Creative, thoughtful, original, often funny. "Mrs. Engels" is a vibrant historical novel, set in London and Manchester in the mid-19th century, giving voice to the illiterate Irish laboring woman who was mistress/companion of pioneering socialist Friedrich Engels.

Impressively, this is Gavin McCrea's first published novel. ( )

I mostly enjoyed this novel based on the life of Lizzie Burns, the unlikely "wife" of pioneering socialist thinker, Frederick Engels. Lizzie is illiterate and speaks (the novel is a first person narration) in a quirky Irish vernacular that often had me scratching my head as to what she was talking about. I also would have liked a bit of a wider lens taking in the evolution of Engels' politics and his relationship to Marx and the Marx family, but the author has somewhat of a laser focus on Lizzie. Her devotion to her Irish revolutionary first "love" also didn't seem fleshed out enough, so much so that it was a huge surprise to learn late in the novel how deeply she cares about him. Still, I thought the era and subject matter very interesting and since this McCrea's first novel, I look forward to his next, hopefully even better offering. ( )

A look at Engels, the Marx family, Fenians, Communists, and class in general, through the eyes of Lizzie Burns, illiterate former millworker and common law wife of Friedrich Engels. He thinks of her as a heroine of the proletariat, but she's not one to romanticize anyone or anything - especially herself. It felt to me like a very real slice of history, especially women's history. I truly felt like I was there. Lizzie is a hard woman, the product of a hard life, but with engaging humor and spirit. This is a quiet book that packs a quiet punch. ( )

Eh. Lizzie never came to life for me, which is a near-fatal flaw in a book that relies so heavily on one character. ( )

This is the fictional story of Lizzie Burns, the long-time companion of Frederick Engels. Both Engels and Marx do not fare well in the story – neither come across driven by vision, morals or the conviction I wanted them to have! Moving backwards and forward in time, between London and Manchester, from the social city set and the mill workers, Lizzie’s voice is strong and increasingly outspoken. She’s troubled by the choices she’s made – self-preservation, survival, faith, love all play a part. I loved following the workings of the house in Primrose Hill, but finished the book wanted Lizzie to have found either greater happiness or influence.
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