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Deerbrook
When the Ibbotson sisters, Hester and Margaret, arrive at the village of Deerbrook to stay with their cousin Mr Grey and his wife, speculation is rife that one of them might marry the local apothecary Edward Hope. Although he is immediately attracted to Margaret, Hope is ultimately persuaded to marry the beautiful Hester. The unhappiness of their marriage is compounded when a malicious village gossip accuses Hope of grave-robbing.
656 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1838
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About the author
Harriet Martineau
1,160 books65 followersHarriet Martineau (1802 - 1876) was an English writer and philosopher, renowned in her day as a controversial journalist, political economist, abolitionist and life-long feminist. Martineau has also been called the first female sociologist and the first female journalist in England.
Comprehensive list of her works with links to digitized versions here.
Comprehensive list of her works with links to digitized versions here.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
October 22, 2019
I absolutely loved this - such a powerful, moving read, beautifully written with a fascinating plot and thoroughly real characters. This is definitely an underrated Victorian gem and I highly recommend it!
August 6, 2022
4.25 stars
If you like chunky Victorian novels, then this may be for you. Written in the late 1830s it sits neatly between Austen and Eliot, just prior to the Brontes. The Virago edition is over five hundred pages. Novel writing was not Martineau’s prime occupation. She is now widely recognised as one of the earliest sociologists. I first came across her at university whilst doing a course on economic and social history. Her interests were wide and generally focussed on social justice, education and the position of women. She was interested in the study of society. Although many people see Deerbrook as a love story with rather convoluted set of inter-relationships, this is too simplistic. The real focus is the community and village (possibly small rural town) of Deerbrook and the relationship between the individual, the household and the community. This fits with Martineau’s interests and I saw similarities with Middlemarch: I’m sure Eliot had read this.
I am not going to plough through the plot, it is quite complex, but there are plenty of characters and some good antagonists. Martineau resists the temptation to tie up all the loose ends. Some of the characters do have a strong sense of duty, but the duty is to community and the local Lord and his wife certainly do not have it. There is an epidemic of illness towards the end of the book and the different reactions between the classes is interesting. Martineau does portray rural poverty and Deerbrook is a community in decline. There is a riot and some theft, it isn’t an idealised rural idyll:
“The very air feels too heavy to breathe. The cottages, and even the better houses, appear to my eyes damp and weather-stained on the outside, and silent within. The children sit shivering on the thresholds—do not they? —instead of shouting at their play as they did”
Much of these aspects are towards the end of the book and there is still a good deal of agonising about relationships throughout. Although Martineau is not peddling the love conquers all line, she is really arguing that it takes more than love to make a relationship work.
I enjoyed this and in many ways it is not a typical Victorian novel. Martineau’s other interests and her political and communitarian philosophies can be discerned. I know Virago have also published her autobiography and I will look out for this as well.
If you like chunky Victorian novels, then this may be for you. Written in the late 1830s it sits neatly between Austen and Eliot, just prior to the Brontes. The Virago edition is over five hundred pages. Novel writing was not Martineau’s prime occupation. She is now widely recognised as one of the earliest sociologists. I first came across her at university whilst doing a course on economic and social history. Her interests were wide and generally focussed on social justice, education and the position of women. She was interested in the study of society. Although many people see Deerbrook as a love story with rather convoluted set of inter-relationships, this is too simplistic. The real focus is the community and village (possibly small rural town) of Deerbrook and the relationship between the individual, the household and the community. This fits with Martineau’s interests and I saw similarities with Middlemarch: I’m sure Eliot had read this.
I am not going to plough through the plot, it is quite complex, but there are plenty of characters and some good antagonists. Martineau resists the temptation to tie up all the loose ends. Some of the characters do have a strong sense of duty, but the duty is to community and the local Lord and his wife certainly do not have it. There is an epidemic of illness towards the end of the book and the different reactions between the classes is interesting. Martineau does portray rural poverty and Deerbrook is a community in decline. There is a riot and some theft, it isn’t an idealised rural idyll:
“The very air feels too heavy to breathe. The cottages, and even the better houses, appear to my eyes damp and weather-stained on the outside, and silent within. The children sit shivering on the thresholds—do not they? —instead of shouting at their play as they did”
Much of these aspects are towards the end of the book and there is still a good deal of agonising about relationships throughout. Although Martineau is not peddling the love conquers all line, she is really arguing that it takes more than love to make a relationship work.
I enjoyed this and in many ways it is not a typical Victorian novel. Martineau’s other interests and her political and communitarian philosophies can be discerned. I know Virago have also published her autobiography and I will look out for this as well.
December 17, 2015
Chances are good that, in many a Goodreads shelf ordered by original published date, there is a gap in female authored literature from the end of Austen to the beginning of the Brontës. What few I have myself in that region were all, save for this, found in the pages of 500 Great Books By Women, which shows how conscientious the search must often be for older female authored works outside the usual monolithic surnames. It becomes even more disheartening when all such discovered names originate from a very small area of the very small European continent, but one must start somewhere. I can say, at any rate, that this work would be a good place to start.
“Sensible, as she is a woman,” observed Margaret; “if she were a man, she would be called philosophical.”I am no scholar of Victorian literature (nor would I ever want to restrict myself to such a excessively excavated and overly estimated region of the written word), but I've read enough of it to recognize this as a crossroads of the likes of Shelley and Evans (aka Eliot, for the seeming in the know), among others. I say Shelley for the graveyard perils and Evans for the English village intrigue of the philosophical sort, the former not showing itself to the second part of the book and proving to be a welcome change of pace. In fact, this work reminded me a great deal of Shirley, a lesser known novel of Charlotte Brontë that occupies itself as much with politics as it does with English gentry romance. No Jane Eyre or Villette is 'Shirley' out of fundamental differences in quality rather than the lack of it, but its persistently poor reputation in comparison to the others may explain why 'Deerbrook' is far from well known.
