A Clergyman's Daughter (George Orwell)

Some say, this is the weekest of Orwell's 6 novels. I am not so sure. But even if it is, it is still so much more interesting than most other writers' 'good' novels. If it is a bad novel, it is still a very good book. Sure, the text is uneven. The chapters talk a different language. So? Chapter 1 is a 'plain' tale of a young woman in Suffolk, a spinsterish, neurotic, sex-phobic, obedient, pious, nice person, called Dorothy. She has a bad hypertrophy of sense of duty. She lets herself be exploited as an unpaid church helper. Her father, the clergyman, is maybe the biggest idiot in his profession that you can find in literature. This life happens in Knype Hill in Suffolk, the small town that you never want to get to know. Chapter 2 is the catastrophe: Dorothy had a blackout, and at awakening, she is not in any kind of Ozish wonderland, but has lost 8 days of her life plus her memory plus her self. Who is she? She somehow joins a small band of bums who go hop-picking in Kent. This ch... Read more

Dorothy Hare is the clergyman's daughter. A chief torment of her life is the butcher's bill. The rector is ill-humored. He is an anachronism. Their church, St. Athelstan's, is located in Suffolk. The rector exists in a chronic state of exasperation. He is the grandson of a baronet, (the youngest son of a youngest son). He is on a life-long search for a good investment and, consequently, feels it is perfectly proper to neglect paying the butcher. The Dean's wife is detestable. Dorothy fears that in the course of a visit she will discover that Dorothy and her father are in debt. The condition of the church belfry is iffy. The church organ fund needs replenishing. Either science and free thought or the dullness of the services have caused the congregation of St. Athelstan's to dwindle. Whereas the rector doesn't really fit into the community, Dorothy does. She visits the down-hearted, the neglected. She makes many costumes for the children's plays. As happened to... Read more

i read this more as an essay and commentary regarding prewar england. themes of church intollerance, school rigidity, classism, bigotry, etc. abound. one can read this literally, leaving the task confused and befuddled. one should read this metaphorically, perhaps as a dream sequence, to fairly appreciate what orwell sought to accomplish. i enjoyed elements of this for the sheer brilliance of observation. life at the hops camp was particularlly sharp. if one appreciates gritty labor struggles and observations of the religiously constrained, this will be a pile of words worth reading.

A clergyman's daughter, a plain girl, Mysterisously disappears with the town hoodlum and then loses her memory. This is the story of her life after this occurrs. It is not all I had come to expect from Orwell but it is an enjoyable book that keeps you reading for more. Read only if you are a die hard Orwell fan and then only if you are willing to accept a so-so work. Otherwise you can read it but don't expect to be blown away.