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kcourts's review against another edition
3.0
An opinionated man of the cloth tries to keep his family and flock on the path to virtue, but is repeatedly beset by trials and tribulations. There are a good number of homilies and philosophical meanderings thrown in amongst an unbelievable number of entertaining misfortunes.
nadyne's review against another edition
3.0
First sentence: "I was ever of opinion, that the honest man who married and brought up a large family, did more service than he who continued single and only talked of population."
P. 99: "But nothing could now exceed my confusion upon seeing the gentleman and his lady enter; nor was there surprise at finding such company and good cheer less than ours."
Last sentence: "It now only remained that my gratitude in good fortune should exceed my former submission in adversity."
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Summary (Wikipedia):
Dr Primrose, his wife Deborah and their six children live an idyllic life in a country parish. The vicar is wealthy due to investing an inheritance he received from a deceased relative, and the vicar donates the £34 that his job pays annually to local orphans and war veterans. On the evening of his son George's wedding to wealthy Arabella Wilmot, the vicar loses all his money through the bankruptcy of his merchant investor who left town with his money.
The wedding is called off by Arabella's father, who is known for his prudence with money. George, who was educated at Oxford and is old enough to be considered an adult, is sent away to town. The rest of the family move to a new and more humble parish on the land of Squire Thornhill, who is known to be a womanizer. On the way, they hear about the dubious reputation of their new landlord. Also, references are made to the squire's uncle Sir William Thornhill, who is known throughout the country for his worthiness and generosity.
A poor and eccentric friend, Mr. Burchell, whom they meet at an inn, rescues Sophia from drowning. She is instantly attracted to him, but her ambitious mother does not encourage her feelings.
Then follows a period of happy family life, interrupted only by regular visits of the dashing Squire Thornhill and Mr. Burchell. Olivia is captivated by Thornhill's hollow charm, but he also encourages the social ambitions of Mrs. Primrose and her daughters to a ludicrous degree.
Finally, Olivia is reported to have fled. First Burchell is suspected, but after a long pursuit Dr. Primrose finds his daughter, who was in reality deceived by Squire Thornhill. He planned to marry her in a mock ceremony and leave her then shortly after, as he had done with several women before.
When Olivia and her father return home, they find their house in flames. Although the family has lost almost all their belongings, the evil Squire Thornhill insists on the payment of the rent. As the vicar cannot pay, he is brought to gaol.
Afterwards is a chain of dreadful occurrences. The vicar's daughter, Olivia, is reported dead, Sophia is abducted, and George too is brought to gaol in chains and covered with blood, as he had challenged Thornhill to a duel when he had heard about his wickedness.
But then Mr. Burchell arrives and solves all problems. He rescues Sophia, Olivia is not dead, and it emerges that Mr. Burchell is in reality the worthy Sir William Thornhill, who travels through the country in disguise. In the end, there is a double wedding: George marries Arabella, as he originally intended, and Sir William Thornhill marries Sophia. Squire Thornhill's servant turns out to have tricked him, and thus the sham marriage of the Squire and Olivia is real. Finally, even the wealth of the vicar is restored, as the bankrupt merchant is reported to be found.
I found the narrator of this story, Dr. Primrose, a bit too optimistic. Tragedies and bad luck keep happening to his family, and he always (or almost always) keeps cheering everyone up. But I guess this is characteristic for most of the literature from the 18th century.
It is not exactly my favourite kind of read, but I did enjoy some parts of the story and I always find it intriguing to learn more about another age and time.
Other thoughts/reviews:
Reading, Writing, Working, Playing: http://janegs.blogspot.be/2013/10/the-vicar-of-wakefield-wouldve-been.html
P. 99: "But nothing could now exceed my confusion upon seeing the gentleman and his lady enter; nor was there surprise at finding such company and good cheer less than ours."
Last sentence: "It now only remained that my gratitude in good fortune should exceed my former submission in adversity."
