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kdayshauthor 's review for:
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister
by Anne Choma
I was lucky to finish my first watch of Series 1 of Gentleman Jack a week before Series 2 began, so I managed to get straight into it without having to wait around too much for new episodes. I absolutely adored it; it is one of the best historical pieces I've watched with amazing writing, beautifully nuanced characters (from true people), and really gets into the important issues of the era, alongside very timeless themes. The queer representation is the cherry on top. It's also incredibly moving and funny and sweet.
This book is a wonderful companion to it. It only covers a short segment of Anne Lister's amazing life but shows how she defied gender and sexuality norms of the period, dressing in a 'masculine' way, taking command of the day-to-day runnings of her estate, and planning to marry a woman. She wonderfully navigated social and cultural and political spheres, while flirting and having sexual relations with many women of society over her life. And she also left an amazing, huge diary, detailing everything in her days. Which is an absolute treasure of history. Rarely do we get that level of detail in a certain era.
I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this look at her words. It's not just about the big parts of her era but things you don't always hear about – the little things like prices of items, daily thoughts about clothing and attitudes and agriculture, and also candid discussions of sex and periods and intimate relationships and mental health (some of which are originally in code). Her writing is beautiful and honest, and the book itself, guiding the reader around the intimidating amount of content, is wonderful and exciting, as much as any fiction book about the period.
I highly recommend both the BBC series and this companion book.
This book is a wonderful companion to it. It only covers a short segment of Anne Lister's amazing life but shows how she defied gender and sexuality norms of the period, dressing in a 'masculine' way, taking command of the day-to-day runnings of her estate, and planning to marry a woman. She wonderfully navigated social and cultural and political spheres, while flirting and having sexual relations with many women of society over her life. And she also left an amazing, huge diary, detailing everything in her days. Which is an absolute treasure of history. Rarely do we get that level of detail in a certain era.
I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this look at her words. It's not just about the big parts of her era but things you don't always hear about – the little things like prices of items, daily thoughts about clothing and attitudes and agriculture, and also candid discussions of sex and periods and intimate relationships and mental health (some of which are originally in code). Her writing is beautiful and honest, and the book itself, guiding the reader around the intimidating amount of content, is wonderful and exciting, as much as any fiction book about the period.
I highly recommend both the BBC series and this companion book.