Wifedom
Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life
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Wifedom
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Narrated by:
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Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood
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Jane Slavin
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By:
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Anna Funder
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
A blazing, genre-bending masterpiece from one of the most inventive writers of our time
Looking for wonder and some reprieve from the everyday, Anna Funder slips into the pages of her hero George Orwell. As she watches him create his writing self, she tries to remember her own...
When she uncovers his forgotten wife, it's a revelation. Eileen O'Shaughnessy's literary brilliance shaped Orwell's work and her practical nous saved his life. But why—and how—was she written out of the story?
Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells' marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and WW II in London. As she rolls up the screen concealing Orwell's private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer—and what it is to be a wife.
Compelling and utterly original, Wifedom speaks to the unsung work of women everywhere today, while offering a breathtakingly intimate view of one of the most important literary marriages of the 20th century. It is a book that speaks to our present moment as much as it illuminates the past.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2023 Anna Funder (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Funder skilfully deploys fictional techniques to make the material jump off the page: crafted scenes with their own story-arcs, naturalistic dialogue, fully-realised characters with their own plotlines." Independent on Sunday)
"Meticulous and compassionate." (London Review of Books)
"Rigorously researched, tenderly told." (Independent)
What listeners say about Wifedom
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AZ Viewer
- 04-04-24
Absolutely enthralling.
I thoroughly enjoyed following Aileens story. Without having any prior knowledge of her life, I was so shaken by her experience, it’s a book that will live with me for some time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Carol
- 19-04-24
Fascinating
I enjoyed this book so much. A fascinating insight into to interesting lives of the Orwell’s. Really well narrated and I would highly recommend.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jess
- 22-08-23
Fantastically interesting take on the life of the wife of George Orwell
The only thing I disliked about this book was the funny voices and attempted accents throughout certain sections of the book. This was amateurish and took me a while to get over. Otherwise an excellent take on the role of women as wives and a reminder that the comfortable patriarchy which surrounds us and glues us into our roles has yet to be fully challenged. Also a revelation about how many of Georgio‘s ideas found a source with his wife.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- davidjh
- 04-09-23
Wonderful book
But I must admit it has changed my perception both of Orwell and, despite there being a plethora of feminist literature about, also the role of the ‘wife ‘.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-08-24
What an absolute sod
How did I not know that this celebrated author was such a misogynist and alleged rapist arsehole. His wife Eileen deserved a sainthood for putting up with him let alone that she was the genius and he was nothing. He deserves nothing. All hail the brilliance that was Eileen who typed and edited his works. Who financially supported him all the while he was cheating on her left right and centre under the guise of an open relationship which she did not agree to. She should have left the monster.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jenny
- 15-12-23
Excellent Audio
I'd read negative reviews of Wifedom and being a lover of George Orwell's work, felt compelled to read/listen to this book. The excellent narration aside, I'm very happy I did. The old adage 'behind every great man ...' is brought to life in Wifedom. I was listening to Homage to Catalonia in tandem, at one point, which made it even more poignant. The accusation in reviews that you can't compare a marriage of nigh on 80 years ago, to contemporary ones, might be true, but you can always compare the inherent humanity of any individual, throughout the ages. Well researched and great book. Highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Charles
- 07-10-23
Very good
Very good, I enjoyed it and have been thinking about it and it’s staying with me.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 23-12-23
Beautiful listen
It’s a great journey learning about the authors as people and lives behind their books.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L
- 10-07-24
Quite a read
I loved everything about this: the writing, the performance, the stories. Gripping, thought provoking, sad, exciting, intelligent. Incredible story. I adore the writer’s style and equally the voices of the narrators. Yep, Orwell was some character, obviously very charismatic and eccentric, talented, but so was his wife. Eileen. And though this was another time, we can’t completely excuse his dreadful behaviour . I’m glad to have learned about Eileen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- L. Atkin
- 28-09-23
Thought provoking
I always felt George Orwell was strange but he seems to have been massively hypocritical. The book was well constructed and exposed the expectations of many men and women in a western era gone by . The old saying behind every man there is a good women . The fact Orwell when writing his articles never mentions his wife by name Eileen almost becomes a non person . Until reading this I did not know what a great part Eileen had been in Spain . He probably would not escaped without her help. I am surprised that some women found him attractive when he was so awful to them . But back to the book. What a mission . The sadness for me is that today many women are still treated to the rigors of wifedom .I found the narration very good gentle on the ear .
I will be singing the virtues of this book .
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1 person found this helpful