The Victorians: familiar and yet quite strange

I enjoyed this book overall, but mainly in an academic way as one studying a foreign country and its customs. The narration by Juliet Stevenson was brilliant and made for a clear understanding of each character.

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1 person found this helpful

Women’s lot in the late 19th century.

This is an extraordinarily feminist book for a Victorian male writer. It is a great insight into the lot of women who are not wealthy and / or beautiful in the late 19th century, Very well read by Juliet Stephenson. The characters really come to life. I had not read any of George Gissings’ books before and on the strength of this, I will read (listen) to more.

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Brilliant dissection of 19th Century marriage

Please, please Juliet Stevenson, narrate more Gissing novels! Brilliant performance. I fell in love, then out of love with Everard Barfoot, swept along by a story line I couldn't predict and memorable characters and dialogue that pointed towards many philosophical and social problems along the way. Bought it on Tuesday, finished by Thursday!

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3 people found this helpful

Perfect audiobook

A superb audiobook. I enjoyed it immensely.Great characterisation and plot. The reading was faultless. Highly recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

"The Clank of the Chain"?

At the end of the 19th century there were half a million more men than women. The resultant many thousands of single 'odd women' lived weary 'half-lives' in boarding houses, working 13-hours days in drapers' shops like Monica, or were confined as companions to elderly ladies, finding themselves on the street when the ladies die; Bella poisons herself when she loses her position; Virginia starves herself of food to afford the cheap gin to which she has become addicted.
Gissing's own two disastrous marriages to working class women permeate his representation of marriage. The two strong single women Rhoda and Mary disdain young girls' determination to marry in order toe escape this seeming 'half-life'; together they run a charitable group teaching young women life skills such as typing which will enable them to make fulfilling contented lives of the mind for themselves, independent of husbands and what Rhoda calls the 'shame' of marriage. The ideal marriage of intellect and mutual respect remains an unattainable ideal. The only happy marriage in the novel is a mere footnote in the story: but even the Micklethwaites living contentedly with the wife's blind sister have achieved their domestic happiness only after 20 years of waiting to marry until they were 'worn' and 'lined,' all for 'want of money'.
The main focus is on Monica, at 21 the youngest of 3 worn down, parentless sisters eking out their working half lives on 3/6 a week for food. Determined to escape this grim future, Monica accepts the unhealthily persistent and possessive Mr Widdowson whom she doesn't love and is twice her age, but who owns a house in Herne Hill. Life following the 'gloomy' and 'bloodless' marriage ceremony is predictably tragic and painful, a microcosm of many such misallied marriages.
There's a great deal more in the other complex strands of the novel as Gissing plays out the issues facing this particular class of women at this time bound by social position, convention and money (or the lack of it) struggling to make meaningful and tolerably happy lives for themselves.
It all sounds rather bleak, but Gissing tackles issues live today even though society has changed, and the whole is engrossing, insightful and powerful - and beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson.

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5 people found this helpful

A book for our times

Well written, compelling story, wonderfully narrated! Don't be put off by the length of this audio - it's a great listen.

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2 people found this helpful

the book is interesting, but the tone of narration is irritating

the narration of the dialogue is much too exaggerated and comedic - it is hard to take seriously.

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1 person found this helpful