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The Rector's Wife
Anna Bouverie is the rector's wife. She irons his surplices (badly), delivers the parish newsletter, and scrimps to get by on a pittance, all the while keeping up appearances. She rarely complains and rarely rebels. But now-as she watches her children do without, as her husband withdraws further into his work, and her frustration mounts into fury-Anna realizes that she's willing to do whatever it takes to save herself...
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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1128 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Trollope
155 books593 followersJoanna Trollope Potter Curteis (aka Caroline Harvey)
Joanna Trollope was born on 9 December 1943 in her grandfather's rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of Rosemary Hodson and Arthur George Cecil Trollope. She is the eldest of three siblings. She is a fifth-generation niece of the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope and is a cousin of the writer and broadcaster James Trollope. She was educated at Reigate County School for Girls followed by St Hugh's College, Oxford. On 14 May 1966, she married the banker David Roger William Potter, they had two daughters, Antonia and Louise, and on 1983 they divorced. In 1985, she remarried to the television dramatist Ian Curteis, and became the stepmother of two stepsons; they divorced in 2001. Today, she is a grandmother and lives on her own in London.
From 1965 to 1967, she worked at the Foreign Office. From 1967 to 1979, she was employed in a number of teaching posts before she became a writer full-time in 1980. Her novel Parson Harding's Daughter won in 1980 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Joanna Trollope was born on 9 December 1943 in her grandfather's rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of Rosemary Hodson and Arthur George Cecil Trollope. She is the eldest of three siblings. She is a fifth-generation niece of the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope and is a cousin of the writer and broadcaster James Trollope. She was educated at Reigate County School for Girls followed by St Hugh's College, Oxford. On 14 May 1966, she married the banker David Roger William Potter, they had two daughters, Antonia and Louise, and on 1983 they divorced. In 1985, she remarried to the television dramatist Ian Curteis, and became the stepmother of two stepsons; they divorced in 2001. Today, she is a grandmother and lives on her own in London.
From 1965 to 1967, she worked at the Foreign Office. From 1967 to 1979, she was employed in a number of teaching posts before she became a writer full-time in 1980. Her novel Parson Harding's Daughter won in 1980 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
June 20, 2014
Dear heaven what a hideous bunch. Wanted to smack the lot of them.
April 14, 2018
My mother was a Midwestern preacher's wife in the 1950's through 1980's, not an English Rector's wife of a more recent era. However, there were so many insightful similarities between my mother's life and the life of the fictional Anna Bouverie that I found myself dog-earing page after page because I wanted to remember a certain phrase or observation. Suffice it to say, that if you are the spouse of a clergyman, you will be placed on a pedestal that no living, breathing human being should have to occupy. You will have few to no friends with whom you can be truly and genuinely honest, your own needs will be invisible to everyone (including your husband) but you will be expected to respond like a saint to the needs of everyone else, you will be required to work round-the-clock as an unpaid "Jill of all trades" for the parish, and last of all, you will live every day of your life in a "fishbowl" in which even your most insignificant decisions will be endlessly critiqued by the members of your congregation. (To be fair, I would imagine that last point must also be how authors feel when they read Goodreads reviews by those of us who couldn't actually write a coherent story if given a million dollars to do so. But at least they don't generally have to live among their most vocal critics!) A strong 3.5 stars for this book -- and a thought to leave you with: If you are a member of a faith community in which the leader of that community is married, be very, very kind to his (or her) spouse.
March 18, 2015
Slow and completely forgettable.
February 8, 2017
For the past two decades, the Bouveries have served God and their parish in a myriad of ways. As minister of his congregation, Peter Bouverie has always written such powerful sermons, preached to the faithful, and counselled so many troubled couples. Everyone in the tiny parish of Loxford also knows of the rector's wife Anna - she is so dutiful, organized, prayerful, and self-possessed. In fact, Anna Bouverie is nothing if not absolutely perfect for the position - she is the quintessential minister's wife.
Over the past twenty years, Anna has become a mother figure to so many people. She has made sure suppers were organized at the deanery; baked cakes for the Brownies' annual 'Easter Cake Bake'; delivered parish magazines; washed and ironed her husband's surplices for every Sunday service - although perhaps not as neatly as she should - or so some of Peter's more ardently faithful parishioners like to whisper. Anna has always been frugal with the family's funds: she has grown her own vegetables and clothed herself and her three children in left-over items bought from various jumble sales. She has always done these duties without complaint or indeed, any expectation of praise from others.
Anna Bouverie considers herself to be the most unassuming of women, and is quite content in her role as the wife of the parish's rector. However, she has no idea just how much or how quickly that role will change - or how much one specific incident will provide the impetus for Anna to change her life. After Peter fails to receive a promotion to archdeacon of Loxford, he retreats into a shell of isolated bitterness. As a result of his perceived personal humiliation, Peter soon begins to take the anger and frustration he feels out on those around him.