But remember this,—that people are not made alike, and are not able, and not intended to feel alike; and if some have less power than others over their sorrow, at least over their tears, it does not follow that they cannot bear as well what they have to bear.Some may be put off by the length and the frequent delving into philosophical inquiry that has little bearing on plot or character development, but as I am the type to enjoy such juicy digressions, I was put off by neither. This does not mean that the work had no flaws, for like many a work in common circulation it draws the characters best when the author resembles them most, leaving anyone outside of the gentry circle to stereotype whether the class is higher or lower. As is frequent with such sociopolitical discourse, the less wealthy are more overtly ridiculed, leaving those with greater power to their childish cruelty without comment. It was interesting to note the parallels between this time and my own, for in light of the world's reaction to the Ebola outbreak, the classist socioeconomic ring-a-round that is higher education, and the choke hold put on voting through communal embargo, very little has changed in the ideological strongholds of well-off white folks.
Yes, even the innocent may be desperate under circumstances of education and custom, by which feelings natural and inevitable are made occasions of shame; while others, which are wrong and against the better nature of man, bask in daylight and impunity.While harsh, I have a feeling that the only reason I haven't applied such condemnation to other works of this period (don't even get me started on colonialism) is because I read them before my current style of reviewing. I must say, to Martineau's credit, that she has some choice words about the disparity between female and male descendants when it comes to inheritance, as well as a keen overview of physical disability that does not lose its strength for having been derived from her own experiences. In short, this work is not perfect, but is good enough in a unique sense to merit much more attention on Goodreads than it has thus far received.
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November 27, 2024I think I am going to leave this unrated because I did have some mixed feelings about it, though I enjoyed reading the story on the whole. The best part was that I had so much fun buddy reading this book with Amy, Anjie, and Sharon. There was a LOT to comment on as we were reading--some of the characters are maddening! There is a very interesting villain who wreaks village-size havoc and the 'what could have been' if she had simply refrained from gossip and rumour-mongering and not been a snob shows how powerful truth and humility really are.
There are several characters in this that I loved and felt great sympathy for. Ironically three of their names start with M! Maria, Morris, Margaret, and the outlier, Edward Hope. I loved Maria for her patience in adversity and Morris for her wisdom and kindness. She is the servant/ladies maid for Margaret and Hester (the main sister pair in the story) and her portrayal is nuanced in an excellent way. Margaret is almost too good at times, but she has some quite interesting interior struggles at a couple points in the novel that make her compelling. Edward Hope is possibly my favorite character. I love any discussion of duty v. desire in a novel thanks to Heidi from the Close Reads podcast and Mr. Hope has a huge struggle with duty in both his romantic choice (or 'choice') and in his vocation. This was the strongest part of the novel for me as a reader. (Not surprising given my love of CMY!)
Speaking of CMY, Hester's character reminded me SO MUCH of Philip in The Heir of Redclyffe. Hester's moral failing doesn't have as much weight in this story as Philip's does in The Heir, but their characters are similarly maddening to me. I don't like them, but I do like them in the novel. They would probably drive me nuts in real life! Hester was one of the characters whose storyline didn't seem wholly realistic. I think she comes across too negatively at the beginning so it's harder to buy her good points later in the story.
This novel feels like a precursor to Middlemarch in many ways. There is an Eliot flavor about it though it was written several decades earlier than Middlemarch. I think my reading of Deerbrook suffered because of my close reading of Eliot in the past year. Middlemarch is so much better as a novel. Deerbrook has some inconsistencies in character development and some uneven plotting that make it a good read, but not a great read for me. Martineau likes her philosophizing as Eliot does, but I find Eliot's easier to read. Eliot's characterization is just so superb.
But, as I said, this is well worth a read. It is well written and a good story and it did grip me emotionally several times. I'm so glad this novel hasn't been overlooked amidst the more famous writers and novels of the Victorian age.
There are several characters in this that I loved and felt great sympathy for. Ironically three of their names start with M! Maria, Morris, Margaret, and the outlier, Edward Hope. I loved Maria for her patience in adversity and Morris for her wisdom and kindness. She is the servant/ladies maid for Margaret and Hester (the main sister pair in the story) and her portrayal is nuanced in an excellent way. Margaret is almost too good at times, but she has some quite interesting interior struggles at a couple points in the novel that make her compelling. Edward Hope is possibly my favorite character. I love any discussion of duty v. desire in a novel thanks to Heidi from the Close Reads podcast and Mr. Hope has a huge struggle with duty in both his romantic choice (or 'choice') and in his vocation. This was the strongest part of the novel for me as a reader. (Not surprising given my love of CMY!)
Speaking of CMY, Hester's character reminded me SO MUCH of Philip in The Heir of Redclyffe. Hester's moral failing doesn't have as much weight in this story as Philip's does in The Heir, but their characters are similarly maddening to me. I don't like them, but I do like them in the novel. They would probably drive me nuts in real life! Hester was one of the characters whose storyline didn't seem wholly realistic. I think she comes across too negatively at the beginning so it's harder to buy her good points later in the story.
This novel feels like a precursor to Middlemarch in many ways. There is an Eliot flavor about it though it was written several decades earlier than Middlemarch. I think my reading of Deerbrook suffered because of my close reading of Eliot in the past year. Middlemarch is so much better as a novel. Deerbrook has some inconsistencies in character development and some uneven plotting that make it a good read, but not a great read for me. Martineau likes her philosophizing as Eliot does, but I find Eliot's easier to read. Eliot's characterization is just so superb.
But, as I said, this is well worth a read. It is well written and a good story and it did grip me emotionally several times. I'm so glad this novel hasn't been overlooked amidst the more famous writers and novels of the Victorian age.
September 29, 2019
Me ha sorprendido para bien esta novela, porque aunque Harriet Martineau era contemporánea de Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot o las Bronte (Jane Austen fue un poco anterior), no es tan conocida como ellas y sin embargo en esta novela se tocan temas que las anteriores tocaron, por ejemplo en Middlemarch de la Eliot o Cranford entre otras de la Gaskell, y hace un esbozo muy acertado e incisivo de la sociedad de la época.
"Son atractivas?-dirás. La mayor, Hester, es hermosa como la estrella del Norte. Margaret es muy distinta. No importa su belleza, porque la cuestión nunca me ha parecido importante. Incluso dudo de que a ella misma le importe. Es, y con eso basta."
