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A review by hellomei
Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages by Phyllis Rose
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
SO MUCH FUN. i love gossip presented as academic literature, and i love the fuckedupness of the victorian era. i was so invested and entertained that i'd stop to tell friends and family what was going on and i didn't want to finish the book.
quick reviews:
jane & carlyle: jane's arc is a ride and i want to read her published letters/diaries now. love her guilt-tripping. i agree with the author that jane is the true heroine of this book of stories
effie and ruskin: I'M SO GLAD SHE GOT OUT!!! it felt like it was only a matter of time and i'm amazed she did that back when it was so hard to do. ruskin is a manchild. i kind of feel for millais...
taylor and mill: honestly the best one for me, even though george and george are right there. mill's "yes dear" energy is so funny to me. hand in unlovable hand
catherine and dickens: dickens sure is some guy. i feel vindicated that he didn't get the public redemption he wanted lol suck it
eliot and lewes: very sweet actually. i'm so happy eliot found love (and was even able to remarry after) and that they were such a good match. theirs was the healthiest relationship
the author dives into each couple's story in a more nuanced way than my reactionary take can capture, and brings up a lot of thought-provoking stuff about marriage and long-term companionship. this book should probably have convinced me that getting married is a waste of time, but phyllis rose does a good job of emphasizing the good in these narratives, or at least prompting you to ponder how else things could have played out. in the end each of the people in these stories is human, fallible to human emotions and what they drive them to do. rather than dissuading the reader from marriage, phyllis rose makes relationships feel like adventures. i feel more appreciative of my own existing relationships, in all their flawed fullness :)
quick reviews:
effie and ruskin: I'M SO GLAD SHE GOT OUT!!! it felt like it was only a matter of time and i'm amazed she did that back when it was so hard to do. ruskin is a manchild. i kind of feel for millais...
taylor and mill: honestly the best one for me, even though george and george are right there. mill's "yes dear" energy is so funny to me. hand in unlovable hand
catherine and dickens: dickens sure is some guy. i feel vindicated that he didn't get the public redemption he wanted lol suck it
eliot and lewes: very sweet actually. i'm so happy eliot found love (and was even able to remarry after) and that they were such a good match. theirs was the healthiest relationship
the author dives into each couple's story in a more nuanced way than my reactionary take can capture, and brings up a lot of thought-provoking stuff about marriage and long-term companionship. this book should probably have convinced me that getting married is a waste of time, but phyllis rose does a good job of emphasizing the good in these narratives, or at least prompting you to ponder how else things could have played out. in the end each of the people in these stories is human, fallible to human emotions and what they drive them to do. rather than dissuading the reader from marriage, phyllis rose makes relationships feel like adventures. i feel more appreciative of my own existing relationships, in all their flawed fullness :)