Although she initially does her best to understand his plight and to offer her husband a sympathetic ear whenever he needs one the most, Anna finds herself becoming more and more frustrated by Peter's increasingly dismissive treatment of her. When she learns that her younger daughter has recently become the target of some serious and extensive bullying at the local school, Anna discovers that she has reached her own personal breaking point. It soon becomes clear to her that she has allowed an inordinate amount of complacency and dutifulness to replace living her own life...Anna suddenly rebels. Taking a job in the local supermarket Anna soon begins earning some extra money; a better sense of her own worth; the shocked disapproval of the parish; as well as the ice-cold and sustained fury of her husband.
As Anna is beginning to find her own way in life, she is observed with a certain amount of passionate interest by three significant men. Each of these men will play his own specific role in the part-tragic, part-triumphant blossoming of Anna's life. Their individual stories will eventually become intertwined for a time with Anna's own personal journey through her life.
I must say that I enjoyed this book very much and it is the second book by Joanna Trollope that I've had the pleasure of reading. Although I haven't read that many books by this author before, she seems to be exactly the kind of writer that I prefer. I would definitely give this book an A+! and look forward to the next Joanna Trollope book that I read.
Over the past twenty years, Anna has become a mother figure to so many people. She has made sure suppers were organized at the deanery; baked cakes for the Brownies' annual 'Easter Cake Bake'; delivered parish magazines; washed and ironed her husband's surplices for every Sunday service - although perhaps not as neatly as she should - or so some of Peter's more ardently faithful parishioners like to whisper. Anna has always been frugal with the family's funds: she has grown her own vegetables and clothed herself and her three children in left-over items bought from various jumble sales. She has always done these duties without complaint or indeed, any expectation of praise from others.
Anna Bouverie considers herself to be the most unassuming of women, and is quite content in her role as the wife of the parish's rector. However, she has no idea just how much or how quickly that role will change - or how much one specific incident will provide the impetus for Anna to change her life. After Peter fails to receive a promotion to archdeacon of Loxford, he retreats into a shell of isolated bitterness. As a result of his perceived personal humiliation, Peter soon begins to take the anger and frustration he feels out on those around him.
Although she initially does her best to understand his plight and to offer her husband a sympathetic ear whenever he needs one the most, Anna finds herself becoming more and more frustrated by Peter's increasingly dismissive treatment of her. When she learns that her younger daughter has recently become the target of some serious and extensive bullying at the local school, Anna discovers that she has reached her own personal breaking point. It soon becomes clear to her that she has allowed an inordinate amount of complacency and dutifulness to replace living her own life...Anna suddenly rebels. Taking a job in the local supermarket Anna soon begins earning some extra money; a better sense of her own worth; the shocked disapproval of the parish; as well as the ice-cold and sustained fury of her husband.
As Anna is beginning to find her own way in life, she is observed with a certain amount of passionate interest by three significant men. Each of these men will play his own specific role in the part-tragic, part-triumphant blossoming of Anna's life. Their individual stories will eventually become intertwined for a time with Anna's own personal journey through her life.
I must say that I enjoyed this book very much and it is the second book by Joanna Trollope that I've had the pleasure of reading. Although I haven't read that many books by this author before, she seems to be exactly the kind of writer that I prefer. I would definitely give this book an A+! and look forward to the next Joanna Trollope book that I read.
July 3, 2009
This novel was well-written, a good study of the woman's predicament, but it was depressing because I could see where it was headed. She needed a savior, a real experience with God, but that never happened. I didn't like the two deus ex machina interventions where sudden things happened out of the blue to change the story in ways I won't disclose (don't want to spoil the story, in the event someone would want to read it after this review!).
April 11, 2018
I can hardly write a proper review on this, except that I think it is the best book I have read all year! This is Trollope in her prime, an absolutely exquisitely paced piece of literature with wonderful, whole characters, who leave you actively aching for them, hating them. I both laughed out loud and shed a tear whilst reading this novel (which only took about two days- it is certainly addictive). At about the 3/4 point I despaired that I knew how it would end, and I didn't like the solutions it was shaping. However, Trollope knew what she was doing- I have never been more satisfied by a conclusion.
This is a novel for every woman.
This is a novel for every woman.
October 19, 2024
It's always fun to run across a long-forgotten book on your bookshelf left unread. I fear that I have lots of those! Joanna Trollope, in the past, was always a "must read" and this one did not disappoint. She has a way of showing the common occurrence of not enough money and too little love in a true manner with interesting, flawed characters. This was a slow-moving tale of village clergy life that may not appeal to all but should be a good fit for Trollope fans.
December 27, 2021
3.5 Stars
January 30, 2021
It wasn't really for me and I didn't really care about anyone in the book. It was fine though.
