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108 reviews for:
Gentleman Jack: A Biography of Anne Lister, Regency Landowner, Seducer and Secret Diarist
Katy Derbyshire, Angela Steidele
3.6 AVERAGE
108 reviews for:
Gentleman Jack: A Biography of Anne Lister, Regency Landowner, Seducer and Secret Diarist
Katy Derbyshire, Angela Steidele
3.6 AVERAGE
Unfortunately, this was a bit dry and very much framed by the biographer's opinions and interests. They mention sections of Anne Lister's diaries that remain uncoordinated, showing that the author used sources decoded by others and did not decide to decode herself and increase the resources at her disposal, which seems an odd decision. Similarly, the focus of many chapters being given to Anne's relationships makes Anne seem a bit one-dimensional, defined by others, and historical documents don't bear out this assumption. I would have loved to read more about Anne as a person and the events of her life outside the relationships she had.
Thos was very much a disappointment, even though I understood that Anne's diaries don't have the benefit of a screenwriter and producer, which helped bring them to life in the TV adaptation.
Thos was very much a disappointment, even though I understood that Anne's diaries don't have the benefit of a screenwriter and producer, which helped bring them to life in the TV adaptation.
Got it for my master’s thesis on Anne Lister’s journals but didn’t read the whole thing through. It’s really good though, maybe i’ll pick it back up sometime soon.
I really wanted to like this biography. I was so ready to like it. I wanted to cover it in stars and queer praise. It is, undoubtedly, thoroughly researched. Certainly, Steidele knows her subject and the material very well, as much as their historical and literary importance. However, and regrettably, it made for a tedious reading experience, especially the passages about their travels. I have learned quite a lot about Anne Lister, which is what I wanted, so overall I am happy I read it. And oh, the cover image in here doesn't do the hardback edition justice. It's stunning.
informative
medium-paced
Really enjoyed reading this account of Anne Lister. Reading her diary entries was insightful, though sometimes they were quoted a bit too much for my liking. The final part of this book focussed on her travels which I thought was done a bit too extensively sometimes as well. Regardless of that, it’s been great to read about LGBTQ+ history in a time period where this usually isn’t covered much. It really makes you see history differently.
"She is another man’s wife. I am solitary."
The deeper I got into this book, the less I liked Anne Lister. To quote the author, she really is a beast of a woman. An egocentric, selfish social climber I truly could not see that she had any heartfelt feelings for anyone except for her namesake Aunt Anne. Even so, this isn't a book about being a good person, or even about love though I suspect that the BBC will sugarcoat the truth in an upcoming drama. Anne Lister was a woman who lived unashamedly true to herself. The simple admission that her lifelong flame was 'another man's wife' is such an honest, modern lament that I wonder just how much we really understand about the gender spectrum in other eras. Though I'm sure that the entirety of the journals are too much for the casual historian, I very much appreciated this snapshot of what proved to be a fascinating, if somewhat wasted, life. 'Neither politics nor business life, neither her studies nor love had brought her success, happiness or satisfaction' yet somehow it seems certain that Anne would be only too satisfied to see both a changed world for lesbians and the esteemed place that her words now have in it.
The deeper I got into this book, the less I liked Anne Lister. To quote the author, she really is a beast of a woman. An egocentric, selfish social climber I truly could not see that she had any heartfelt feelings for anyone except for her namesake Aunt Anne. Even so, this isn't a book about being a good person, or even about love though I suspect that the BBC will sugarcoat the truth in an upcoming drama. Anne Lister was a woman who lived unashamedly true to herself. The simple admission that her lifelong flame was 'another man's wife' is such an honest, modern lament that I wonder just how much we really understand about the gender spectrum in other eras. Though I'm sure that the entirety of the journals are too much for the casual historian, I very much appreciated this snapshot of what proved to be a fascinating, if somewhat wasted, life. 'Neither politics nor business life, neither her studies nor love had brought her success, happiness or satisfaction' yet somehow it seems certain that Anne would be only too satisfied to see both a changed world for lesbians and the esteemed place that her words now have in it.
Really interesting to get to know Anne Lister through her diaries and the story around the people who discovered, de-coded and researched her diaries and life. I think I prefer the fictional Anne Lister in the show Gentleman Jack rather than the real life Anne Lister, she was kind of a dick. Her sureness about herself, her love of women and multiple affairs are still iconic. Meeting the Ladies of Llangollen?? Amazing. Knowing the Bronte sisters? Woah. Travelling here, there and everywhere and meeting royalty and other people of significance?!? That's the kind of life I'd wanna live.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
Anne Lister may be "history's first modern lesbian" but she is also an absolutely terrible person.
Anne Lister may be "history's first modern lesbian" but she is also an absolutely terrible person.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced