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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5
A Victorian book in which the idea of marriage is doubted, where women try to change the rules of work and without the predictable end, in other words a gem.
Very interesting character study, with different kinds of non-conforming traits.
Could be great in a reread.
A Victorian book in which the idea of marriage is doubted, where women try to change the rules of work and without the predictable end, in other words a gem.
Very interesting character study, with different kinds of non-conforming traits.
Could be great in a reread.
I thought this would be better. It started off quite well with Gissing drawing up several female characters, some sought to redefine the role of women in Victorian society, others suffered hardships because of there being so few avenues open to them. Yet for all his ideas about the role of women, marriage, societal constraints and whether they could lead meaningful lives outside of marriage, all of his characters end up behaving in stereotypical ways. I don't think he quite believed in his characters, they were not particularly well developed and this is why I found the book disappointing by the end.
I found this a very interesting novel to read, but I never fully sympathised or connected to the characters. The premise and plot of the novel were very different to anything I'd read previously, which I loved, but I just never felt a connection to the characters and what they were going through. I'm looking forward to studying this novel though as the novel focuses on themes such as marriage, gender and female independence, and I'd recommend if you like Victorian lit and are looking for something different from the later part of the period.
A fascinating look at gender roles in late Victorian society. Longer review and rating to come.
I purchased this one on the recommendation of a friend and then allowed to languish for years. To be honest, I finally picked it up off the shelf because I wanted something short. This was weightier than expected, with surprising and amazing commentary on women’s roles in the late Victorian era. George Gissing was a feminist who thought deeply about the roles and restrictions his world offered and wrote a compelling and empathetic novel about them. The characters are believable and flawed but their motivations are clear and their actions (however sad or ill-advised) make sense. I loved that Gissing focused on the lower but educated class of women, who had so little choice in what to do with their lives, and gave them fierceness and determination and told so many different stories about them.
Forget about Edith Wharton - this the best, most ahead-of-its-time, social commentary book I have read in a long, long time, if not ever. How come it wasn't on my radar before? It speaks about women's equality in a way that makes it incredible that it was written in the freaking 1800s. If only, the fact that it was makes it even more refreshing - because these are problems that we're already aware of but we still haven't managed to resolve, seeing it all discussed like it's new and devoid of connotations... well, it makes a change from all the angry-sounding articles on my Facebook feed, that's for sure. I guess the contrast should feel depressing, but the book is the one that reads surprisingly modern, so I had to keep reminding myself that we have truly come a long way in most of these respects. Just look at quote:
"True. But a free union presupposes equality of position. No honest man would propose it, for instance, to a woman incapable of understanding all it involved, or incapable of resuming her separate life if that became desirable."
This is GOLD, people. Read it!
"True. But a free union presupposes equality of position. No honest man would propose it, for instance, to a woman incapable of understanding all it involved, or incapable of resuming her separate life if that became desirable."
This is GOLD, people. Read it!
i liked this at a four star level throughout but the ending made me want to give it five stars.... i feel like this isn't a particularly often experience i have with books so that's interesting. the novel itself is very good at creating extremely vivid and complex characters!!
In general, I am a thoroughly modern literature girl - but I absolutely loved The Odd Women. The only reason it didn't get the full five stars was purely to do with sheer length of the novel (although it never drags). I can't recommend it enough: its social commentary is fascinating, and it feels at times, both in terms of its themes and the roundedness of its female characters, incredibly modern.
(Additionally, "marriage in general is such a humbug" is going down as one of my all-time favourite quotes.)
(Additionally, "marriage in general is such a humbug" is going down as one of my all-time favourite quotes.)