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Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister
The official companion book to the HBO series Gentleman Jack created by Sally Wainwright and starring Suranne Jones
In 1834, Anne Lister made history by celebrating and recording the first ever known marriage to another woman. This is her remarkable, true story.
Anne Lister was extraordinary. Fearless, charismatic and determined to explore her lesbian sexuality, she forged her own path in a society that had no language to define her. She was a landowner, an industrialist and a prolific diarist, whose output has secured her legacy as one of the most fascinating figures of the 19th century. Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister follows Anne from her crumbling ancestral home in Yorkshire to the glittering courts of Denmark as she resolves to put past heartbreak behind her and find herself a wife. This biographical portrait introduces the real Gentleman Jack, featuring unpublished journal extracts decrypted for the first time by series creator Sally Wainwright and historian Anne Choma.
In 1834, Anne Lister made history by celebrating and recording the first ever known marriage to another woman. This is her remarkable, true story.
Anne Lister was extraordinary. Fearless, charismatic and determined to explore her lesbian sexuality, she forged her own path in a society that had no language to define her. She was a landowner, an industrialist and a prolific diarist, whose output has secured her legacy as one of the most fascinating figures of the 19th century. Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister follows Anne from her crumbling ancestral home in Yorkshire to the glittering courts of Denmark as she resolves to put past heartbreak behind her and find herself a wife. This biographical portrait introduces the real Gentleman Jack, featuring unpublished journal extracts decrypted for the first time by series creator Sally Wainwright and historian Anne Choma.
258 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
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August 29, 2024
Last night I finished watching the BBC and HBO tv series Gentleman Jack for the second time and am near the end of Anne Choma's book (which I have in audiobook format). What can I say? To give you a measure of the impact the show has had on me, I'm just going to say that from now on I'm going to divide my life into BAL and AAL (Before Anne Lister and After Anne Lister). An exaggeration? Not at all. And I'm not the only one whose life has been touched by Anne Lister; there is now a documentary on Anne Lister fans as well as numerous social media accounts and meet-ups, not to mention the celebrations of Anne Lister's 250th birthday at Shibden Hall earlier this year (which I sadly missed😥).
But first things first. Who was Anne Lister? Anne Lister was a minor landowner in England born towards the end of the 18th century. From a very young age she showed a keen interest in things that were considered unsuitable for girls at the time: science, mathematics, geology, as well as an emotional and sexual preference for girls as opposed to boys. She appears to have been a mischievous child and an indomitable spirit, who had crushes and flings with other teenage girls at the school she attended. She was sent by her parents to live with her aunt and uncle (Anne and James Lister) at Shibden Hall, which was a great thing as these two people were incredibly open-minded and offered valuable support to young Ann both emotionally and materially. When uncle James died, and after the death of Ann Lister's brothers, he bequeathed the estate to Anne impressed by her ability in estate management.
Anne Lister was a number of things. She was, I quote, "the first modern lesbian". There is a plaque in Shibden Hall and another one outside the church where she had a secret (and obviously informal) wedding ceremony with Ann Walker whom she considered her wife. She was an entrepreneur with a head for (manageable) risk who competed with men on an equal basis. She refused to be patronised or sidelined by men. And she refused the advice of her girlfriends to find a man, become respectable in the eyes of society and do what she liked in secret. Anne Lister would have none of that. She knew what she wanted: she wanted a companion, a wife, with whom she would live together. She found that in nearby heiress Ann Walker.
Above all, she was an ardent diarist, whose diaries encompassing 5 million words (!) and written partly in secret code are now under UNESCO protection for their contribution to documenting the era as well as Anne Lister's own sexual adventures. The diaries are still in the process of being decoded with an army of volunteers working towards fully deciphering them.
The show begins with Anne Lister having just come back from her travels and a romantic disappointment after her wannabe companion Miss Hobart has accepted a marriage proposal. Anne is distraught. It's not the first time she has been frustrated in her aspirations. Indeed, 16 years earlier, Mariana, most probably the love of her life, had accepted the offer of marriage by a much older man whom Mariana detested but felt she had little choice but marry. Although the two women continued to see each other and be sexually involved for many years afterwards, Anne Lister felt rejected. A life of secret liaisons was not for her.
