https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3829332.html

This is a feminist story of liberation from the shackles of convention. Ann Veronica is a young woman who is studying science, much to her parents' disapproval, and makes a break for freedom; she is pursued by various different men, becomes a suffragette (the year is 1909) and eventually settles for one of the chaps. I liked this more than some of the other Wells non-sf novels that I have read; his wit at the expense of Ann Veronica's stuffily conventional family did not seem quite as patronising as in some other cases, and his sympathy for the heroine and her friends was contagious. ( )

This is not at all what I expected when I picked it up. I'd been reading "The Time Traveler" and "War of the Worlds" for the NPR Sci-Fi/Fantasy list, and saw that H.G. Wells had written numerous other novels. This novel follows a young woman who has ideas of suffrage and of female independence, but who feels stifled by her maiden aunt and strict father. ( )

I didn't know what to expect of this. It was a bit of a struggle to read because it is very much of its time in its refs to ideas and political movements. I was expecting more of a woman does science instead of getting married - but nope. Apparantly it was a bit of wish fulfilment by Wells so there we are. OK but nothing wonderful. ( )

This was quite a surprising novel coming from H.G Wells, as much as it was enjoyable. You really feel the plight, and unfair treatment, of Ann Veronica throughout the story and she becomes someone to root for. The story-line, characters, and setting were all very well done and I felt like this was a prime example of a social novel done well. Overall, I recommend it.

4 stars. ( )

I love my disaster daughter, Ann Veronica ( )