot and Jane Carlyle were what changed my mind. What began as random stories about famous Victorian couples, turned into a bit of a analysis on traditional marriage and relationships.
I added a fourth star to my review since, after reading the chapters I mentioned, I resolved to go back and read everything else again, sometime. :)
I added a fourth star to my review since, after reading the chapters I mentioned, I resolved to go back and read everything else again, sometime. :)
bookslovejenna's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Five things about Parallel Lives by Phyllis Rose 5/5⭐️s
1. This book was so entirely my kind of book. It may not be for everyone though.
2. Each long chapter is a detailed, minutely researched, biography of a Victorian marriage.
3. It’s an exploration of gender roles, romance, separation, abuse, oppression of women, and male pomposity and privilege in the Victorian era. Don’t get me wrong, some the men come off as truly delightful human beings and done of the women are stifling and cruel but by and large these marriages are vehicles for male dominance and female entrapment…two necessary evils to keep that era thriving.
4. All the couples explored are well known artists, philosophers, and authors of the era.
5. I found each chapter more fascinating than the next and will definitely return to this book for both research and enjoyment.
1. This book was so entirely my kind of book. It may not be for everyone though.
2. Each long chapter is a detailed, minutely researched, biography of a Victorian marriage.
3. It’s an exploration of gender roles, romance, separation, abuse, oppression of women, and male pomposity and privilege in the Victorian era. Don’t get me wrong, some the men come off as truly delightful human beings and done of the women are stifling and cruel but by and large these marriages are vehicles for male dominance and female entrapment…two necessary evils to keep that era thriving.
4. All the couples explored are well known artists, philosophers, and authors of the era.
5. I found each chapter more fascinating than the next and will definitely return to this book for both research and enjoyment.