Scan barcode
A review by musingswithmiranda
The Odd Women by George Gissing
3.0
George Gissing’s The Odd Women was written in 1893 and is set during the Victorian period in England. This was my first time reading any of Gissing’s work, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was not expecting a male writer during this time to exhibit feminist ideology. The author takes inspiration from “odd women,” or the women who were left over as other men and women married, especially considering that women greatly outnumbered men during this time. However, some of these women simply made this choice of not marrying for themselves.
The Odd Women follows a variety of women who must navigate the expectations society sets for them. Most notably, this includes Alice Madden, Virginia Madden, Monica Madden, Mary Barfoot, and Rhoda Nunn. Gissing uses these characters to explore ideas about marriage and morals while testing the traditional ideas about women’s roles in society. Many believed that women must marry and have nothing else going for them. However, some of these women are “odd women” and use this role to advocate for female emancipation through job training and education. It is interesting to see how Gissing contrasts these main female characters with their different opinions about life and marriage. Readers follow them through many trials and tribulations among themselves and with men, but I personally was rooting for them all in the end.
Gissing’s The Odd Women is not only enjoyable and entertaining but insightful as well. I learned a lot more about “odd women” and feminist views during this time. I appreciated how well-written the novel was as well. However, some parts seemed to drag on and some characters were definitely more likable than others. I was also expecting a bit more out of the ending. Regardless, The Odd Women was a fun and interesting read.
The Odd Women follows a variety of women who must navigate the expectations society sets for them. Most notably, this includes Alice Madden, Virginia Madden, Monica Madden, Mary Barfoot, and Rhoda Nunn. Gissing uses these characters to explore ideas about marriage and morals while testing the traditional ideas about women’s roles in society. Many believed that women must marry and have nothing else going for them. However, some of these women are “odd women” and use this role to advocate for female emancipation through job training and education. It is interesting to see how Gissing contrasts these main female characters with their different opinions about life and marriage. Readers follow them through many trials and tribulations among themselves and with men, but I personally was rooting for them all in the end.
Gissing’s The Odd Women is not only enjoyable and entertaining but insightful as well. I learned a lot more about “odd women” and feminist views during this time. I appreciated how well-written the novel was as well. However, some parts seemed to drag on and some characters were definitely more likable than others. I was also expecting a bit more out of the ending. Regardless, The Odd Women was a fun and interesting read.