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Title: Not quite as expected.
Review: I can see why this is described as an early feminist work, however I did not see this excellent book in this light, no doubt due to being male. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel for the quality of the writing, the excellent characterization, the period and the setting. However I found myself impatient at the slow pace of the heroines activity or should I say inactivity in moving toward her goals. To me this is the tale of someone who for the times in which she lived had everthing that was available to her but was unable to achieve satisfaction. In the story the heroine wants to reject even her children to achieve another life she is unable to define, she is confused and frustrated with tragic consequences. To my mind her sex is not the crux of the novel, the complexities of life and how individuals achieve or cannot achieve self fulfillment regardless of gender are the subject explored. Well worth reading regardless of your interpretation.
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