A review by alorajade
The Odd Women by George Gissing

5.0

Gissing takes you on a journey of how women who don’t conform to the societal standards of the latter half of the Victorian Period, use their smarts, stand up for what they believe and deviate between roles of domestic vs non-domestic tradition and marriage. As Rhoda Nunn herself claims “so many odd women” - as the title suggests - meaning the women who do not conform to the societal standards during the Victorian Era and women who don’t necessarily marry. During the narrative (focusing mostly on Rhoda and Monica) the women deal with emotional battles within the realm of love and friendship. Going so far as to question ones own beliefs. Even so, Gissing’s 1893 novel opens up the conversation about The New Woman and what it means to step outside of societies traditional norms. A truly phenomenal novel.