Odd Women

A novel of social realism, The Odd Women reflects the major sexual and cultural issues of the late nineteenth century. Set in a grimy, fog-ridden London, Gissing''s "odd" women range from the idealistic, financially self-sufficient Mary Barfoot to the Madden sisters who struggle to subsist in low paying jobs and little chance for joy. Gissing portrays contemporary society''s blatant ambivalence to...