Las hermanas Ibbotson llegan al pequeño pueblo de Deerbrook para pasar una temporada con los Grey, sus parientes más cercanos tras la muerte de su padre. Margaret y Hester Ibbotson son una brisa de aire fresco en ese pueblo donde el pasatiempo favorito se centra en la vida de los demás. Es una novela aparentemente tranquila al más puro estilo Austen, parece que no pasa nada y sin embargo, bajo la superficie bullen los celos, la envidia, y las falsas apariencias. Un pueblo donde un rumor puede hacer más daño que un acto violento fisico y que una vez que se desperdiga, puede hundir la reputación de una persona y ya digo que esto último es una caracteristica muy de estos tiempos, dónde las redes sociales y los móviles, parece que se alimenten solo de rumores y de falsas noticias, asi que el 1830 y algo de la novela no está muy alejado del ahora. Harriet Martineau es buena y me sorprende toda esa tensión y suspense con que consigue envolver algunas de las tramas que son sobre todo domésticas. El circulo cerrado de Deerbrook a veces parece un campo de batalla y todo por culpa de los rumores y cotilleos.
Harriet Martineau fue socióloga y sufragista y eso se nota en algunos pasajes de la novela con largas conversaciones con un cierto tono social y dónde la autora nos reafirma una y otra vez a través de sus personajes del peligro de la ignorancia frente a la educación. A veces se vuelve un poco maniquea, pero también es cierto que la desesperanza que flota en el ambiente es muy real. Me ha encantado.
"La gente dirá lo que quiera, Edward, pero no hay escapatoria, y todos estamos solos en este mundo, después de todo."
"Son atractivas?-dirás. La mayor, Hester, es hermosa como la estrella del Norte. Margaret es muy distinta. No importa su belleza, porque la cuestión nunca me ha parecido importante. Incluso dudo de que a ella misma le importe. Es, y con eso basta."
Las hermanas Ibbotson llegan al pequeño pueblo de Deerbrook para pasar una temporada con los Grey, sus parientes más cercanos tras la muerte de su padre. Margaret y Hester Ibbotson son una brisa de aire fresco en ese pueblo donde el pasatiempo favorito se centra en la vida de los demás. Es una novela aparentemente tranquila al más puro estilo Austen, parece que no pasa nada y sin embargo, bajo la superficie bullen los celos, la envidia, y las falsas apariencias. Un pueblo donde un rumor puede hacer más daño que un acto violento fisico y que una vez que se desperdiga, puede hundir la reputación de una persona y ya digo que esto último es una caracteristica muy de estos tiempos, dónde las redes sociales y los móviles, parece que se alimenten solo de rumores y de falsas noticias, asi que el 1830 y algo de la novela no está muy alejado del ahora. Harriet Martineau es buena y me sorprende toda esa tensión y suspense con que consigue envolver algunas de las tramas que son sobre todo domésticas. El circulo cerrado de Deerbrook a veces parece un campo de batalla y todo por culpa de los rumores y cotilleos.
Harriet Martineau fue socióloga y sufragista y eso se nota en algunos pasajes de la novela con largas conversaciones con un cierto tono social y dónde la autora nos reafirma una y otra vez a través de sus personajes del peligro de la ignorancia frente a la educación. A veces se vuelve un poco maniquea, pero también es cierto que la desesperanza que flota en el ambiente es muy real. Me ha encantado.
"La gente dirá lo que quiera, Edward, pero no hay escapatoria, y todos estamos solos en este mundo, después de todo."
March 27, 2010
Quite a lot like Austen and Eliot, with a swirl of Trollope for good measure. For the first half of this very long book, I thought it might be a perfect, hidden treasure from the 19th century. I read it on tenterhooks, hoping against hope that the novel could sustain that level of excellence. The characters, the premise, and the occasional emergence of a sly, Austen-ish narrative voice had me dreaming big.
Unfortunately, though, the second half got a bit long and over the top--it reminded me more of Thomas Hardy. The humor sort of evaporated and things became pretty earnest.
Though I was slightly disappointed, there's still a lot to like about this book, and it seems very under-read--right now there are only 8 ratings on goodreads (8!). It's much, much better than that, especially since you can read it for free on Project Gutenberg. If you like Middlemarch, Persuasion, and Can You Forgive Her?, I think you'll like this, too.
There's one specific plot point that dampened my enjoyment of this novel, but it will be difficult for me to explain without spoiling the book somewhat. So, please, someone else read this so I can discuss it with you!
Unfortunately, though, the second half got a bit long and over the top--it reminded me more of Thomas Hardy. The humor sort of evaporated and things became pretty earnest.
Though I was slightly disappointed, there's still a lot to like about this book, and it seems very under-read--right now there are only 8 ratings on goodreads (8!). It's much, much better than that, especially since you can read it for free on Project Gutenberg. If you like Middlemarch, Persuasion, and Can You Forgive Her?, I think you'll like this, too.
There's one specific plot point that dampened my enjoyment of this novel, but it will be difficult for me to explain without spoiling the book somewhat. So, please, someone else read this so I can discuss it with you!
May 18, 2023
4.5/5
Okay I need more Victorian literature in my life. This was sooo close to being a 5-star read for me but some parts of the plot meandered and some of the author's philosophizing took me out of the story. Otherwise, I felt such a deep connection to the characters. Their arcs were beautiful to see in an early Victorian classic and I felt each central character truly grew. A sister relationship is also at the heart of this story which has become something I adore seeing in books! Ahhhhh this was so good!! The writing style reminded me of Jane Austen although the story itself wasn't as light-hearted as Austen's books tend to be. The themes discussed are also so relevant to our day and age! This is such a great and under-appreciated Victorian classic.
Okay I need more Victorian literature in my life. This was sooo close to being a 5-star read for me but some parts of the plot meandered and some of the author's philosophizing took me out of the story. Otherwise, I felt such a deep connection to the characters. Their arcs were beautiful to see in an early Victorian classic and I felt each central character truly grew. A sister relationship is also at the heart of this story which has become something I adore seeing in books! Ahhhhh this was so good!! The writing style reminded me of Jane Austen although the story itself wasn't as light-hearted as Austen's books tend to be. The themes discussed are also so relevant to our day and age! This is such a great and under-appreciated Victorian classic.
May 8, 2020
I loved this book!
November 6, 2023
Available free at Librivox. Unfortunately, it has multiple narrators. One must persevere; other listeners have said the narration of the first chapters are bad.