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Summary (Wikipedia):
Dr Primrose, his wife Deborah and their six children live an idyllic life in a country parish. The vicar is wealthy due to investing an inheritance he received from a deceased relative, and the vicar donates the £34 that his job pays annually to local orphans and war veterans. On the evening of his son George's wedding to wealthy Arabella Wilmot, the vicar loses all his money through the bankruptcy of his merchant investor who left town with his money.
The wedding is called off by Arabella's father, who is known for his prudence with money. George, who was educated at Oxford and is old enough to be considered an adult, is sent away to town. The rest of the family move to a new and more humble parish on the land of Squire Thornhill, who is known to be a womanizer. On the way, they hear about the dubious reputation of their new landlord. Also, references are made to the squire's uncle Sir William Thornhill, who is known throughout the country for his worthiness and generosity.
A poor and eccentric friend, Mr. Burchell, whom they meet at an inn, rescues Sophia from drowning. She is instantly attracted to him, but her ambitious mother does not encourage her feelings.
Then follows a period of happy family life, interrupted only by regular visits of the dashing Squire Thornhill and Mr. Burchell. Olivia is captivated by Thornhill's hollow charm, but he also encourages the social ambitions of Mrs. Primrose and her daughters to a ludicrous degree.
Finally, Olivia is reported to have fled. First Burchell is suspected, but after a long pursuit Dr. Primrose finds his daughter, who was in reality deceived by Squire Thornhill. He planned to marry her in a mock ceremony and leave her then shortly after, as he had done with several women before.
When Olivia and her father return home, they find their house in flames. Although the family has lost almost all their belongings, the evil Squire Thornhill insists on the payment of the rent. As the vicar cannot pay, he is brought to gaol.
Afterwards is a chain of dreadful occurrences. The vicar's daughter, Olivia, is reported dead, Sophia is abducted, and George too is brought to gaol in chains and covered with blood, as he had challenged Thornhill to a duel when he had heard about his wickedness.
But then Mr. Burchell arrives and solves all problems. He rescues Sophia, Olivia is not dead, and it emerges that Mr. Burchell is in reality the worthy Sir William Thornhill, who travels through the country in disguise. In the end, there is a double wedding: George marries Arabella, as he originally intended, and Sir William Thornhill marries Sophia. Squire Thornhill's servant turns out to have tricked him, and thus the sham marriage of the Squire and Olivia is real. Finally, even the wealth of the vicar is restored, as the bankrupt merchant is reported to be found.
I found the narrator of this story, Dr. Primrose, a bit too optimistic. Tragedies and bad luck keep happening to his family, and he always (or almost always) keeps cheering everyone up. But I guess this is characteristic for most of the literature from the 18th century.
It is not exactly my favourite kind of read, but I did enjoy some parts of the story and I always find it intriguing to learn more about another age and time.
Other thoughts/reviews:
Reading, Writing, Working, Playing: http://janegs.blogspot.be/2013/10/the-vicar-of-wakefield-wouldve-been.html
hayleyashal's review against another edition
3.0
I find it really difficult to give acclaimed classics less than three stars, for some reason I believe that they should be held at a higher regard than other books when that really shouldn't be the case. Honestly, this book was dull and sort of unnecessary. I can see through the plot that it had influences on later novels such as Pride and Prejudice, but I just wasn't gripped by the story. I only really read this because I'm studying its connection to social realism, and it certainly conveyed a historic society and its standards, it also had a great few pages towards the end when the Vicar was being reflective on his society and time. I was also glad the story was not too long, and the prose was not too heavy.
lawrenceevalyn's review
4.0
I knew nothing about this book going it, but it was quite charming! I am, it seems, definitely a sentimental reader. I have never been less persuaded by an argument than I am by the claim that the narrator is unreliable; as far as I can tell, the only evidence for such a reading is "this book's sentimentality is too silly to take seriously", which I reject.
indigodear's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I read this for a class, so I won't be writing a whole review.
