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A review by paperbacksandpines
Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages by Phyllis Rose
4.0
Am I the only one that is surprised that this book was written in the 80s?
I can appreciate this book on multiple levels. I bought this book because I was interested in the biographies of 5 Victorian couples. I had mistakenly assumed that the marriages focused on in this book would be happy ones but rather, they were kind of a mixed bag. However, this didn't decrease my enjoyment of the book.
I think the author's main purpose in writing this book was to view these marriages through a feminist lens. One of these marriages was doomed from the start, one marriage wasn't an equal partnership by rather a willing slave/master partnership, another wasn't even a marriage in actuality but rather a common law marriage or "marriage of the hearts and mind." It was both enlightening and disheartening to read the stories of these marriages. It made me wonder how many regular, everyday marriages resembled one of the ones chronicled in this book. Women at this time weren't faced with a lot of options. They had to consider money and how they would be cared for (and by whom). They didn't usually have the option to remain single (if they wanted to ) or get married (if they weren't considered eligible enough). I was particularly affected by George Eliot's plight and the rock and the hard place she was put in when it came to choosing between love or her reputation.
I found Rose's mentions of Christianity and faith to be garbage, especially when she put things she disagreed with in quotes and then clearly veered off the path by inserting her unwanted opinion instead of sticking to the narrative.
An unintended consequence of reading this book has led me to being interested in watching Effie Gray again, perhaps this time without a more one sided view, as well as checking out all of George Eliot's books looking for themes that were most important to her. In addition, I still want to check out [b:The Carlyles at Home|2662175|The Carlyles at Home|Thea Holme|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348315963l/2662175._SX50_.jpg|2687401], although now with the knowledge that their marriage wasn't the happiest of unions.
I can appreciate this book on multiple levels. I bought this book because I was interested in the biographies of 5 Victorian couples. I had mistakenly assumed that the marriages focused on in this book would be happy ones but rather, they were kind of a mixed bag. However, this didn't decrease my enjoyment of the book.
I think the author's main purpose in writing this book was to view these marriages through a feminist lens. One of these marriages was doomed from the start, one marriage wasn't an equal partnership by rather a willing slave/master partnership, another wasn't even a marriage in actuality but rather a common law marriage or "marriage of the hearts and mind." It was both enlightening and disheartening to read the stories of these marriages. It made me wonder how many regular, everyday marriages resembled one of the ones chronicled in this book. Women at this time weren't faced with a lot of options. They had to consider money and how they would be cared for (and by whom). They didn't usually have the option to remain single (if they wanted to ) or get married (if they weren't considered eligible enough). I was particularly affected by George Eliot's plight and the rock and the hard place she was put in when it came to choosing between love or her reputation.
I found Rose's mentions of Christianity and faith to be garbage, especially when she put things she disagreed with in quotes and then clearly veered off the path by inserting her unwanted opinion instead of sticking to the narrative.
An unintended consequence of reading this book has led me to being interested in watching Effie Gray again, perhaps this time without a more one sided view, as well as checking out all of George Eliot's books looking for themes that were most important to her. In addition, I still want to check out [b:The Carlyles at Home|2662175|The Carlyles at Home|Thea Holme|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348315963l/2662175._SX50_.jpg|2687401], although now with the knowledge that their marriage wasn't the happiest of unions.