YEAH, THIS IS PK, IF YOU LIKE LONG VICTORIAN STORIES. I FIND ITS MORAL AND RELIGIOUS CONTENT TOO PREACHY. THEIR IS A LOVE TRIANGLE WE OBSERVE FROM SEVERAL POINTS OF VIEW--THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF DEPTH HERE.
THE LIBRIVPX NARRATORS VARY WIDELY. THE BEGINNING READER IS THE WORST. DOT GIVE UP1ONE OR TWO ARE VERY GOOD BUT THE OTHERS ARE EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL OFTEN PRONOUNCING SIMPLE WIRDS INCORRECTLY! THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS ARE READ BY ONE THAT IS GOOD.
THE AUTHOR'S BELIEF IN SOCIAL REFORM COMES TO THE FORE.
OK IS EXACTLU HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE BOOK--SO TWWO STARS.
YEAH, THIS IS PK, IF YOU LIKE LONG VICTORIAN STORIES. I FIND ITS MORAL AND RELIGIOUS CONTENT TOO PREACHY. THEIR IS A LOVE TRIANGLE WE OBSERVE FROM SEVERAL POINTS OF VIEW--THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF DEPTH HERE.
THE LIBRIVPX NARRATORS VARY WIDELY. THE BEGINNING READER IS THE WORST. DOT GIVE UP1ONE OR TWO ARE VERY GOOD BUT THE OTHERS ARE EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL OFTEN PRONOUNCING SIMPLE WIRDS INCORRECTLY! THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS ARE READ BY ONE THAT IS GOOD.
THE AUTHOR'S BELIEF IN SOCIAL REFORM COMES TO THE FORE.
OK IS EXACTLU HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE BOOK--SO TWWO STARS.
February 26, 2024
3'5 ⭐️
Las hermanas Ibbotson, Margaret y Hester, llegan al tranquilo pueblecito de Dreebrook después de quedarse huérfanas y en espera se arreglen sus asuntos económicos después de hacer efectiva su herencia. Vienen de Birmingham y su talante refinado pone en duda su adaptación a la campiña. Sin embargo, las jóvenes están encantadas y todo marcha bien, pero ya sabemos lo de "pueblo pequeño, infierno grande" y las complicaciones no tardan en aparecer, la absurda rivalidad entre la señora Rowland y su vecina la señora Gray, casa donde se alojan las hermanas, acaba perjudicando seriamente la vida de las dos jóvenes y la de todo el lugar.
Lo que parece que será una comedia de enredo costumbrista, se va transformando en una historia mucho más compleja y dramática en la que suceden muchísimas cosas, cuando parece que va todo por buen camino, sucede otra cosa que vuelve a poner la vida de los personajes patas arriba.
Prosa muy cuidada y agradable aunque la autora se pone de vez en cuando con tono algo sermoneante.
Vida rural muy bien reflejada y también los problemas que pueden causar los rumores malintencionados. Retrato social, romanticismo, soledad, inseguridades femeninas, el sentido del deber masculino y la búsqueda constante de la felicidad. Me ha llamado mucho la atención q una decisión relacionada con la política tiene gran relevancia en el devenir de los hechos, creo que es la primera vez que ocurre en lo que he leído de este periodo
Aunque a la autora la comparan con Gaskell o George Eliot, en mi opinión, en lo que más falla es en la potencia de sus personajes, nada que ver con los de las mencionadas, de hecho, el personaje femenino que más me gustaba va desapareciendo poco a poco de la trama, no del todo, pero lo iba echando cada vez más de menos durante el desarrollo de la historia.
Historia victoriana en entorno rural entretenida y que ha merecido la pena leer aunque no me haya dejado satisfecha del todo.
VALORACIÓN ➡️ 7/10
Las hermanas Ibbotson, Margaret y Hester, llegan al tranquilo pueblecito de Dreebrook después de quedarse huérfanas y en espera se arreglen sus asuntos económicos después de hacer efectiva su herencia. Vienen de Birmingham y su talante refinado pone en duda su adaptación a la campiña. Sin embargo, las jóvenes están encantadas y todo marcha bien, pero ya sabemos lo de "pueblo pequeño, infierno grande" y las complicaciones no tardan en aparecer, la absurda rivalidad entre la señora Rowland y su vecina la señora Gray, casa donde se alojan las hermanas, acaba perjudicando seriamente la vida de las dos jóvenes y la de todo el lugar.
Lo que parece que será una comedia de enredo costumbrista, se va transformando en una historia mucho más compleja y dramática en la que suceden muchísimas cosas, cuando parece que va todo por buen camino, sucede otra cosa que vuelve a poner la vida de los personajes patas arriba.
Prosa muy cuidada y agradable aunque la autora se pone de vez en cuando con tono algo sermoneante.
Vida rural muy bien reflejada y también los problemas que pueden causar los rumores malintencionados. Retrato social, romanticismo, soledad, inseguridades femeninas, el sentido del deber masculino y la búsqueda constante de la felicidad. Me ha llamado mucho la atención q una decisión relacionada con la política tiene gran relevancia en el devenir de los hechos, creo que es la primera vez que ocurre en lo que he leído de este periodo
Aunque a la autora la comparan con Gaskell o George Eliot, en mi opinión, en lo que más falla es en la potencia de sus personajes, nada que ver con los de las mencionadas, de hecho, el personaje femenino que más me gustaba va desapareciendo poco a poco de la trama, no del todo, pero lo iba echando cada vez más de menos durante el desarrollo de la historia.
Historia victoriana en entorno rural entretenida y que ha merecido la pena leer aunque no me haya dejado satisfecha del todo.
VALORACIÓN ➡️ 7/10
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May 2, 2020This, published 1839 and as far as I can tell set in that time frame, is exactly the sort of book I have been looking for to cast light on life and novels in the early Victorian period, something occupying the time between Austen and later giants like the Brontes and Eliot. Manners and customs have changed since Austen's time, but certain aspects that I think of as Victorian have not really taken hold.
Despite some long-winded passages I found this mostly fascinating. I kept thinking as I was reading how it was like a dark version of Austen novels. We have the marriage plot, romantic misunderstanding, village gossip, two sisters who are smarter and more sensitive than those around them.
