The Odd Women

The Odd Women

by George Gissing

Finished another RA Favorite book.  Don’t get as many old-time books, but this one, The Odd Women, was written in the late 1890s by George Gissing.  It is the story of the Madden sisters, three of whom die in youth/childbirth as does their mother. After their father passes away, the three sisters go on a journey that includes finding love, independence, and their voice.  The book is set in England during a time when women out-populated men by over a million, so being “paired off” for marriage was not an easy task.  Two of the subplots involve the youngest sister, Monica, and her struggles with marrying an older bachelor, Edmund. She later has an affair with another man, which leads to the end of her marriage. Meanwhile, Rhoda falls for a man who wants to marry her, but she only wants to live with him (which is not something acceptable in the world they live in).  Both Rhoda and Monica have challenges with their men and, in the end, one women stays connected with her man while the other separates, gets pregnant, and eventually perishes. It is clearly a book that reflects on the role of the woman and the lack of choices available to them in this era.  Lots of mystery as to what will happen to the lead characters with loss and sadness in the end.  A book of its time….  Interesting that a book at the advent of feminism was written by a man.  Ok read.