The Woman Thou Gavest Me Being the Story of Mary O'Neill

by Hall Caine

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Genres: Fiction

632 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine CH, KBE (1853-1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was an English author. He is best known as a novelist and playwright of the late Victorian and the Edwardian eras. In his time he was exceedingly popular and at the peak of his success his novels outsold those of his contemporaries. His novels were primarily romantic in nature, involving the love triangle, but they did also address some of the more serious political and social issues of the day. Caine acted as secretary to Dante Gabriel Rossetti and at one time he aspired to become a man of letters. To this end he published a number of serious works but these had little success. A man of striking appearance, he travelled widely and used his travels to provide the settings for some of his novels. He came into contact with, and was influenced by, many of the leading personalities of the day. His best known works include: The Shadow of a Crime (1885), The Bondman (1890), The Scapegoat (1890), The Prodigal Son (1904), The White Prophet (1909) and The Woman Thou Gavest Me (1913).

Reviews

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 estrelas, muito óbvio mesmo... é a prova viva de que os livros antigos conseguem ser perfeitos ainda nos dias de hoje!
Vou fazer uma opinião especial, este livro tocou-me de uma maneira profunda!

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a gem of a book I have stumbled upon! It has been a long time since I've had the kind of read where I'm reluctant to leave it and eager to get back. Yes, it's a soap opera, but everybody needs a little soap in their lives. This was published around 1913 but it reads so modern. Considering the subject matter and how it is treated I would think this novel was quite scandalous at the time. I was just on the verge of giving it five stars when unfortunately the ending got in the way.

This is the story of poor little rich girl Mary O'Neill; loved by a few, abused by many. Her rich and powerful father ignores her for not being a boy until he finds a use for Mary in marrying her off to an impoverished titled gentleman. Her husband turns out to be a toad. Such a toad! No one wants to be married to a toad, not even another toad. Mary tries to make a go of her marriage but you just can't win with a toad. Life is made more complicated when Mary meets a real man and starts to have feelings for him, but she's got this toad she's legally bound to. What's an Irish Catholic girl to do?

I just may have to see if I can dig up any more Hall Caine books.

[Angie Fehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little hard to understand first because the story goes back and forth between Mary ONeill telling her story and the man she loved narrating parts of it. Sad but beautiful story involving the debate between following your heart or following your upbringing.

[Noli Janos · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredible love story pulls at heart strings significantly

[Terrie Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book.

[tiago. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que livro surpreendente! A verdade é que não esperava muito deste livro de Hall Caine, mas acabou por me ter preso durante vários dias. O livro conta a estória de Maria O'Neill, uma rapariga casada pelo pai por interesse com um homem que a repugna. Com um tom de crítica societal presente ao longo de todo o livro, Maria O'Neill conta a sua própria vida e como a pressão da sociedade, nomeadamente da família e da Igreja Católica, leva ao descarrilamento da sua vida.

O livro foi, no seu tempo, altamente controverso, uma vez que o livro é uma defesa aberta dos direitos da mulher, uma crítica ao seu tratamento como bens (seja do seu pai antes do casamento, seja do seu marido após o mesmo). Maria cai numa espiral viciosa devido a decisões que lhe foram impostas pelo seu pai, e Hall Caine captura com uma impressionante vivacidade e realismo a sua descida de graça, apontando ao mesmo tempo os defeitos da sociedade britânica de início de século. É para mim um mistério a razão pela qual este livro não se tornou num clássico instantâneo! É certo que a parte final do livro termina numa nota idealista, feliz e - talvez - irrealista; mas não só de realismo depressivo se fazem bons livros. Para mim, é um ótimo livro, que recomendo a todos - se o conseguirem encontrar!

[Maria Joao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma história de amor, linda e impressionante. Uma história que retrata a vida, as relações humanas, sociais e religiosas no século XIX e que é tão aprazível de se ler, que se encaixa nos dias de hoje. Adorei, simplesmente.