But also a lot of stuff that Austen either cuts down to size by making comic, keeps subtle and off the page, or never mentions at all. There is a character disabled in an accident. There are serious money problems, feuding and slander, intrigue involving engagements, deathbed drama, an evil Aunt Norris/Mrs. Elton type, someone falling through the ice, a home invasion, a riot, an epidemic...
This story really has a lot. Also worth noticing, though, are what it doesn't have. It doesn't have ridiculous plot twists like someone turning out to be the long-lost natural child of someone, or people otherwise turning out to be unexpectedly related to each other. No one is rescued by an inheritance, conveniently dies or turns out not be dead as presumed. Its interests are more psychological and sociological than sensational.
Despite some long-winded passages I found this mostly fascinating. I kept thinking as I was reading how it was like a dark version of Austen novels. We have the marriage plot, romantic misunderstanding, village gossip, two sisters who are smarter and more sensitive than those around them.
But also a lot of stuff that Austen either cuts down to size by making comic, keeps subtle and off the page, or never mentions at all. There is a character disabled in an accident. There are serious money problems, feuding and slander, intrigue involving engagements, deathbed drama, an evil Aunt Norris/Mrs. Elton type, someone falling through the ice, a home invasion, a riot, an epidemic...
This story really has a lot. Also worth noticing, though, are what it doesn't have. It doesn't have ridiculous plot twists like someone turning out to be the long-lost natural child of someone, or people otherwise turning out to be unexpectedly related to each other. No one is rescued by an inheritance, conveniently dies or turns out not be dead as presumed. Its interests are more psychological and sociological than sensational.
November 17, 2019
If you're disappointed by my rating, think about how much I'm disappointed myself to give only two stars to this classic. Deerbrook has been described as the gap between Jane Austen and George Eliot, as one of the first Victorian novels of English domestic life, as an important novel that must be read by everyone who love 19th century classics, even recommended for those who love Elizabeth Gaskell novels.
I'm one of those readers and I needed to read this book, and I don't regret it despite my rating. As a female writer in the Victorian era, Harriet Martineau deserves to be read because she did leave a legacy. If you're interested in the history of the Victorian novel, this is a book you should read, whether you end up loving it or not, for its importance in literature. However, if it's not your case, I don't recommend this book. Especially if you haven't read many Victorian novels so far, because there's a chance you won't want to give it another try. While Deerbrook is far from being a bad book, I found it absolutely boring and cannot compare it to the brilliant, amazing, passionating books I've read from a lot of others 19th century writers. There are so many masterpieces in the history of the Victorian novel that you're probably gonna enjoy a lot more than this novel. I'm sorry, Harriet.
I'm one of those readers and I needed to read this book, and I don't regret it despite my rating. As a female writer in the Victorian era, Harriet Martineau deserves to be read because she did leave a legacy. If you're interested in the history of the Victorian novel, this is a book you should read, whether you end up loving it or not, for its importance in literature. However, if it's not your case, I don't recommend this book. Especially if you haven't read many Victorian novels so far, because there's a chance you won't want to give it another try. While Deerbrook is far from being a bad book, I found it absolutely boring and cannot compare it to the brilliant, amazing, passionating books I've read from a lot of others 19th century writers. There are so many masterpieces in the history of the Victorian novel that you're probably gonna enjoy a lot more than this novel. I'm sorry, Harriet.
March 17, 2010
Deerbrook has been on a shelf in my office at home for decades! I finally picked it up this winter. It's 500 pages long and a bit of a snoozer at times, but I found it fascinating. Martineau was a reformer, not so much a novelist, and she has created (1838, I think?) two highly intelligent young women and tracked their fates.
There is tons wrong with this book, starting with the page-long chunks of high-minded, stilted dialogue and including, too, a rather too deeply malicious woman character and some empty-headed ones. Nonetheless, I liked it very much...kind of like Uncle Tom's Cabin in the sense that it's not really well-written, but has a lot to say (Not that it's about as serious a matter as slavery, by any means). It does address the interesting question of the revelation of character, disillusiionment, and the evolution of love in a marriage. Matineau supposedly was engaged but her fiance died (or something), and she later commented that that was her best piece of luck.
It's a little bit like Middlemarch, maybe, and I've read that Martineau was a precursor to Eliot. I actually read half-way thorugh Middlemarch once before I remembered that I'd read it before!I guess they were both meant to be read aloud over many winter nights....
There is tons wrong with this book, starting with the page-long chunks of high-minded, stilted dialogue and including, too, a rather too deeply malicious woman character and some empty-headed ones. Nonetheless, I liked it very much...kind of like Uncle Tom's Cabin in the sense that it's not really well-written, but has a lot to say (Not that it's about as serious a matter as slavery, by any means). It does address the interesting question of the revelation of character, disillusiionment, and the evolution of love in a marriage. Matineau supposedly was engaged but her fiance died (or something), and she later commented that that was her best piece of luck.
It's a little bit like Middlemarch, maybe, and I've read that Martineau was a precursor to Eliot. I actually read half-way thorugh Middlemarch once before I remembered that I'd read it before!I guess they were both meant to be read aloud over many winter nights....
May 25, 2019
Sweet mother of pearl, this was dull -- overblown, plodding, plotless verbosity at its worst. (And I say that as a lover of wordy victoriana like Collins, Braddon, LeFanu, Ouida, et al.) I made it through maybe 6 chapters before throwing in the towel...it was hard to note specifics, what with my eyes glazing over in a sheen of boredom.
In an effort to awaken my brain from its slumbering stupor, I went back & read the Scholarly Intro. The editor makes some good points about the MCs (which were difficult to keep straight, what with the onslaught of Small Town Personages wandering in & out of every freakin' scene...but I digress) & the tricky spot Martineau found herself in re: middle class-oriented fiction. But while I can understand this book's place in the tree of English lit,** it's still boring as hell. These types of Cozy Small Town dramas just don't appeal to me, & that applies as much to 1830s DEERBROOK as to Jan Karon novels of the 21st century. Zzzz.
**She points to Martineau as a bridge between Austen & Gaskell/Eliot. Never having read any Eliot or Gaskell's 'serious' non-gothic work,*** I can't fairly judge -- but Jane Austen's oeuvre makes me want to weep with the tediousness.
