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A review by bella_mckinnon
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Firstly some good things: the chapter subheadings helped to keep me on track when reading this (as I got lost at times); there were some humorous parts like when Moses got scammed at the fair, etc.
Reasons I didn't really enjoy it all that much though: I thought the writing dragged on in parts and that this book could have been even shorter; there is, due to the time this was written, blatant sexism throughout which is just unappealing for me to read; the story had me thoroughly disinterested shortly after I started reading; the tone was at times arrogant and I couldn't really sympathise with the main characters; the poems that feature every now and then were uninspired and predictable; it wasn't even that funny? or perhaps I just didn't pick up on a lot of it due to Goldsmith and I being from times and cultures almost 300 years apart; and interestingly, while the book boasts the Christian morality of the vicar, I rarely noted how exactly it helped him to be resilient amidst all his struggles – it was clear he was religious, i.e he had long sermons, claimed 'philosophy was weak' and religion superior, and so on, but I didn't get much else. I would have liked to have learned more about how his faith helped him.
Overall it wasn't my favourite read, wouldn't read it again.
Reasons I didn't really enjoy it all that much though: I thought the writing dragged on in parts and that this book could have been even shorter; there is, due to the time this was written, blatant sexism throughout which is just unappealing for me to read; the story had me thoroughly disinterested shortly after I started reading; the tone was at times arrogant and I couldn't really sympathise with the main characters; the poems that feature every now and then were uninspired and predictable; it wasn't even that funny? or perhaps I just didn't pick up on a lot of it due to Goldsmith and I being from times and cultures almost 300 years apart; and interestingly, while the book boasts the Christian morality of the vicar, I rarely noted how exactly it helped him to be resilient amidst all his struggles – it was clear he was religious, i.e he had long sermons, claimed 'philosophy was weak' and religion superior, and so on, but I didn't get much else. I would have liked to have learned more about how his faith helped him.
Overall it wasn't my favourite read, wouldn't read it again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
The girls tend to be described for their 'breeding' capabilities, be dim-witted, immature, emotional, bad at critical thinking, vacuous, and so on. There is a point where I'm pretty sure one of the daughters is married off without her full consent so... Anyway, on the other hand, the men generally are smarter, more interesting, more stoic and calm, and so on. They're just subtlety presented as being better, and aren't nearly objectified as much as the women are.