Season One follows the return of Anne Lister to Shibden Hall, her determination to update the estate and manage its assets effectively and the beginnings of her romantic involvement with Ann Walker. Although this involvement has a happy end (and I'm not giving anything away here), the two women have to face the constant hostility of Ann Walker's family who are set upon crushing the spirits of these two women. Will they succeed?
For me the importance of Anne Lister lies in her forceful and detemined personality at a time when lesbianism was not illegal (male homosexuality was) but was frowned upon quite severely. Anne knew how to move around in social cicles and used this knowledge to protect herself (as well as Ann Walker) from the malicious intentions of others. But it was clear to her that the kind of life she led (and that she asked Ann Walker to share) was not an easy one. As she puts it at one point in Season Two in an exchange with Ann Walker "we are the only ones who want us to be together". She also says that every day she has to deal with people talking behind her back. She says she chose to 'rise above it'. But at what cost?
The other great thing is the diaries themselves. The only other example we have of two women living openly together at the time was the Two Ladies of Llangollen, whom Anne had visited in the 1820s. However, with Ann Lister's diaries we have a day-to-day account of everything that happended in her life, from the servants she employed and the dealings she made to the actual sexual encounters she had. What an amazing gift this is! Without it we would only speculate about these things.
I can't recommend the show highly enough! The book provides helpful background information, clarifies several aspects of Anne's life and is closer to the diaries then the show (not that the series creator has taken too many liberties, though), and I would recommend reading it as a companion to the show rather than independently. The show is superb as drama and it will be especially appealing for viewers with an interest in the period (1830s), those interested in women's history, the history of lesbianism and social documentary. Enjoy!
But first things first. Who was Anne Lister? Anne Lister was a minor landowner in England born towards the end of the 18th century. From a very young age she showed a keen interest in things that were considered unsuitable for girls at the time: science, mathematics, geology, as well as an emotional and sexual preference for girls as opposed to boys. She appears to have been a mischievous child and an indomitable spirit, who had crushes and flings with other teenage girls at the school she attended. She was sent by her parents to live with her aunt and uncle (Anne and James Lister) at Shibden Hall, which was a great thing as these two people were incredibly open-minded and offered valuable support to young Ann both emotionally and materially. When uncle James died, and after the death of Ann Lister's brothers, he bequeathed the estate to Anne impressed by her ability in estate management.
Anne Lister was a number of things. She was, I quote, "the first modern lesbian". There is a plaque in Shibden Hall and another one outside the church where she had a secret (and obviously informal) wedding ceremony with Ann Walker whom she considered her wife. She was an entrepreneur with a head for (manageable) risk who competed with men on an equal basis. She refused to be patronised or sidelined by men. And she refused the advice of her girlfriends to find a man, become respectable in the eyes of society and do what she liked in secret. Anne Lister would have none of that. She knew what she wanted: she wanted a companion, a wife, with whom she would live together. She found that in nearby heiress Ann Walker.
Above all, she was an ardent diarist, whose diaries encompassing 5 million words (!) and written partly in secret code are now under UNESCO protection for their contribution to documenting the era as well as Anne Lister's own sexual adventures. The diaries are still in the process of being decoded with an army of volunteers working towards fully deciphering them.
The show begins with Anne Lister having just come back from her travels and a romantic disappointment after her wannabe companion Miss Hobart has accepted a marriage proposal. Anne is distraught. It's not the first time she has been frustrated in her aspirations. Indeed, 16 years earlier, Mariana, most probably the love of her life, had accepted the offer of marriage by a much older man whom Mariana detested but felt she had little choice but marry. Although the two women continued to see each other and be sexually involved for many years afterwards, Anne Lister felt rejected. A life of secret liaisons was not for her.
Season One follows the return of Anne Lister to Shibden Hall, her determination to update the estate and manage its assets effectively and the beginnings of her romantic involvement with Ann Walker. Although this involvement has a happy end (and I'm not giving anything away here), the two women have to face the constant hostility of Ann Walker's family who are set upon crushing the spirits of these two women. Will they succeed?