***Footnoting my footnote: I've since read RUTH, one of Gaskell's full-length novels, & given it 4 stars. It's not without flaws, but overall the philosophizing & sociological musing is much more palatable in its specifics, as opposed to the endless in-and-outs of an unmemorable cast of thousands. (For what it's worth, EG is also a vastly superior wordsmith compared to Martineau.)
In an effort to awaken my brain from its slumbering stupor, I went back & read the Scholarly Intro. The editor makes some good points about the MCs (which were difficult to keep straight, what with the onslaught of Small Town Personages wandering in & out of every freakin' scene...but I digress) & the tricky spot Martineau found herself in re: middle class-oriented fiction. But while I can understand this book's place in the tree of English lit,** it's still boring as hell. These types of Cozy Small Town dramas just don't appeal to me, & that applies as much to 1830s DEERBROOK as to Jan Karon novels of the 21st century. Zzzz.
**She points to Martineau as a bridge between Austen & Gaskell/Eliot. Never having read any Eliot or Gaskell's 'serious' non-gothic work,*** I can't fairly judge -- but Jane Austen's oeuvre makes me want to weep with the tediousness.
***Footnoting my footnote: I've since read RUTH, one of Gaskell's full-length novels, & given it 4 stars. It's not without flaws, but overall the philosophizing & sociological musing is much more palatable in its specifics, as opposed to the endless in-and-outs of an unmemorable cast of thousands. (For what it's worth, EG is also a vastly superior wordsmith compared to Martineau.)
October 25, 2022
Unfortunately Deerbrook ended up being quite a slog to get through. Martineau has been compared to writers like Jane Austen and George Eliot. The strongest point of the novel is the domestic setting which also, unfortunately, slowed the pace and made it almost boring at points. We have the two beautiful Ibbotson sisters and a man that can't decide which one to marry. Deerbrook starts as a light read but ends up being quite a tragedy. Unfortunately I feel that the characters (especially the Ibbotson sisters) don't have any depth in them and that's why I found following their lives quite boring to go through. This resembles atmosphere and setting wise of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell but Martineau just doesn't seem to have the same skill of writing intriguing and multilayered characters.
skimmed
July 31, 2020This was meant to be a buddy read with Buried in Print, but I fell at the first hurdle and started skimming after 35 pages. I haven’t made it through a Victorian triple-decker in well over a decade; just since 2012, I’ve failed to get through three novels by Charles Dickens, whom I used to call my favorite author. I’m mildly disappointed in myself, but may have to accept the change in my reading tastes. In my early 20s, I loved chunky nineteenth-century novels and got my MA in Victorian Literature, but nowadays I look at one of these 500+-page classics and think, why wade through something so tortuously verbose over a matter of weeks when I could read three or more contemporary novels that will have more bearing on my life, for the same word count and time?
In any case, Deerbrook is interesting from a cultural history point of view, sitting between Austen and the Brontës or George Eliot in terms of timeline, style and themes. In the fictional Midlands village of Deerbrook, the Greys and Rowlands are neighbors engaged in a polite feud while sharing a summer house and a governess. Orphaned sisters Hester and Margaret Ibbotson, 21 and 20, come to live with the Greys, their distant cousins and known dissenters. Hester got “all the beauty,” so it’s no surprise that, after a visit from a local doctor, Edward Hope, everyone is pairing him with her in their minds. I liked an early passage voicing the thoughts of Maria Young, the crippled governess (“How I love to overlook people,—to watch them acting unconsciously, and speculate for them!”), but soon tired of the matchmaking and moralizing. A world in which everyone does their duty is boring indeed.
Martineau, though, seems like a fascinating figure I’d like to read more about. She wrote a two-volume Autobiography, which I would also skim if I could find it from a library. Just her one-page bio at the front of my Virago paperback contained many astonishing sentences: “her education was interrupted by advancing deafness, requiring her to use an ear trumpet in later life”; “Her fiancé, John Hugh Worthington, having gone insane also died”; [after writing Deerbrook] “She then collapsed into bed where she was to remain for the next five years. In 1845 Harriet Martineau was dramatically cured by mesmerism,” etc.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
In any case, Deerbrook is interesting from a cultural history point of view, sitting between Austen and the Brontës or George Eliot in terms of timeline, style and themes. In the fictional Midlands village of Deerbrook, the Greys and Rowlands are neighbors engaged in a polite feud while sharing a summer house and a governess. Orphaned sisters Hester and Margaret Ibbotson, 21 and 20, come to live with the Greys, their distant cousins and known dissenters. Hester got “all the beauty,” so it’s no surprise that, after a visit from a local doctor, Edward Hope, everyone is pairing him with her in their minds. I liked an early passage voicing the thoughts of Maria Young, the crippled governess (“How I love to overlook people,—to watch them acting unconsciously, and speculate for them!”), but soon tired of the matchmaking and moralizing. A world in which everyone does their duty is boring indeed.
Martineau, though, seems like a fascinating figure I’d like to read more about. She wrote a two-volume Autobiography, which I would also skim if I could find it from a library. Just her one-page bio at the front of my Virago paperback contained many astonishing sentences: “her education was interrupted by advancing deafness, requiring her to use an ear trumpet in later life”; “Her fiancé, John Hugh Worthington, having gone insane also died”; [after writing Deerbrook] “She then collapsed into bed where she was to remain for the next five years. In 1845 Harriet Martineau was dramatically cured by mesmerism,” etc.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
October 18, 2020
This story made me want to bang my head against a desk repeatedly. I give it two stars for what it could have been, because there were some good bones to the story and I somewhat liked some of the characters.
But.
It was so. so. so. so. long. It started out fine. Even about halfway through it seemed like things could be ok. But by the time I was three-quarters of the way through, the slanderous, vile harpy of the neighborhood was getting so exhausting and causing so much stupid, stupid misery that I just started flipping pages to get to the end. And at the end there was a horrific pandemic that positively buries the town in coffins. So.
*sighs*
Let's all go read some fluff.
*Sorry, not sorry about the spoiler. This is 2020 and I think we all deserve fair warning about books that end with pandemics that bury the town in coffins.
But.
It was so. so. so. so. long. It started out fine. Even about halfway through it seemed like things could be ok. But by the time I was three-quarters of the way through, the slanderous, vile harpy of the neighborhood was getting so exhausting and causing so much stupid, stupid misery that I just started flipping pages to get to the end. And at the end there was a horrific pandemic that positively buries the town in coffins. So.