The book came randomly through the Second Hand Bookclub so I thought I should read it and I was glad I did.
The book came randomly through the Second Hand Bookclub so I thought I should read it and I was glad I did.
November 28, 2011
This was the first book I read by Joanna Trollope and I immediately became a fan. She writes clear, beautifully drawn characters in believable situations.
October 26, 2013
I read this book in paperback format for a book club.
I had read one other book, "Other people's children", by this author. I found that book to be intriguing. What I appreciated was the unflinching way that the author made her characters face obstacles for which sometimes there were no happy-ever-after endings.
In this book, Anna is the wife of Peter, the rector, in a small English village. As a rector's wife, she is supposed to be beyond reproach and dedicated to her husband. Anna finds herself in a kind of existential and identity crisis as she seeks more for her life than this assigned role.
The book was an easy read. It was interesting throughout the course of the entire book. The plot lines were believable.
I wish that I had known more about Peter's character. We see him mostly through the eyes of his wife and children. His stubbornness and own crisis of faith when he is turned down for a promotion makes him an unlikable character. But then he is not the focus of psychological introspection like Anna is, which is only fitting since she is the title character. But a little more character development would have provided more depth to the novel.
Likewise, I felt that I knew too little about Patrick, one of Anna's suitors who wants her to commit adultery. He is rich for some vague reason. His motivations or lack thereof are never really clear. We don't know enough about his backstory to make him a real person. I knew more about his housekeeper, Ella, than I did about him.
I will say that Trollope has down pat the art of portraying what people are really thinking in any given episode of this book. It can be quite amusing to hear people's inner thoughts so directly.
I am not English so I am sure that I lost something in translation in terms of understanding the intricacies of the Church of England and how the whole Church hierarchy is arranged. I certainly looked up a lot of British words in my dictionary. My favorite was OAP (old-age pensioner).
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought that the resolution of the story with a car crash killing Peter made sense. I could see that the gossip conveyed by Ella might have been the last straw for him. Not that he actively courted suicide, but when the opportunity presented itself, he decided to act.
Ella, the busybody, did not seem very put out for having spread false gossip to Peter which led to his demise. She was sad, but she bears a lot of responsibility for his death.
I could appreciate the sense of relief that Anna felt when her marital meltdown, and writ large, her other crises, were resolved by Peter's death. I know that the book was written in the early 1990's but it did surprise me how unenlightened this couple were about marriage counseling. But maybe it was their own stubbornness and the whole church scandal thing that prevented them from seeking help.
It also surprised me to see Anna give in when Peter went to Pricewell's and told the manager that Anna was resigning. This seemed to me more likely to occur in the 1950's than the 1990's.
I also found it somewhat irritating to see how rude Anna was to people who sincerely were trying to help her. I can see how anyone in the spur of the moment might have a bad day and overreact. But in Anna's case, it seemed that she perpetually wanted no help whatsoever with anything unless it was on her own terms. How difficult is it to be civil and polite? Or to have a frank civil conversation about how she perceives this help?
The book had a good soap opera appeal, though.
I had read one other book, "Other people's children", by this author. I found that book to be intriguing. What I appreciated was the unflinching way that the author made her characters face obstacles for which sometimes there were no happy-ever-after endings.
In this book, Anna is the wife of Peter, the rector, in a small English village. As a rector's wife, she is supposed to be beyond reproach and dedicated to her husband. Anna finds herself in a kind of existential and identity crisis as she seeks more for her life than this assigned role.
The book was an easy read. It was interesting throughout the course of the entire book. The plot lines were believable.
I wish that I had known more about Peter's character. We see him mostly through the eyes of his wife and children. His stubbornness and own crisis of faith when he is turned down for a promotion makes him an unlikable character. But then he is not the focus of psychological introspection like Anna is, which is only fitting since she is the title character. But a little more character development would have provided more depth to the novel.
Likewise, I felt that I knew too little about Patrick, one of Anna's suitors who wants her to commit adultery. He is rich for some vague reason. His motivations or lack thereof are never really clear. We don't know enough about his backstory to make him a real person. I knew more about his housekeeper, Ella, than I did about him.
I will say that Trollope has down pat the art of portraying what people are really thinking in any given episode of this book. It can be quite amusing to hear people's inner thoughts so directly.
I am not English so I am sure that I lost something in translation in terms of understanding the intricacies of the Church of England and how the whole Church hierarchy is arranged. I certainly looked up a lot of British words in my dictionary. My favorite was OAP (old-age pensioner).
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought that the resolution of the story with a car crash killing Peter made sense. I could see that the gossip conveyed by Ella might have been the last straw for him. Not that he actively courted suicide, but when the opportunity presented itself, he decided to act.
Ella, the busybody, did not seem very put out for having spread false gossip to Peter which led to his demise. She was sad, but she bears a lot of responsibility for his death.