For me the importance of Anne Lister lies in her forceful and detemined personality at a time when lesbianism was not illegal (male homosexuality was) but was frowned upon quite severely. Anne knew how to move around in social cicles and used this knowledge to protect herself (as well as Ann Walker) from the malicious intentions of others. But it was clear to her that the kind of life she led (and that she asked Ann Walker to share) was not an easy one. As she puts it at one point in Season Two in an exchange with Ann Walker "we are the only ones who want us to be together". She also says that every day she has to deal with people talking behind her back. She says she chose to 'rise above it'. But at what cost?
The other great thing is the diaries themselves. The only other example we have of two women living openly together at the time was the Two Ladies of Llangollen, whom Anne had visited in the 1820s. However, with Ann Lister's diaries we have a day-to-day account of everything that happended in her life, from the servants she employed and the dealings she made to the actual sexual encounters she had. What an amazing gift this is! Without it we would only speculate about these things.
I can't recommend the show highly enough! The book provides helpful background information, clarifies several aspects of Anne's life and is closer to the diaries then the show (not that the series creator has taken too many liberties, though), and I would recommend reading it as a companion to the show rather than independently. The show is superb as drama and it will be especially appealing for viewers with an interest in the period (1830s), those interested in women's history, the history of lesbianism and social documentary. Enjoy!
June 13, 2019
This book is a rather interesting and somewhat valuable insight into the life of Anne Lister. The book is split into chapters, with some rather tasty diary entries throughout. It reminded me of a Jane Austen novel, in a way, or, that might be just me.
I am aware of the TV series called "Gentleman Jack" and I've heard that this book follows it pretty well. I'm not sure that I'll ever get around to watching it, though.
Anne Lister was a phenomenon. She was way ahead of her time, and I love that. She held much knowledge about her estate, and she knew her sexuality, and with this, she knew exactly how she wanted to live her life.
This was quite a short read, which was full of interesting snippets from Anne's diaries. I recommend this for anyone that wishes to gather more information about a remarkable, headstrong female.
I am aware of the TV series called "Gentleman Jack" and I've heard that this book follows it pretty well. I'm not sure that I'll ever get around to watching it, though.
Anne Lister was a phenomenon. She was way ahead of her time, and I love that. She held much knowledge about her estate, and she knew her sexuality, and with this, she knew exactly how she wanted to live her life.
This was quite a short read, which was full of interesting snippets from Anne's diaries. I recommend this for anyone that wishes to gather more information about a remarkable, headstrong female.
February 2, 2021
I can’t help but love this woman and her story <3
May 6, 2019
As reading the diaries themselves (as edited by Helena Whitbread) is a bit too intensive for me right now, I was happy to find this book. It provides background for the tv series and has selected some of the most interesting diary passages. I was especially fascinated by how Anne used the diaries as a ways of reasoning with herself. I had to laugh quite a couple of times at Anne writing one thing, and subsequently doing something that decidely illustrated the opposite. I also enjoyed how reading the book immediately offers insight into some of the plot choices made by the series.
April 19, 2023
Anne Lister was a fascinating complicated person and this book presents her diaries and letters from the 1830s from when she met Ann Walker and when they were "married" ie season one of the show. This account firmly identifies Lister as a butch lesbian but doesn't mention that there is a lot of evidence of her gender nonconformity and that she didn't straightforwardly see herself as a woman, so that was disappointing. Butch lesbian is a totally valid interpretation of Lister from her writing but it doesn't feel right to pretend it's the only one.
There's a weird lack of contextualizing and attention to complexity too, like when there's an offhand comment about Lister visiting a scientist studying skull shape to "discover" racial difference and intelligence without mentioning how white supremacist and unscientific that is. Like, if you're not going to add anything useful and historicize, then just edit and print the diaries and letters as they are.
Anyway, I think there's room for Lister to be an important historical figure for both trans people and cis queer women, but this book is not interested in that multiplicity.
There's a weird lack of contextualizing and attention to complexity too, like when there's an offhand comment about Lister visiting a scientist studying skull shape to "discover" racial difference and intelligence without mentioning how white supremacist and unscientific that is. Like, if you're not going to add anything useful and historicize, then just edit and print the diaries and letters as they are.
Anyway, I think there's room for Lister to be an important historical figure for both trans people and cis queer women, but this book is not interested in that multiplicity.
March 12, 2021
Like many people, I became aware of Anne Lister through the HBO mini-series. This book is fascinating and gets into the historical details of her life during the period covered by the show. What I find most compelling is the level of introspection that Miss Lister employed on a daily basis. The book includes excerpts from her journals with the historical context in which she was writing.
