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kirsty's review against another edition
4.0
A good book, but a sad one. Also a book fuelled by anger or perhaps injustice.
It's about a large Victorian family and particularly about the four daughters who remain unmarried. Most of all, it is about Grace, the youngest daughter. She is passed over as a child since she is much younger than her sisters and the longed for brother is born soon after. The unmarried sisters spend much of their time bored, given the limited occupations available to them. They have servants for housework and cooking, and they are not allowed out without a chaperone. Going to university or seeking employment is 'not done' and each of them tries to stave off boredom.
The father fails to plan for the financial needs of all bar one of his unmarried daughters (and for Agatha/Aggie only because of specific circumstances). This is compounded by his indulgence of his son, beyond the family's means (and this is the father's fault not the son's). He then makes things worse by leaving all his (now somewhat depleted) to his wife who cannot and will not see herself as anything other than a wealthy widow and refuses to share financial information with her 'girls' even though they are now well into womanhood. They depend more and more on the kindness of their married sisters, nieces and nephews. Social and economic changes also reduce the value of little investments they have. The book charts how they cope.
It's about a large Victorian family and particularly about the four daughters who remain unmarried. Most of all, it is about Grace, the youngest daughter. She is passed over as a child since she is much younger than her sisters and the longed for brother is born soon after. The unmarried sisters spend much of their time bored, given the limited occupations available to them. They have servants for housework and cooking, and they are not allowed out without a chaperone. Going to university or seeking employment is 'not done' and each of them tries to stave off boredom.
The father fails to plan for the financial needs of all bar one of his unmarried daughters (and for Agatha/Aggie only because of specific circumstances). This is compounded by his indulgence of his son, beyond the family's means (and this is the father's fault not the son's). He then makes things worse by leaving all his (now somewhat depleted) to his wife who cannot and will not see herself as anything other than a wealthy widow and refuses to share financial information with her 'girls' even though they are now well into womanhood. They depend more and more on the kindness of their married sisters, nieces and nephews. Social and economic changes also reduce the value of little investments they have. The book charts how they cope.
tamzy6's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly easy read about domestic life in early 20th century. The story focuses a lot on Grace, the youngest daughter, and charts her growth into adulthood and beyond. The rest of the characters are equally believable. This novel doesn't hold much pretenses, so while it features people from middle class families, their woes are very relatable and at the end of it all, I guess we all just want a safe home to live our last days in. :')
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