[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.... ( )

I read Eliot's Daniel Deronda quite a long time ago and remember very little about it, but requested this book because I remembered enjoying that novel more than Middlemarch (scandalous admission!) and thought this might be a good excuse to reread it. However, what with one thing and another, I didn't get around to rereading it, and then I realized I'd never reviewed this one and so picked it up first. All that's to say, I went into this book with only moderate familiarity with the characters and plot of Eliot's novel and without any very high expectations.

It's probably just as well that I didn't, because I imagined I'd have disliked this one even more. As it was, I merely found it dull and the eponymous "heroine" irritating. The style wasn't at all bad, but after getting about halfway through, I decided it wasn't worth it. I've got too many other books I actually want to read, and this one's not "important" or "literary" enough to be worth the bother. So I guess I'll just reread Eliot's novel sometime instead and pass this ARC on. While not "un-recommended," I don't think I'd recommend the novel instead of Eliot's or in addition to it, unless the reader very much wants to know may have what happened after the original.

Gwendolen is written in the form of an undelivered letter to her love Daniel Deronda. The letter recounts her life beginning from roughly the time just before she initially makes eye contact with Deronda while gambling feverishly at a roulette table in Homburg, Germany, to when Gwendolen is probably in her late twenties to early thirties. Gwendolen Harleth is witty, bright, full of verve, beautiful and desirable to nearly every man she comes into contact with. Nevertheless, she's aloof to the idea of marriage, but her family's recent financial downturn resultant from their land agent's negligence necessitates that she accept the proposal of Henleigh Mallinger Grandcourt, a man she neither loves or feels affection for, but whose riches can save her family from certain destitution. Repulsed and dejected by the idea of marriage to this man she runs away to Homburg with vacationing relatives and tries her hand at roulette where a man, Daniel Deronda, watches her scornfully and repulsively from a distance. Gwendolen is disturbed by this man's judgment of her but is somehow equally charmed by him. She becomes so entranced by his gaze that her winning streak is lost along with her money. In a desperate attempt to acquire the much needed funds to help her family, she pawns a necklace given to her by her long deceased father, only to have it returned to her with a note from Daniel Deronda. Although she can't seem to dismiss her thoughts related to this man, she is beckoned to return home immediately and face the inevitability of her circumstances, betrothal to Grandcourt. Gwendolen's instincts are correct. Grandcourt expects subservience, is abusive and taciturn, and harbors a ghastly secret. As she goes about life with her brutish husband she retains hope by reflecting on her one true but unrequited love interest, Daniel Deronda.
Overall Gwendolen was an enjoyable read. I wasn't initially pulled into the story, but as it progressed I found my interest piqued and was held almost to the end. The reason I say this is because there were characters introduced closer to the end of the book that I neither connected with nor particularly cared about. Perhaps this was because I wasn't acquainted long enough with them, or they weren't developed enough for me to become interested in them or see their relevance to the overall story. This is where the book began to drag a bit to me; to become disjointed. I would have appreciated it more had the last 40 pages or so of the book been condensed or perhaps omitted. However, I still think the book was well written and altogether noteworthy. The chronicling of Gwendolen's adventurous life, along with the many initial friends and acquaintances that were a part of it certainly made for entertaining reading. Although she struggled much with decisions she'd made, I liked that by the end of the book she seemed to have matured to the point where she was finally at peace with herself and was able to put her internal demons to rest and get on with her life. If you enjoy historical novels you will probably like Gwendolen.
Thank you LibraryThing and Henry Holt and Company for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

While George Eliot's Middlemarch gets plenty of attention for it's leading lady Dorothea, there is another heroine in that writer's cannon worthy of a deeper look as Diana Souhami shows us in Gwendolen.

The title refers to Gwendolen Harleth, who is featured prominently in Eliot's novel Daniel Deronda, a young woman drawn to Deronda's kindness but forced by circumstance to marry a wealthy man that she doesn't love and is cruel to her in so many ways.

Since the original novel parallels both Daniel and Gwendolen's separate plights, this book allows Gwen to have her own full say without having to share her story with anyone else. Even if you haven't read Deronda, this different approach to the story offers it's own unique delights. ( )