*sighs*
Let's all go read some fluff.
*Sorry, not sorry about the spoiler. This is 2020 and I think we all deserve fair warning about books that end with pandemics that bury the town in coffins.
October 15, 2023
This book deserves a thoughtful review, which I hope to get to soon, after digesting it all a little more. For now I'll just say that I loved it so much! The story is engaging from page one and put me through a very emotional journey. The characters are so real and Martineau's insights into human nature, group dynamics, sisterhood, love, faith, and forgiveness gave me a lot to think about. Truly a brilliant novel that should be so much better known than it is. One of the best books I've read all year.
May 3, 2018
Both the author and the book were below my radar when a friend recommended it to me as a book to read. It was hard to get hold of a paper copy in a sensible edition; Surrey County Libraries don't have a copy, the Penguin classics edition is listed on the Penguin website as being an eBook only, but via abebooks I managed to get a new but out-of-print(?) Penguin classics edition. Phew!
I really enjoyed the writing; the combination of narrative and very readable philosophical excursions. The story painted an interesting picture of English rural life in the early 19th Century, with a combination of external effects (disease, economic downturn, poor harvest) and those more local (the interpersonal relationships, class, morality, humanity). The greater emphasis of the social aspects of the novel on morality as opposed to propriety puts Deerbrook higher up on my list of 19th century novels than many others. In that regard, it reminds me more of the likes of The Brothers Karamazov, than Pride and Prejudice.
The fact that the philosophical sections are as accessible as the narrative is a credit to Martineau as a writer, and largely down to the writing quality. The style is a pleasure to read, though the overall structure of the story and some of the details could perhaps have done with some editing. I dare say if submitted to an editor these days it would get a fair few red scribbles in the text. As I reached the end of the novel, it felt like it had turned into an ongoing highbrow soap-opera, which might be a sign of the lack of editing, but actually led me to wish the novel, ending on p600, had gone on for another 600 pages.
I really enjoyed the writing; the combination of narrative and very readable philosophical excursions. The story painted an interesting picture of English rural life in the early 19th Century, with a combination of external effects (disease, economic downturn, poor harvest) and those more local (the interpersonal relationships, class, morality, humanity). The greater emphasis of the social aspects of the novel on morality as opposed to propriety puts Deerbrook higher up on my list of 19th century novels than many others. In that regard, it reminds me more of the likes of The Brothers Karamazov, than Pride and Prejudice.
The fact that the philosophical sections are as accessible as the narrative is a credit to Martineau as a writer, and largely down to the writing quality. The style is a pleasure to read, though the overall structure of the story and some of the details could perhaps have done with some editing. I dare say if submitted to an editor these days it would get a fair few red scribbles in the text. As I reached the end of the novel, it felt like it had turned into an ongoing highbrow soap-opera, which might be a sign of the lack of editing, but actually led me to wish the novel, ending on p600, had gone on for another 600 pages.
July 22, 2024
vascillated between rounding my 4.5 rating down to 4 and up to 5 for this one, but ultimately rounded down because the villain of the piece, despite being at times quite funny, was a bit one-note. the fact that she persecuted these three people, two of which had just arrived in deerbrook, solely for their connection with her husband's business partner's family was... something. like, lady, you are connected to that family too!
that being said, you truly do not get books like this any more: the malicious gossip culminating in a riot & burning the doctor in effigy, a man who is convinced to marry the sister he has less regard for on account of being told it looks as though he favours her (the worst decision of his life, the narrative tells us), a near drowning almost revealing that he loves the other sister, the calmest robbery to ever grace the pages of literature, a bunch of pathetic men being pathetic & pining, a so-called fever that results in black blood bleeding from the nose, eyes & mouth (which, of course, the protagonists are mysteriously the only people not to contract, despite nursing its victims daily & a near 100% infection rate)... it felt like not a whole lot happened in this book & yet so much did at the same time
that being said, you truly do not get books like this any more: the malicious gossip culminating in a riot & burning the doctor in effigy, a man who is convinced to marry the sister he has less regard for on account of being told it looks as though he favours her (the worst decision of his life, the narrative tells us), a near drowning almost revealing that he loves the other sister, the calmest robbery to ever grace the pages of literature, a bunch of pathetic men being pathetic & pining, a so-called fever that results in black blood bleeding from the nose, eyes & mouth (which, of course, the protagonists are mysteriously the only people not to contract, despite nursing its victims daily & a near 100% infection rate)... it felt like not a whole lot happened in this book & yet so much did at the same time
January 15, 2017
Orphans Hester and Margaret come to the village of Deerbrook to stay with their cousin, Mr Grey, while he settles their late father's estate. Mr Hope, the village apothecary, falls in love with Margaret, but Hester falls in love with him. When Mrs Grey tells him the whole village is expecting him to offer for Hester, he does indeed marry her, despite the fact that this will mean Margaret living with them.
This took me to about 40% of the novel and after that I skimmed, so the precise details of the rest of the plot escape me. I found this novel long and, in the main, humourless. On the other hand, I very much enjoyed sections of it. The feud between Mrs Grey and Mrs Rowland was an excellent plot strand which (I think) took on darker and more dramatic proportions in the second half of the book. The insularity and lack of privacy in a small village is made very clear. One thing that puzzled me was the way, after Hester's marriage, everyone suddenly agreed she had character defects. Apart from being jealous of her sister's friendship with the governess Maria, which is surely quite natural - they were all alone in the world otherwise and Hester tried to overcome this - she seemed perfectly amiable to me. Then, after her marriage she is irrational, whiny, depressive, moody - a bit of everything really!
It was, of course, a very Victorian book; Mr Hope faints at one point through pure excess of emotion, all the characters speak matter-of-factly about what God expects of them and God does indeed come through for the mismatched Hester and Hope.
I wouldn't read it again.
This took me to about 40% of the novel and after that I skimmed, so the precise details of the rest of the plot escape me. I found this novel long and, in the main, humourless. On the other hand, I very much enjoyed sections of it. The feud between Mrs Grey and Mrs Rowland was an excellent plot strand which (I think) took on darker and more dramatic proportions in the second half of the book. The insularity and lack of privacy in a small village is made very clear. One thing that puzzled me was the way, after Hester's marriage, everyone suddenly agreed she had character defects. Apart from being jealous of her sister's friendship with the governess Maria, which is surely quite natural - they were all alone in the world otherwise and Hester tried to overcome this - she seemed perfectly amiable to me. Then, after her marriage she is irrational, whiny, depressive, moody - a bit of everything really!