I could appreciate the sense of relief that Anna felt when her marital meltdown, and writ large, her other crises, were resolved by Peter's death. I know that the book was written in the early 1990's but it did surprise me how unenlightened this couple were about marriage counseling. But maybe it was their own stubbornness and the whole church scandal thing that prevented them from seeking help.
It also surprised me to see Anna give in when Peter went to Pricewell's and told the manager that Anna was resigning. This seemed to me more likely to occur in the 1950's than the 1990's.
I also found it somewhat irritating to see how rude Anna was to people who sincerely were trying to help her. I can see how anyone in the spur of the moment might have a bad day and overreact. But in Anna's case, it seemed that she perpetually wanted no help whatsoever with anything unless it was on her own terms. How difficult is it to be civil and polite? Or to have a frank civil conversation about how she perceives this help?
The book had a good soap opera appeal, though.
November 19, 2017
THERE IS A GLARING ERROR IN THIS BOOK - WHY HASN'T ANYONE ELSE NOTICED IT? My book club read The Rector's Wife this month and I was astonished that I was the only one to have noticed the mistake. In the last two or three chapters Anna is seen driving around the village and elsewhere in a carefree mood: "It was curious and exciting to drive so much, to feel that the car was hers to drive." Now, we have to presume that "the car" is the same car her husband was always driving, as we know it's a one-car household. But... hey... wasn't that the car that was involved in a horrific collision with a bus just a few days before? Insurance companies (or panel beaters in the unlikely case that the car wasn't a complete write-off) don't work that fast!
Anyway, glaring mistake aside, this is a two and a half star book for me. It was an easy read and managed (just) to hold my interest. It's quaint, old-fashioned, rather dull, and the way Anna's predicament is resolved is too easy, improbable and unbelievably convenient.
Anyway, glaring mistake aside, this is a two and a half star book for me. It was an easy read and managed (just) to hold my interest. It's quaint, old-fashioned, rather dull, and the way Anna's predicament is resolved is too easy, improbable and unbelievably convenient.
July 21, 2017
"Why was it that she was made to feel that her claims had no validity, that her existance was only permitted by everyone as long as it remained relative? How did people, Anna cried to herself, how did people get to be primary people - the ones who made others relative? And why, if you picked up a different burden, was it then assumed that you loved your burden and would gladly carry it for ever and ever..."
These questions are not new. Women's experiences within narrowly heterosexual, traditional "marriage" have often been examined with a growing consciousness that there is asymmetry built into the institution that favours men. This book looks at that in the context of the man also being trapped in a similarly commited and taken-for-granted relationship to "the church" as an overworked and impoverished clergyman in a rural community. Anna as "the rector's wife" craves to have real work, independence, choice, relationships based on herself not her role or gender and any sense that she is a human not an object in someone else's vocation. Peter is depressed but doesn't want to talk about it- at varying times he projects, blames, retreats and simply pontificates. They married for "love" but it has been a long and hard road.
There is no simple answer to Anna's situation, which is a complex network of emotions, desires, dilemmas and loyalties. Her children are very difficult (I couldn't personally stand "Flora"). Anna is an exceptionally attractive woman (why do heroines ALWAYS have to be exceptionally attractive? I found that a weak point of the story) and so a couple of different men are keen to have an affair with her and some others want to support her in ways that are probably influenced by unacknowledged attraction. Parts of he story made for heavy, unpleasant reading as it seemed that Anna's "answer" was going to be to see herself through the objectifying gaze of these admirers who kept observing that she needed to feel like a "woman" (ie attractive) again but over the course of the book a good complex line was trodden.
Of course Anna considered throwing herself into being attractive and beloved. There IS romance for her in the book, in some form but on her terms. In this way the book does not condemn the idea of heterosexual sex, simply the narrowly constrained "proper" way of institutionalising it. I found the men in the book irritating in their lack of perception and would have preferred Anna to tell them all to "bugger off" but she is nicer than me I guess. She is also more loyal to Peter than I felt she needed to be.
There is a twist at the end which was problematic in the way it so easily resolved everything (although it was still worth reading afterward to see a lot of insights into the other people in the book). I think the answer to mental illness within the book is very inadequate, perhaps dangerously so. I also did not like a suggestion in the book, which a couple of characters voiced and noone troubled that a beautiful woman who is being sexually harassed has the responsibility to put an end to it (and can easily do so).
I did think the discussions of gender roles, respectability and church were really complex and well problematised. I liked that women were not innocents within patriarchal oppression, with their gossip and power games and competition for attention they oppressed each other. Men were often well-meaning but neglected to really listen or to take their wives and housekeepers seriously as people. Noone was powerless, even when people's choices were constrained (as Anna's consistently were) they have agency and exercise it. I also liked questions around "vocation", "service" and clergy in general, in the context of the people who have to give up things to nurture them (ie women). In some ways the clergy really are a sort of parasite, albeit an overworked one.