I did enjoy reading this book; the chapters are often quite short, and I found a lot of humour in some of them. That being said, the main interest of this book is the double reading one can make of it, because of the unreliability of the narrator. This aspect, though entertaining, didn't captivate my intention that much, and I found myself often wishing I was already done with the story. That might be a side-effect of this being assigned reading as well, so do bear it in mind.
I did enjoy reading this book; the chapters are often quite short, and I found a lot of humour in some of them. That being said, the main interest of this book is the double reading one can make of it, because of the unreliability of the narrator. This aspect, though entertaining, didn't captivate my intention that much, and I found myself often wishing I was already done with the story. That might be a side-effect of this being assigned reading as well, so do bear it in mind.
jersy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While this is a novel following an overarching narrative, it felt very episodic. A lot of the chapter are little tales with a joke and a moral to them, which just isn't my preference. I enjoyed the story of losing ones wealth, making the best of life and trying to provide all the best for ones daughters, but some of the obstacles just made me roll my eyes.
The writing, the voice of our titular vicar, was fun and made him very likable, though I sometimes struggled with knowing what the real opinion of the author was and what satire.
I enjoyed the overall plot and how it was told to me, but not every story and side tangent within.
The writing, the voice of our titular vicar, was fun and made him very likable, though I sometimes struggled with knowing what the real opinion of the author was and what satire.
I enjoyed the overall plot and how it was told to me, but not every story and side tangent within.
erinclements's review against another edition
Current DNF, read for class and only read the minimum amount necessary. May pick up again in the future, we'll see.
teelight's review against another edition
3.0
This is a mostly harmless book. It's a good read if you're looking for a piece from this time. If you're looking for something life altering then read Shamela or A Sentimental Journey.
opheliaandsocrates's review against another edition
3.0
It's weird I absolutely hated this book in the beginning it was so boring and the narrator seemed to go on and on. I wasn't sure what the point of it was and I thought the story was predictable and I didn't even like the story I could predict. But then it slowly began to grow on me. The main character the vicar is inspiring because all these crazy horrible things keep happening to him and his family, at first he loses most of his fortune and has to move to the country to a small cottage and there not really poor they just have to lead a more simple life. Then his daughter is tricked into eloping with there landlord and her father the vicar goes after her and eventually finds her. She was tricked into a fake marriage with there landlord and is now ruined. Later in the book they find out that there landlord is going to marry someone else so the father confronts him and gets thrown in jail. But when I really started to like the vicar was when he started to read his sermons to the prisoners at first they just laugh at him but they eventually start to listen to him and he sort of helps them to learn how to have a better life. I just loved the perseverance of this guy I mean no matter what happens to him he never gives up, he finds good in every situation. He submits himself to God's will and has incredible faith through pretty much everything. This book was definitely a lot better than I was expecting it to be.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review against another edition
3.0
Not every classic story is going to be a five-star read, I guess. I had such high hopes for this book, and for the first half of the book, my hopes were realized. But then I hit the last half, and the story sagged and dragged, and the humor got lost, and it felt like melodrama.
The Vicar of Wakefield is the story of a vicar, his wife, and his children, who live quite comfortably on a sizable inheritance. Things go along quite well until the inheritance is poorly invested and the vicar ends up bankrupt.
Nevertheless, the vicar adjusts to his new circumstances, and the family learns to handle the new ways of life.
But about midway through the story, Goldsmith pulls out all the stops and throws everything disastrous for the family into the plot. It just didn't hold together for me, and the ending seemed exceptionally unlikely.
Overall, a disappointment, one of the few I've had on my Classics Club path.
The Vicar of Wakefield is the story of a vicar, his wife, and his children, who live quite comfortably on a sizable inheritance. Things go along quite well until the inheritance is poorly invested and the vicar ends up bankrupt.
Nevertheless, the vicar adjusts to his new circumstances, and the family learns to handle the new ways of life.
But about midway through the story, Goldsmith pulls out all the stops and throws everything disastrous for the family into the plot. It just didn't hold together for me, and the ending seemed exceptionally unlikely.
Overall, a disappointment, one of the few I've had on my Classics Club path.