July 19, 2019
As I’m thoroughly enjoying the BBC drama of ‘Gentleman Jack’ I felt compelled to read this companion to the series and I’m really glad I did. It was an absolutely fascinating read which gave more insight into the characters and the times although the TV series is extremely accurate and very well done.
Actress Suranne Jones who plays GJ sums her up well - ‘She’s a bit Marmite, this one’ but love her or hate her Anne Lister certainly made her mark. I loved that AL defied the conventions of the time, she was a ‘man in petticoats’. She was highly intelligent, scholarly and boundlessly energetic. She was interested in so much, from classic literature to medicine and she attended and conducted dissections. She was funny, disparaging if necessary ( her relationship with sister Marion was rocky and she described her as the ‘cock of the dung hill), she desired to be upwardly mobile, was merciless and hard nosed in business, an optimistic personality who believed in positive thinking before it was a ‘thing’. She travelled widely in Europe and died in what is now Georgia after a trip to Russia with Ann Walker.
She inherited Shibden Hall, Halifax from her uncle and massively improved it, managing its farms with great efficiency. It was at Shibden that she met Ann Walker whom she would ‘marry’. The book recounts the affairs that she had up to meeting heiress Ann in 1832; her most passionate affair prior to this was to Mariana Belcombe who broke Anne’s heart when she married Charles Lawton. The relationship between Anne and Ann was a strange one in some ways as for the first two years of the relationship Ann would not commit to them being together and to AL’s frustration frequently prevaricated. Their relationship became sexual and this was described in the dairies. AL felt that Ann was far more sexually aware than she ever let on and certainly wasn’t an innocent. It emerged later that she had some form of affair with Reverend Ainsworth.
The two women were yin and yang. AL was optimistic, confident and self aware whilst Ann was negative, had no self confidence and couldn’t stand up for herself against vulture like relatives. She also suffered from melancholy, bouts of mania and other mental health issues. However, much to AL’s surprise they exchanged rings and took holy communion together in All Saints, Goodramgate, York ( a gorgeous little church) which they classed as marriage in 1834. There is a plaque that commemorates this. Ann then moved into Shibden much to her families chagrin although with the approval of AL’s. When you consider the status of Georgian/Victorian women and that the word lesbian didn’t even exist, their bravery in flouting conventions is staggering. Add to that that they lived near a smallish town (Halifax) where everyone knew everyone else’s business it becomes even more audacious. However, they had their supporters, not least AL’s Aunt Ann (so many Ann(s)!!!) and I think the fact that AL was so impressive and could run rings round many of the local business men that must have helped.
This was a very well written book, interspersed with extracts from AL’s HUGE diaries. It not only gave you understanding of the central characters in this amazing piece of history but it also demonstrated what the times were like. It was absolutely fascinating and a terrific read.
Actress Suranne Jones who plays GJ sums her up well - ‘She’s a bit Marmite, this one’ but love her or hate her Anne Lister certainly made her mark. I loved that AL defied the conventions of the time, she was a ‘man in petticoats’. She was highly intelligent, scholarly and boundlessly energetic. She was interested in so much, from classic literature to medicine and she attended and conducted dissections. She was funny, disparaging if necessary ( her relationship with sister Marion was rocky and she described her as the ‘cock of the dung hill), she desired to be upwardly mobile, was merciless and hard nosed in business, an optimistic personality who believed in positive thinking before it was a ‘thing’. She travelled widely in Europe and died in what is now Georgia after a trip to Russia with Ann Walker.
She inherited Shibden Hall, Halifax from her uncle and massively improved it, managing its farms with great efficiency. It was at Shibden that she met Ann Walker whom she would ‘marry’. The book recounts the affairs that she had up to meeting heiress Ann in 1832; her most passionate affair prior to this was to Mariana Belcombe who broke Anne’s heart when she married Charles Lawton. The relationship between Anne and Ann was a strange one in some ways as for the first two years of the relationship Ann would not commit to them being together and to AL’s frustration frequently prevaricated. Their relationship became sexual and this was described in the dairies. AL felt that Ann was far more sexually aware than she ever let on and certainly wasn’t an innocent. It emerged later that she had some form of affair with Reverend Ainsworth.
