Gwendolen

[b:Daniel Deronda 304 Daniel Deronda George Eliot https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320432000s/304.jpg 313957] by [a:George Eliot 173 George Eliot https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1396882294p2/173.jpg] is a book that brings me back to the days in University, when I first read it. It had caused a rift between me and my best friend, actually, since Anne was an idealist back then- before age and experience caught up with us- and I was as pessimist, cynical and stubborn as I am now. She was an ardent supporter of Deronda's spiritual and melancholy side, I was feverishly backing Gwendolen, one of my favourite anti-heroines, loathing Deronda's dreams built in sand. So, we had to present an assignment for the novel and we chose the antithesis that lies at the heart of the story. Fast forward about 10 years later, Anne still holds a soft spot for Danny boy and I still loath him, keeping Gwendolen firmly on her pedestal. Which is why I picked Diana Souhami's book without a second thought.Gwendolen is a controversial character. Many consider her spoiled, superficial. I think she is confused, troubled, complex and one of the most realistic heroines in Victorian Literature. She is, in other words, a human being. Souhami has done absolute justice to the character and to Eliot's novel. She brings Gwendolen alive, she gives her the voice she deserves and the chance for her story to be heard. We witness her troubles over the state of her family, her marriage to a monster, her deep love for Deronda, and her efforts to come to terms with quite a few let-downs.Souhami's language is a very successful mixture of Victorian dialogue along with a distinctive modern voice that creates a psychological text, an insight to the female psyche, the restrictions and hypocrisy of an era that cared more about the decorum and ignored the happiness, safety and well-being of the family and especially of women. Her Gwendolen is as enganging as Elliot's. It couldn't get much better than that. Her husband is so evil she makes Joffrey seem mild in comparison, and Deronda is ...well..as plain and irritating as in the original. I've never tried to understand his motives, because I knew I would never agree with his views. I respect them as a principle, but in terms of Literature, he makes for a pretty boring character. I can't say what was Gwendolen saw in him...Souhami finds a clever way to incorporate the writer in her narration and to touch upon the theme of homosexuality in a respectful and honest way. An issue that was problematic to me was the heavy presence of indirect speech. I admit I am not a fan of this technique, I believe in the power of dialogue and I would have loved to read those parts as direct interactions. At a point, my mental exercise of turning them into direct speech became too tiring. Equally tiring was the third part of the book, where Souhami creates Gwendolen's life after she becomes a widow amd Deronda departs for Israel. Her cry of despair for him grows old.This is a quiet, beautiful book. The voice of a woman who lives in the later Victorian Age, but whose views, ordeals and problems are as modern and relevant as ever. It was very satisfying to see the amount of respect that the writer pays to the original text, unlike most of the ‘‘writers'' who dare to presume that they are capable to recreate Austen's universe, by adding zombies, ninjas, vampires and other elements of ‘‘quality''. Don't get me started on those... If you love Gwendolen, you will certainly appreciate this work. If you don't, I'd say that you should give this book a chance. Perhaps, then, you will give a chance to Gwendolen as well...P.S. By the way, that project turnt out really well. At least, our friendship wasn't put in jeopardy for nothing....