A complex and thought-provoking book with a lot of frustration and bitterness in the middle passages but some light in places as well. Recommended for women and for men who have the nerve for it.
These questions are not new. Women's experiences within narrowly heterosexual, traditional "marriage" have often been examined with a growing consciousness that there is asymmetry built into the institution that favours men. This book looks at that in the context of the man also being trapped in a similarly commited and taken-for-granted relationship to "the church" as an overworked and impoverished clergyman in a rural community. Anna as "the rector's wife" craves to have real work, independence, choice, relationships based on herself not her role or gender and any sense that she is a human not an object in someone else's vocation. Peter is depressed but doesn't want to talk about it- at varying times he projects, blames, retreats and simply pontificates. They married for "love" but it has been a long and hard road.
There is no simple answer to Anna's situation, which is a complex network of emotions, desires, dilemmas and loyalties. Her children are very difficult (I couldn't personally stand "Flora"). Anna is an exceptionally attractive woman (why do heroines ALWAYS have to be exceptionally attractive? I found that a weak point of the story) and so a couple of different men are keen to have an affair with her and some others want to support her in ways that are probably influenced by unacknowledged attraction. Parts of he story made for heavy, unpleasant reading as it seemed that Anna's "answer" was going to be to see herself through the objectifying gaze of these admirers who kept observing that she needed to feel like a "woman" (ie attractive) again but over the course of the book a good complex line was trodden.
Of course Anna considered throwing herself into being attractive and beloved. There IS romance for her in the book, in some form but on her terms. In this way the book does not condemn the idea of heterosexual sex, simply the narrowly constrained "proper" way of institutionalising it. I found the men in the book irritating in their lack of perception and would have preferred Anna to tell them all to "bugger off" but she is nicer than me I guess. She is also more loyal to Peter than I felt she needed to be.
There is a twist at the end which was problematic in the way it so easily resolved everything (although it was still worth reading afterward to see a lot of insights into the other people in the book). I think the answer to mental illness within the book is very inadequate, perhaps dangerously so. I also did not like a suggestion in the book, which a couple of characters voiced and noone troubled that a beautiful woman who is being sexually harassed has the responsibility to put an end to it (and can easily do so).
I did think the discussions of gender roles, respectability and church were really complex and well problematised. I liked that women were not innocents within patriarchal oppression, with their gossip and power games and competition for attention they oppressed each other. Men were often well-meaning but neglected to really listen or to take their wives and housekeepers seriously as people. Noone was powerless, even when people's choices were constrained (as Anna's consistently were) they have agency and exercise it. I also liked questions around "vocation", "service" and clergy in general, in the context of the people who have to give up things to nurture them (ie women). In some ways the clergy really are a sort of parasite, albeit an overworked one.
A complex and thought-provoking book with a lot of frustration and bitterness in the middle passages but some light in places as well. Recommended for women and for men who have the nerve for it.
January 12, 2022
A mixed first read for 2022. Really, really struggled with the protagonist. She came across so selfish. As for “the parish”, they were absolutely awful and I really struggle to believe people are are really like that en masse in real life?! But I could be wrong.
But seriously, this woman married a vicar, was questioned as to whether she knew what she was signing up for and claimed she did, then resented every second of it. I’m not sure what she wanted as whatever people did or didn’t do she was unhappy about. Seemed like there were a lot of characters I was meant to dislike but I wasn’t sure why, the rest I disliked anyway! The ending left me uncomfortable. All that being said, I did feel quite invested in the book and it had me interested enough to want to keep reading, especially as the pace picked up in the second half!
But seriously, this woman married a vicar, was questioned as to whether she knew what she was signing up for and claimed she did, then resented every second of it. I’m not sure what she wanted as whatever people did or didn’t do she was unhappy about. Seemed like there were a lot of characters I was meant to dislike but I wasn’t sure why, the rest I disliked anyway! The ending left me uncomfortable. All that being said, I did feel quite invested in the book and it had me interested enough to want to keep reading, especially as the pace picked up in the second half!
June 2, 2016
Life in a rural English church is like living in a fish bowl. And Anna has had enough. After 20 years as a rector's wife, she wonders who she is. It seems she has lost herself along the way. But how does she deal with this situation? By taking a part time low wage job. And this small act of rebellion opens the door to a new way of life. Was it easy? No. Did people pay the price for her freedom? Yes. Ms Trollope describes life in an English village so well but she shows the dark side as well as the cozy side.
August 15, 2012
Lovely book filled with housewifely angst and emotional growth, while her rector-husband seems to be going the other way. Very well written and lively, a real page-turner, but the ending seemed a bit predictable and manipulated. Overall, a good read!