The two women were yin and yang. AL was optimistic, confident and self aware whilst Ann was negative, had no self confidence and couldn’t stand up for herself against vulture like relatives. She also suffered from melancholy, bouts of mania and other mental health issues. However, much to AL’s surprise they exchanged rings and took holy communion together in All Saints, Goodramgate, York ( a gorgeous little church) which they classed as marriage in 1834. There is a plaque that commemorates this. Ann then moved into Shibden much to her families chagrin although with the approval of AL’s. When you consider the status of Georgian/Victorian women and that the word lesbian didn’t even exist, their bravery in flouting conventions is staggering. Add to that that they lived near a smallish town (Halifax) where everyone knew everyone else’s business it becomes even more audacious. However, they had their supporters, not least AL’s Aunt Ann (so many Ann(s)!!!) and I think the fact that AL was so impressive and could run rings round many of the local business men that must have helped.
This was a very well written book, interspersed with extracts from AL’s HUGE diaries. It not only gave you understanding of the central characters in this amazing piece of history but it also demonstrated what the times were like. It was absolutely fascinating and a terrific read.
August 25, 2019
Anne Choma’s Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister is an excellent companion to the HBO and BBC adaptation. Supplementary and expansive, there is no hint of any partiality in this fascinating biography that succinctly tells not only of Lister’s liaisons with a lot of women but also her insatiable hunger for education despite women’s almost lack of rights then. Her detailed diary entries are not only a time capsule on 1800s lesbianism but an intricate look at mechanics of society.
Anne Lister of Shibden Hall who is perhaps most well-known as the “modern lesbian” with libertine outlook on gender and sexuality also suffered from flawed beliefs and questionable intentions. Although she was at peace with her religion and sexuality, she was conservative in her political interests (she’s a Tory Blue in fact) and had manipulative, selfish tendencies over lovers and the lower class. As is the norm with white male businessmen in this era there was no surprise there. Her need to climb up over the social ladder was a little off-putting though she eventually grew out of this. Despite these shortcomings, her courage to live her life as herself, unapologetic, is admirable; her experience of heartbreak and want of a lasting partner one after another palpable, her gentlemanly manner quite endearing that it is difficult, with her string of lovers, not to be charmed and smitten. Although her family was refreshingly accepting, she didn’t escape the lingering snide and taunt of narrow minded bigots. Heteronormativity corrupts and forces itself upon same-sex relationships (ie., rigid ideas on gender roles). Branded as an oddity, her lack of conformity on femininity with other expectations on gender in tow she made up for her travel enthusiasm and vast knowledge on a wide array of subjects.
This biography also tells and concludes her love story with Ann Walker who was as commendable and magnificent for her own bravery. Their romance is a gut-wrenching and gushing tale of communion and affinity. A “marriage” hailed as the “first same-sex marriage” in the UK, this is another fragment of the continuing persistence and presence of the LGBT community throughout history. And I quote E.M. Forster, “It comes to this then: there always have been people like me and always will be (...)” Today, Shibden Hall stands proudly in Halifax, Yorkshire and the church where Anne and Ann took their wedding vows through the holy communion bears a plaque that commemorates the event.
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister is not a diary anthology. It often inserts excerpts from Lister’s diaries which are then discussed at length by Choma; historical context included. Side-by-side with the TV series this is a brilliant addition but as a stand-alone I wouldn’t think this will suffice at all. Don’t forget to see the TV series because writer Sally Wainwright never disappoints and is a gift that keeps on giving.
Anne Lister of Shibden Hall who is perhaps most well-known as the “modern lesbian” with libertine outlook on gender and sexuality also suffered from flawed beliefs and questionable intentions. Although she was at peace with her religion and sexuality, she was conservative in her political interests (she’s a Tory Blue in fact) and had manipulative, selfish tendencies over lovers and the lower class. As is the norm with white male businessmen in this era there was no surprise there. Her need to climb up over the social ladder was a little off-putting though she eventually grew out of this. Despite these shortcomings, her courage to live her life as herself, unapologetic, is admirable; her experience of heartbreak and want of a lasting partner one after another palpable, her gentlemanly manner quite endearing that it is difficult, with her string of lovers, not to be charmed and smitten. Although her family was refreshingly accepting, she didn’t escape the lingering snide and taunt of narrow minded bigots. Heteronormativity corrupts and forces itself upon same-sex relationships (ie., rigid ideas on gender roles). Branded as an oddity, her lack of conformity on femininity with other expectations on gender in tow she made up for her travel enthusiasm and vast knowledge on a wide array of subjects.
