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ophelia_wears_black 's review for:
Gentleman Jack: A Biography of Anne Lister, Regency Landowner, Seducer and Secret Diarist
by Katy Derbyshire, Angela Steidele
The only reason this book did not receive 5 stars is because by the end of it I had grown exceptionally disillusioned with its subject - the infamous Anne Lister herself, which, in my opinion, means that the biographer, Angela Steidele, did an excellent job of depicting Anne as a fascinating but real person, not often in the most favourable of lights, but attempting to remain objective throughout.
The narrative takes us along for a ride, through the darkest crevices of Anne Lister's extraordinary diaries. The reason I say they are "extraordinary" is that Anne Lister, an occasionally redeemable narcissist, wrote down in minute detail her daily routine and the goings on in the world around her, placing herself at the centre of a period in British history, which many have found fascinating.
Whilst I personally started this book expecting to immediately fall in love with the dashing and debonair character of Miss Lister (due to my unrelenting love for historical and modern LGBT biographies and the powerful stories they often tell), I found instead a conceited and self-serving individual, who was, above all, terrible at being a successful landowner, which is what she seems to be esteemed for by fans. In fact, most of her time appears to be spent abroad, attempting to woo this lady of the aristocracy or that.
I would highly recommend this book due to its historical accuracy and the attempt to delve deeper into what is, for the most part, an unsympathetic character. Although, like me, you may not like Miss Lister by the end of it, you would be able to appreciate her unwavering devotion to her freedom and prosperity, as well as her brash sense of identity.
The narrative takes us along for a ride, through the darkest crevices of Anne Lister's extraordinary diaries. The reason I say they are "extraordinary" is that Anne Lister, an occasionally redeemable narcissist, wrote down in minute detail her daily routine and the goings on in the world around her, placing herself at the centre of a period in British history, which many have found fascinating.
Whilst I personally started this book expecting to immediately fall in love with the dashing and debonair character of Miss Lister (due to my unrelenting love for historical and modern LGBT biographies and the powerful stories they often tell), I found instead a conceited and self-serving individual, who was, above all, terrible at being a successful landowner, which is what she seems to be esteemed for by fans. In fact, most of her time appears to be spent abroad, attempting to woo this lady of the aristocracy or that.
I would highly recommend this book due to its historical accuracy and the attempt to delve deeper into what is, for the most part, an unsympathetic character. Although, like me, you may not like Miss Lister by the end of it, you would be able to appreciate her unwavering devotion to her freedom and prosperity, as well as her brash sense of identity.