It was, of course, a very Victorian book; Mr Hope faints at one point through pure excess of emotion, all the characters speak matter-of-factly about what God expects of them and God does indeed come through for the mismatched Hester and Hope.
I wouldn't read it again.
August 30, 2012
Deerbrook
I like Deerbrook on so many different levels it's hard to know where to begin. As a Quaker minister, I like the book for the underlying Christian themes of turn the other cheek and love thy neighbor as thyself, which themes Harriet Martineau weaves throughout but especially in the 2nd half of the book. I like the novel because it's not just a novel but a platform for social change, thus we are instructed exactly how to live a better life even as we are swept away to a different world, a small (and small-minded) Victorian village.
However, the wonderful and compelling story of two sisters and their loves occasionally gets lost in Harriet Martineau's overly-wordy preaching (of which I myself am equally guilty in my writing!) Deerbrook is like a fine lobster stew to which the chef has purposefully and heavily-handed added codfish, shrimp and a mushroom or two. I suggest picking out what you don't want, and savoring the rest!
But if you love 19th century literature, don't overlook this important work by a fine woman writer and social activist.
June 11, 2012
Often described as a prototypical Middlemarch, it has similarities in its overarching authorial view and its wide-ranging concern with small, rural lives. The surprising difference that struck me was whereas Eliot was looking to examine the minutiae of everyday life and exult the small and often overlooked moments that make up our happinesses or despairs, listening for 'the roar on the other side of silence' as she puts it, Martineau suggests that the key to happiness is actually in not examining one's life too deeply. The only way to avoid despair is to busy oneself enough to overlook the fundamental truth that happiness is not guaranteed to everyone, or even most people: why should any one of us reasonably expect happiness in a world not designed expressly for us or our satisfaction?
Such a deeply pessimistic, almost nihilistic, view of the world was (I felt) pleasantly surprising in such a gentle-seeming novel. It might have the skin of another Cranford but it has the existential heart worthy of Hardy at his most bleak.
Such a deeply pessimistic, almost nihilistic, view of the world was (I felt) pleasantly surprising in such a gentle-seeming novel. It might have the skin of another Cranford but it has the existential heart worthy of Hardy at his most bleak.
April 18, 2012
In the history of the Victorian novel, this is an important book; and Martineau is an important person in Victorian lit. But for contemporary readers, this is a...hard read, and by 'hard' I mean boring. Really boring. It just doesn't work as a novel. But PLEASE do not tell my beloved Victorian Lit professor :)
October 26, 2015
I've never read a less entertaining book. I wasted so many hours of my life with this. And if people wonder why I bothered with it: I had to read it for a class.
It's fine if you don't agree, many people in my class didn't. But I personally consider this one of the most boring books I've ever held in my hands.
It's fine if you don't agree, many people in my class didn't. But I personally consider this one of the most boring books I've ever held in my hands.
August 24, 2023
As a result of bereavement, Hester and her sister Margaret, come to stay with relatives, The Greys, in Deerbrook. With echoes of Austen the usual social niceties ensue as the new arrivals must be greeted and entertained, taken to the woods for picnics..Relationships with the Routledges next-door have always been a little tricky! Both Mrs Grey and Mrs R are prone to overstep the mark and their interventions frequently have consequences. The handsome young apothecary Mr Hope is deemed to be a good match for Hester, but Mrs R wants him to marry into her family and Mr Hope loves someone else..
This is a rather extraordinary novel. The author was a social theorist and I think this is reflected in a novel which is at once deliciously domestic and also something of a sociological study. One can almost imagine the author creating her characters then throwing in love, death, politics and pestilence into the mix and theorising about how they all cope. Whilst much of the story is about love, friendship, and family, the book has a wider interest in how ‘society’ behaves. Mr Hope votes for the ‘wrong’ man and this has devastating consequences on a personal and societal level. What is most powerful is the observation of change wrought on individuals when experiencing hardship. Poverty and plague visit the village and create their own heroes and villains.
The characters are exceptional - fully realised and humanly flawed. Hester beautiful, jealous and insecure. There are allusions to mental health, ‘scene of conflict’ clearly has episodes..There are allusions to suicidal thoughts - did Margaret really fall into the stream, what did the story about the knife convey? Fabulous characters dont just sit on one side of the social divide - there are some epic servants here.
I have to mention Mrs R because she is such a study in ‘evil’. I am not sure whether it is evil but she really ruffled up my feathers. Her self-interest and meddling constantly surprised me, took my breath away. She crossed lines that I never expected her cross..Her meddling has desperate consequences..
This is regarded as the first Victorian domestic novel and was an inspiration for the writing of Elizabeth Gaskell and Charlotte Bronte and deserves more attention than it gets.
I highly recommend this neglected classic. I gave it five stars for its ambition and originality. It is written in 3 volumes - make sure you find an edition with all three. There are some waffly bits but they pass like most Victorian classics!
September 14, 2023
Ha sido una grata sorpresa descubrir esta novela con ideas tan modernas para su época. La autora defiende que la mujer trabaje y no dependa siempre de los hombres, y también que es necesario luchar contra la superstición mediante una educación adecuada. Insiste, además, en apostar por la serenidad y la fe frente a las adversidades.
Para demostrar todo ello, Martineau nos cuenta la historia de Deerbrook, un pueblecito inglés con algunos vecinos mezquinos y otras nobles, con epidemias, muertes, carestía, amores y desamores, malentendidos, rumores malignos y reconciliaciones.
En definitiva, ha sido un gran descubrimiento.
Para demostrar todo ello, Martineau nos cuenta la historia de Deerbrook, un pueblecito inglés con algunos vecinos mezquinos y otras nobles, con epidemias, muertes, carestía, amores y desamores, malentendidos, rumores malignos y reconciliaciones.
En definitiva, ha sido un gran descubrimiento.
December 21, 2021
A hidden gem. I had never heard of this novel or author before reading it. It was such a delightful story with well developed characters and beautiful imagery.
October 11, 2020
4.5 stars.
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