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wolfsonarchitect's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful book airing early feminist views - remarkable for a male Victorian writer. The characters have well drawn depth and the plot moves along.
traamvoong's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Insightful and so painfully relevant to the current state of feminism despite being published a whole two centuries before now. It is long and there are many plots surrounding different complex relationships, not just between men and women and of course the discourse about equality between the two, but also female friendships, companionship, family.
eososray's review against another edition
5.0
I ended up reading East Lynne with one of my book groups and hated it. Because of that it was recommended I read Thomas Hardy and George Gissing. So, I started with this one and it was splendid.
The two main protagonists are Monica Madden and Rhoda Nunn, one not ready to give up the conventions of a safe marriage and one determined against it absolutely. This book is their story, of marriage, loneliness, heartbreak and the emergence of the "New Woman".
I am a fan of any book with great female characters, ones that have a mind of their own and are independent and capable. I'm even okay with female characters who are moving toward such an attitude even if they aren't already there. And within this book I found one of each type. Both of whom I really liked. Their trails and tribulations made for a great story and I look forward to reading more from this author.
*A small note about the audiobook, it was a download from Librivox and read entirely by Elizabeth Klett. If anyone has listened to these free audio recording, you know that they are not all equal, but this particular one was very good, the narrator did a good job of the voices and sounds quite professional.
The two main protagonists are Monica Madden and Rhoda Nunn, one not ready to give up the conventions of a safe marriage and one determined against it absolutely. This book is their story, of marriage, loneliness, heartbreak and the emergence of the "New Woman".
I am a fan of any book with great female characters, ones that have a mind of their own and are independent and capable. I'm even okay with female characters who are moving toward such an attitude even if they aren't already there. And within this book I found one of each type. Both of whom I really liked. Their trails and tribulations made for a great story and I look forward to reading more from this author.
*A small note about the audiobook, it was a download from Librivox and read entirely by Elizabeth Klett. If anyone has listened to these free audio recording, you know that they are not all equal, but this particular one was very good, the narrator did a good job of the voices and sounds quite professional.
readindigo's review against another edition
3.0
Started off really strong but was rather difficult to find the desire to finish. 3 stars. Great themes but just rather unenjoyable.
lindenblatt's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
5.0
George Gissing is amazing. I loved this.
A really powerful story about women fighting against their so-called “duty”: marriage. Such emotive passages on the plight of marriage and how it isn’t always the best option for women in the Victorian period, despite it helping them to socially advance and become financially secure.
I was quite annoyed by how Monica’s story ended, seemed quite unusual compared to the rest of this radical story, but overall a really great book.
A really powerful story about women fighting against their so-called “duty”: marriage. Such emotive passages on the plight of marriage and how it isn’t always the best option for women in the Victorian period, despite it helping them to socially advance and become financially secure.
I was quite annoyed by how Monica’s story ended, seemed quite unusual compared to the rest of this radical story, but overall a really great book.
elias123's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
mooka's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Coming at the tail end of the victorian era, this book provides various perspectives of gender roles and expectations of women during this era. These various POVs, does beg the question- what is Gissing wanting us to understand from his perspective?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism
annebennett1957's review against another edition
4.0
Written in the 1890s about women and how marriage usually works against them. An astonishingly feminist book for the time period in which it was written and published.
kristinana's review against another edition
4.0
This novel was surprisingly good. I was expecting something more like a polemic, something in which the Issues were more important than the story. But what I got instead was surprisingly readable, well-written, and even quite suspenseful. (Okay, not in a thriller kind of way, but in a Victorian marriage plot kind of way.)
Unlike an Issue novel like Ruth (oh, Elizabeth Gaskell, I like you, but that novel has some problems!), where the protagonist is primarily a bland vehicle for making a point, The Odd Women has interesting, flawed, complex characters who sometimes make poor choices. It also has some characters that verge on being one-dimensional -- such as Mr. Widdowson -- but even he has moments in which you sympathize with him. Almost all of the characters appear as though they'll be one-dimensional, but then they surprise you -- particularly the two main female characters, Rhoda and Monica. Although each one is designed to demonstrate a "type" of unmarried woman -- one with an intellectual disdain for the institution and the other who sees it as her only real option for an easy life -- Gissing takes both of them in unexpected directions. In the process, he makes one of the strongest cases for female equality that I've read in a Victorian novel, openly criticizing Ruskin's idea of separate spheres and arguing for female education and intellectual development as well as personal freedom and employment opportunities. He may not have all the answers or be able to envision a strong alternative to marriage, but Gissing never -- not even in the ending, where critics often complain Victorian novels become conservative -- backs away from his conviction that without true, mutual understanding and belief in equality, love cannot exist.
Unlike an Issue novel like Ruth (oh, Elizabeth Gaskell, I like you, but that novel has some problems!), where the protagonist is primarily a bland vehicle for making a point, The Odd Women has interesting, flawed, complex characters who sometimes make poor choices. It also has some characters that verge on being one-dimensional -- such as Mr. Widdowson -- but even he has moments in which you sympathize with him. Almost all of the characters appear as though they'll be one-dimensional, but then they surprise you -- particularly the two main female characters, Rhoda and Monica. Although each one is designed to demonstrate a "type" of unmarried woman -- one with an intellectual disdain for the institution and the other who sees it as her only real option for an easy life -- Gissing takes both of them in unexpected directions. In the process, he makes one of the strongest cases for female equality that I've read in a Victorian novel, openly criticizing Ruskin's idea of separate spheres and arguing for female education and intellectual development as well as personal freedom and employment opportunities. He may not have all the answers or be able to envision a strong alternative to marriage, but Gissing never -- not even in the ending, where critics often complain Victorian novels become conservative -- backs away from his conviction that without true, mutual understanding and belief in equality, love cannot exist.