June 22, 2020
Anna, as rector’s wife in a small rural village, attracts a clearly defined role. When Peter fails to gain promotion on the religious ladder to archdeacon, not only does he fall into bitter isolation but their marriage also begins to suffer, and money remains tight. Despite her willingness and capabilities, the male-dominated world of the church deems it not appropriate for Anna to be seen earning a living outside of church duties. Her first step of rebellion, not only to recover her self-worth but to support her family in their hour of need, is to take a part-time job in a supermarket. The small-minded politics of the village – an idyllic setting on the surface – hides a hornet’s nest of disquiet, desire, and disapproval.
Originally published in 1991. If you’re looking for big dramatic plot developments and action then this isn’t one for you. If, however you enjoy the careful consideration of the family dynamic and the internal struggles of a woman needing to be recognised as her own person – then well worth the read. Trollope’s insight into relationships as well as the expectations and restraints of the church within the village community and beyond, makes for a quietly compelling read.
Originally published in 1991. If you’re looking for big dramatic plot developments and action then this isn’t one for you. If, however you enjoy the careful consideration of the family dynamic and the internal struggles of a woman needing to be recognised as her own person – then well worth the read. Trollope’s insight into relationships as well as the expectations and restraints of the church within the village community and beyond, makes for a quietly compelling read.
July 2, 2018
As someone who was raised Catholic, stories about the families of clergy have always fascinated me in their foreignness. The matters of the balance of familial commitment and commitment to a congregation, the pressures on the members who have not made this decision for themselves but instead been carried on in a spouse or parent's wake, etc. This book didn't really capture me on those terms, however, and it was quite slow without really offering much to compensate for this lack of pace. I would summarize this book as "everyone is really rude to a woman who doesn't deserve any of this nonsense." It did pick up in the end, and I certainty was rooting for the protagonist, but literally everyone else in this book can get rekt.
July 18, 2018
Like watching an old-fashioned BBC miniseries. I found the detailed observations and descriptions in this 1991 novel very charming, but I can see where others might find them somewhat tedious. At any rate, I am giving this 4 stars since I finished it in 3 days and was totally into it, although I was somewhat disappointed in the ending!
January 16, 2021
My Original Thoughts (2000):
Fair. I didn't care for any of the characters and didn't find the storyline very believable. In spite of this, I'd still like to try more of Trollope's books.
My Current Thoughts:
I can't imagine why I would choose to read such a depressing book. Completely forgettable.
Fair. I didn't care for any of the characters and didn't find the storyline very believable. In spite of this, I'd still like to try more of Trollope's books.
My Current Thoughts:
I can't imagine why I would choose to read such a depressing book. Completely forgettable.
June 30, 2018
I really liked the first ten chapter for 5 stars.
But then the plot turned not into what I would have liked...
But then the plot turned not into what I would have liked...
February 17, 2023
Amusing and moving portrait of life in a rural parish
Read
July 18, 2017I didn't finish it, it just didn't hold my interest. Maybe because I just finished a magnificent Monica McInerney book perhaps??
October 11, 2013
Excellent. I can truly feel Anna's life. The satirical aspects are dead on. Wow!! This book resonated with me!!! Anna Bouverie is the frustrated wife of the local Rector of small parish church in rural England. It is a modern-day story (well, 1990s or so--no cell phones!!) and one that I imagine pastor's wives the world over would find familiar. When the continual giving and smiling and sacrificing begins to way like a huge stone on her chest, when her once beloved husband seems to see her only as an unpaid administrative assistant, when her daughter suffers--it all becomes too much for Anna. Peter, her husband, is so driven by his duty to his parish that he doesn't see his family slipping away. This is a very "inner" story and a very real one to just about anyone who is has reached the married-long-enough-to-be-parents-of-a-teen to be able to shout "YES!" to various passages. I also watched the tv version that was once shown on Masterpiece Theater. I thought it made Anna into a vapid Ninny! But I thought Prunella Scales, as Marjorie, was totally RIGHT. The Rector's Wife by Joanna Trollope. You may need to find it used or through Interlibrary Loan, but it's well worth the effort.
March 3, 2012
I am reading every book Trollope has ever written, as if i were taking a class studying her works from early to late. LOVE her, though some of her books are stronger than others. This one was good, not great. It was loosely based on Madame Bovary, by Flaubert. There was a shocking event towards the end, which I thought was unnecessary and a bit far fetched, and led to too tidy and ending, but I am not sorry I read the book. It seemed dated to me, not because it was written 20 years ago, but because women really had come far along at that point, but Trollope created a female character who was living as if it were 1950, not 1991. This would be a great book for a reading group as there is so much to discuss about life as the spouse of clergy. The book is not about religion at all. It is about the tight knit world of the church and how the families of the clergy are expected to live, and it's not always pretty. It is also about feeling oppressed and empty and longing to be true to yourself and find good work!
