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A review by mobyskine
A Clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell
4.0
Orwell described A Clergyman's Daughter as a 'silly potboiler' that he ought not to have published. The blurb reminded me a lot to Down and Out in Paris and London cause of its theme of unemployment, poverty and hunger in the 1930s (during Depression England)-- the same social critics and satirical approach but quite 'fancy' and melodramatic.
Dorothy's life turned upside down after a sudden episode of amnesia-- from a dutiful daughter and bullied housekeeper of a Rector in Knype Hill to landed penniless in the street of London. Dorothy learned to live by her own, begging for food and wandering miles a day for shelter while facing some devastating incidents (getting arrested and scammed) with flashes of past memories haunting her.
Love the heart-rending narrative and how it portrayed the struggle of lower-middle class people during the depression years (the hop-picker part was my favourite, and I really love Nobby but he gets arrested and just disappeared). It highlighted issues on authoritarian treatment, critics on education system (the view of education in private schooling during the 30s was quite intriguing although according to Orwell he needs to tone down a bit on this matter as requested by his first publisher), capitalistic and horrible abused of labouring, morality and religion.
Even though Orwell accused it as 'bollocks' and just an experimental writing cause he needs money, I still think it was a great fiction-- atmospheric view and vivid narration, characters with various behaviours (as much as I was glad that Warburton came to get Dorothy, I still hate him) and Dorothy overall thought on her faith and life were grippingly raw and poignant.
"Those things don't really matter. I mean, things like having no money and not having enough to eat. Even when you're practically starving-- it doesn't change anything inside you."
"... it's beastly while it's happening, of course; but it doesn't make any real difference; it's the things that happen inside you that matter... things change in your mind. And then the whole world changes, because you look at it differently."
Love the ending, like a parallel version of the end in chapter one before Dorothy wakes up and suffered the amnesia (Orwell did not explained much on this amnesia part which left me still clueless about it). Tragic but interesting.
Dorothy's life turned upside down after a sudden episode of amnesia-- from a dutiful daughter and bullied housekeeper of a Rector in Knype Hill to landed penniless in the street of London. Dorothy learned to live by her own, begging for food and wandering miles a day for shelter while facing some devastating incidents (getting arrested and scammed) with flashes of past memories haunting her.
Love the heart-rending narrative and how it portrayed the struggle of lower-middle class people during the depression years (the hop-picker part was my favourite, and I really love Nobby but he gets arrested and just disappeared). It highlighted issues on authoritarian treatment, critics on education system (the view of education in private schooling during the 30s was quite intriguing although according to Orwell he needs to tone down a bit on this matter as requested by his first publisher), capitalistic and horrible abused of labouring, morality and religion.
Even though Orwell accused it as 'bollocks' and just an experimental writing cause he needs money, I still think it was a great fiction-- atmospheric view and vivid narration, characters with various behaviours (as much as I was glad that Warburton came to get Dorothy, I still hate him) and Dorothy overall thought on her faith and life were grippingly raw and poignant.
"Those things don't really matter. I mean, things like having no money and not having enough to eat. Even when you're practically starving-- it doesn't change anything inside you."
"... it's beastly while it's happening, of course; but it doesn't make any real difference; it's the things that happen inside you that matter... things change in your mind. And then the whole world changes, because you look at it differently."
Love the ending, like a parallel version of the end in chapter one before Dorothy wakes up and suffered the amnesia (Orwell did not explained much on this amnesia part which left me still clueless about it). Tragic but interesting.