The Monkey King's Used Primate Emporium and Book Reviews

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George Orwell, "A Clergyman's Daughter"

Started January 27 � Finished January 29; 223 pages. Posted 29 January 2002

I had never heard of this book before. In fact, only one copy has ever come through the bookstore since I�ve worked there. I would have passed on it since it was in pretty piss-poor condition; in fact, I only picked it up because I decided I wanted to read it, since I love Animal Farm, 1984 and Down and Out in Paris and London.

Since I had never heard about it, though, I was prepared to hate it. If I was semi-versed in Orwell�s works and life and had never came across this one, I figured that was a sign it was going to suck.

Well, it didn�t suck, but it wasn�t that great, either. The clergyman�s daughter, one Dorothy Hare, loses her memory after fighting off the advances of a lecherous old man and wakes up near railroad tracks, then befriends by a band of ruffians. Thus begins her adventures.

And she has a few, the first close in style to The Grapes of Wrath. Later she gets a job as a schoolmarm to a bunch of idiot children who are kept on so their school can rake in fees without trying to teach them anything. (She tries, but is at odds with the scheming headmistress.) The final act brings her back home to her father and hometown.

But contrary to 1984 and the like, this lacks the biting social commentary of the other Orwell works I�ve read. Oh, he tries to bring something about in the end, commenting on the decency found in the simple lower classes, but it really comes out hollow.

In addition, the heroine is too mousy, never speaking up against those who oppress or take advantage of her. Hell, most of the time she barely even thinks about it. It�s frustrating because you want to see her stand up for herself and she never does, and at the end she�s gone back to her old routine without the benefit of gaining wisdom.

Blecch. Where are the fantastic endings like �The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which�? Or �He had one the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother�? I feel cheated.


Rating: Library prices.

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