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June 2, 2013
Well this novel was just "Blah". It reminded me a lot of The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (see review Here). It was quite a dull story, full of dull characters that did not give me any enjoyment whatsoever! Why did I finish it then? Well, I kept thinking that there was going to be great, big twist that would make it worthwhile to read. Sadly, I got to the end without anything worthwhile happening.
I am also struggling to give a lot of praise to the author. Her style was also "Blah" and had no real defining features (in my opinion). I wouldn't say she was a bad writer but just not one that stood out for me amongst the numerous writers that are available out there. I certainly won't be looking out for any more of her books to read.
Don't waste your time on this novel or author. 1 out of 5 for just getting this story published!
I am also struggling to give a lot of praise to the author. Her style was also "Blah" and had no real defining features (in my opinion). I wouldn't say she was a bad writer but just not one that stood out for me amongst the numerous writers that are available out there. I certainly won't be looking out for any more of her books to read.
Don't waste your time on this novel or author. 1 out of 5 for just getting this story published!
December 15, 2009
I actually got the movie first and something was wrong so I couldn't see the end so I got the book. Lovely English countryside setting and the rector's wife is not very content with her domineering husband and the disapproval of most of the women of the church congregation for one reason or another.
It was a character filled book and the story was interesting. Good writing and I'd read another book by this author.
It was a character filled book and the story was interesting. Good writing and I'd read another book by this author.
August 11, 2014
The story takes an unexpected turn. One thing that is typical though, is how Peter blames his wife's affair for the deterioration of their marriage instead of acknowledging that the deterioration of the marriage (chiefly due to his stubbornness and emotional abandonment of his wife) caused the affair.
January 17, 2019
This is the first book group book of the new year, as suggested by my mother.
Anna Bouverie is married to Peter, the rector of a small parish in the south of England (made up and not entirely sure where exactly but somewhere near Gloucestershire/Oxfordshire I think). As the book starts, we learn that Anna's youngest daughter, Flora, is being bullied at the local primary school and that Peter was going for a big promotion to Archdeacon, but he hasn't got it.
The story that follows is the next few months as they try to adjust to Peter's huge disappointment. They have no money, but Anna is determined that Flora will go to the local Catholic private school as she will not allow for her to be bullied anymore. They can't afford it unless Anna goes to work. Peter does not want her to work as this will look bad to his parishioners; Anna has to be at every event, she has to be seen to be supporting him in his work in the parish, she has to be seen to be doing the work at home to enable him to do God's work. If she works at the supermarket, she will be declaring to everyone that not only do they not have enough money, but that her contribution to God's work (by staying home and doing everything) is not enough, or not important enough, and that she has other priorities (yes, because obviously we should allow our children to be bullied and have their self esteem ruined for fear of upsetting the flower arranging ladies). She basically sticks two fingers up at him and goes anyway.
They are both deeply unhappy. But at no point do they communicate this to each other, they basically just stop speaking all together. They are clearly no longer in love, there is very little fondness, even in the cliched "brother/sister" format that marriages sometimes fall into. They seem to actively dislike each other at times.
So this goes on, Anna stretches herself thin, she wants to work at the shop, but she gets very angry when the interfering old biddies of the parish step in to do the jobs she hates - church stuff, hosting meals, preparing meals etc. She can't actually manage it all, but she'll be damned if she's going to give up her job. She then promptly goes off and has an affair with the brother of the new archdeacon (who stole Peter's promotion).
Peter discovers that while she has been working at the shop for a couple of months, so say to pay the fees of the private school Flora now attends, Flora had qualified for free fees due to the lack of income from her parents. So Anna has been going to work for no reason other than to piss him off, basically, as far as he is concerned. Not for one moment does he consider that she might have been doing it for herself, to make herself feel like a person and not some amenity for God. He forces her to leave the job - they don't need the money so why on earth would she stay?
He is then told by a neighbour that Anna is having an affair. As it turns out she IS, but not with the man the neighbour accuses her of. Peter is livid, gets in his car to go and find Anna and tell her that he wants a divorce, and is hit by a bus and killed.
It was a very sad, cop out of an ending. I got so cross with both of them, she didn't support him in his huge disappointment in not getting the top job, she was dismissive and self centred. But at the same time, she had no choice but be self centred because she was disappearing into herself as The Rector's Wife; she was there to do the church stuff but no one, including her family, gave a shit about her as a person. Peter never took the time to ask her why she wanted to work once she discovered she didn't need to pay the school fees. Never asked her anything about herself. They were like complete strangers to each other. And their children were typically messed up because of it. Although getting Flora into a better school may have helped her a little bit.
I can't say I enjoyed this book at all, but it was very intriguing (being the daughter of a minister!), and the writing was such that I couldn't put it down.
