Girl in a Blue Dress
For anyone who is a fan of Charles Dickens this book may come as a bit of a shock. But to those who were familiar with the story of his unfortunate marriage to Catherine, it may just be a closer fictional look at what may have actually transpired between the famous British author and his family.
The story opens on the day of the funeral for Alfred Gibson who bears a striking similarity to Dickens. His wife, Dorothea, has been sequested for the past ten years after being banished from her home and separated from her children. The rest of the book recounts her life with the man who would be known by the world as "the one and only."
This debut novel by Gaynor Arnold, a British social worker, offers a candid and poignant look at a Victorian marriage where women had little recourse to set their own direction. However, I found at times that I simpathized with Alfred inspite of his boorish and tempermental behavior. Although written in first person perspective from Dorothea's point of view, I saw her at times to be petulent and dull, much as Alfred viewed her. A few at our book club meeting had the same reaction, though most saw Gibson (and Dickens) behavior inexcusable.
The story left us with a bit of a mystery at the end in delving into the relationship with the young actress. We will never know the extent of Dickens' relationship to this woman, but some at book club felt sure the relationship was clearly spelled out as an affair in the book. We were able to delve further into Dickens' life and shed light on the real life counter parts when Anne showed us a book from the library with pictures of Dicken's family. It was an interesting and helpful addition to our book club discussion.
The story opens on the day of the funeral for Alfred Gibson who bears a striking similarity to Dickens. His wife, Dorothea, has been sequested for the past ten years after being banished from her home and separated from her children. The rest of the book recounts her life with the man who would be known by the world as "the one and only."
This debut novel by Gaynor Arnold, a British social worker, offers a candid and poignant look at a Victorian marriage where women had little recourse to set their own direction. However, I found at times that I simpathized with Alfred inspite of his boorish and tempermental behavior. Although written in first person perspective from Dorothea's point of view, I saw her at times to be petulent and dull, much as Alfred viewed her. A few at our book club meeting had the same reaction, though most saw Gibson (and Dickens) behavior inexcusable.
The story left us with a bit of a mystery at the end in delving into the relationship with the young actress. We will never know the extent of Dickens' relationship to this woman, but some at book club felt sure the relationship was clearly spelled out as an affair in the book. We were able to delve further into Dickens' life and shed light on the real life counter parts when Anne showed us a book from the library with pictures of Dicken's family. It was an interesting and helpful addition to our book club discussion.
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