I would like to give it 2 stars because it is depressing and it made me so sad at the way the author (and quite possibly a lot of society) sees the church, and because I got so cross with their shitty relationship; they did absolutely everything you SHOULDN'T do when your marriage is crumbling. I didn't like the absolute cop out of an ending - him dying just made everything ok. Sad, sure, but she was able to work, have a boyfriend (later down the line, but still), get a house that was hers, help her children yadda yadda. He got out of the pit of depression he'd fallen into and refused to ask for help to get out of, but without having to do anything stupid. There was no judgement from anyone because who can judge a woman who has lost her husband like that?
But I am giving 3 stars because actually there is some truth in the lives they led. My mother has her own issues with my dad being a minister (not to this extreme!) and the struggles to balance yourself and the person people expect you to be are real. Also, while this kind of genre is really not my bag at all, it kept me interested enough to read the whole thing in about 24 hours, and that is impressive regardless.
Anna Bouverie is married to Peter, the rector of a small parish in the south of England (made up and not entirely sure where exactly but somewhere near Gloucestershire/Oxfordshire I think). As the book starts, we learn that Anna's youngest daughter, Flora, is being bullied at the local primary school and that Peter was going for a big promotion to Archdeacon, but he hasn't got it.
The story that follows is the next few months as they try to adjust to Peter's huge disappointment. They have no money, but Anna is determined that Flora will go to the local Catholic private school as she will not allow for her to be bullied anymore. They can't afford it unless Anna goes to work. Peter does not want her to work as this will look bad to his parishioners; Anna has to be at every event, she has to be seen to be supporting him in his work in the parish, she has to be seen to be doing the work at home to enable him to do God's work. If she works at the supermarket, she will be declaring to everyone that not only do they not have enough money, but that her contribution to God's work (by staying home and doing everything) is not enough, or not important enough, and that she has other priorities (yes, because obviously we should allow our children to be bullied and have their self esteem ruined for fear of upsetting the flower arranging ladies). She basically sticks two fingers up at him and goes anyway.
They are both deeply unhappy. But at no point do they communicate this to each other, they basically just stop speaking all together. They are clearly no longer in love, there is very little fondness, even in the cliched "brother/sister" format that marriages sometimes fall into. They seem to actively dislike each other at times.
So this goes on, Anna stretches herself thin, she wants to work at the shop, but she gets very angry when the interfering old biddies of the parish step in to do the jobs she hates - church stuff, hosting meals, preparing meals etc. She can't actually manage it all, but she'll be damned if she's going to give up her job. She then promptly goes off and has an affair with the brother of the new archdeacon (who stole Peter's promotion).
Peter discovers that while she has been working at the shop for a couple of months, so say to pay the fees of the private school Flora now attends, Flora had qualified for free fees due to the lack of income from her parents. So Anna has been going to work for no reason other than to piss him off, basically, as far as he is concerned. Not for one moment does he consider that she might have been doing it for herself, to make herself feel like a person and not some amenity for God. He forces her to leave the job - they don't need the money so why on earth would she stay?
He is then told by a neighbour that Anna is having an affair. As it turns out she IS, but not with the man the neighbour accuses her of. Peter is livid, gets in his car to go and find Anna and tell her that he wants a divorce, and is hit by a bus and killed.
It was a very sad, cop out of an ending. I got so cross with both of them, she didn't support him in his huge disappointment in not getting the top job, she was dismissive and self centred. But at the same time, she had no choice but be self centred because she was disappearing into herself as The Rector's Wife; she was there to do the church stuff but no one, including her family, gave a shit about her as a person. Peter never took the time to ask her why she wanted to work once she discovered she didn't need to pay the school fees. Never asked her anything about herself. They were like complete strangers to each other. And their children were typically messed up because of it. Although getting Flora into a better school may have helped her a little bit.
I can't say I enjoyed this book at all, but it was very intriguing (being the daughter of a minister!), and the writing was such that I couldn't put it down.
I would like to give it 2 stars because it is depressing and it made me so sad at the way the author (and quite possibly a lot of society) sees the church, and because I got so cross with their shitty relationship; they did absolutely everything you SHOULDN'T do when your marriage is crumbling. I didn't like the absolute cop out of an ending - him dying just made everything ok. Sad, sure, but she was able to work, have a boyfriend (later down the line, but still), get a house that was hers, help her children yadda yadda. He got out of the pit of depression he'd fallen into and refused to ask for help to get out of, but without having to do anything stupid. There was no judgement from anyone because who can judge a woman who has lost her husband like that?
But I am giving 3 stars because actually there is some truth in the lives they led. My mother has her own issues with my dad being a minister (not to this extreme!) and the struggles to balance yourself and the person people expect you to be are real. Also, while this kind of genre is really not my bag at all, it kept me interested enough to read the whole thing in about 24 hours, and that is impressive regardless.
December 20, 2016
Took me away from the election so it met the requirement
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