This biography also tells and concludes her love story with Ann Walker who was as commendable and magnificent for her own bravery. Their romance is a gut-wrenching and gushing tale of communion and affinity. A “marriage” hailed as the “first same-sex marriage” in the UK, this is another fragment of the continuing persistence and presence of the LGBT community throughout history. And I quote E.M. Forster, “It comes to this then: there always have been people like me and always will be (...)” Today, Shibden Hall stands proudly in Halifax, Yorkshire and the church where Anne and Ann took their wedding vows through the holy communion bears a plaque that commemorates the event.
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister is not a diary anthology. It often inserts excerpts from Lister’s diaries which are then discussed at length by Choma; historical context included. Side-by-side with the TV series this is a brilliant addition but as a stand-alone I wouldn’t think this will suffice at all. Don’t forget to see the TV series because writer Sally Wainwright never disappoints and is a gift that keeps on giving.
January 13, 2020
Anne Lister is a 19th century lesbian who managed an estate, wooed women, eschewed corsets and other restrictive clothing as much as possible, and kept a detailed journal. This historical account includes many excerpts from recently transcribed and decoded journals and letters. I took great joy in the euphemisms in particular. The author does not shy away from Anne's less positive traits such as merciless tenants dealings, but celebrates her achievements and verve, correcting some inaccuracies her name has picked up along the way.
I should say the journals were written in a detailed code and the author also did quite a bit of the transcription/decoding work once they were opened up for scholarly inquiry.
I should say the journals were written in a detailed code and the author also did quite a bit of the transcription/decoding work once they were opened up for scholarly inquiry.
August 16, 2019
Trailer: Trailer
May 23, 2019
Very pleasantly surprised to discover how closely the TV series sticks to the primary sources!
September 14, 2025
Creo que el problema que he tenido con este libro ha sido la forma de narrarlo, se hace muy repetitivo. Hay biografías que sin renunciar a ser fieles con los hechos son mucho más amenas e interesantes.
Es una pena porque Anne Lister llevo una vida inusual para la época
Es una pena porque Anne Lister llevo una vida inusual para la época
May 31, 2019
Decent, but disappointingly narrow in scope - only covers around 2 years of Anne's life, almost solely focused on her relationship with Ann Walker. Good starting point for someone who wants to discover more after watching the show, but wouldn't recommend to someone looking for a proper biography.
June 19, 2020
Anne Lister. . .Gentleman Jack is dedicated in her diary keeping, and hunting for love. True love. This woman is new to me, and the life she led was extraordinary and off the beaten track. She was fiercely Anne Lister - and kept careful track of her time spent on this earth, and in self-preservation created a code to keep track of her sexual expressions, mild and wild. She was curious and inquisitive and held back no experiences in satisfying her need to seek out answers as it related to her body and the bodies of others, even dead ones.
This is a good read, for a start, I think. I was pleased that real biographical information is shared in this "movie tie-in." I thought I was getting a book, not a movie companion piece, so that disappointed me a bit, but I was satisfied by the book's end. I was launched on a google fest to determine more about fiesty Anne, and how she maneuvered in order to rearrange the world according to her desires. She was brilliant, and fought her battles, winning, winning all the way to 2020. Not bad, at all.
3 stars, uncoded.
This is a good read, for a start, I think. I was pleased that real biographical information is shared in this "movie tie-in." I thought I was getting a book, not a movie companion piece, so that disappointed me a bit, but I was satisfied by the book's end. I was launched on a google fest to determine more about fiesty Anne, and how she maneuvered in order to rearrange the world according to her desires. She was brilliant, and fought her battles, winning, winning all the way to 2020. Not bad, at all.
3 stars, uncoded.
August 11, 2022
Excellent introduction on Anne Lister's life, paving to making her diaries easier to read
September 19, 2019
What a remarkable woman, single minded, confident, in an age when women had virtually no rights and there wasn't a word for lesbian, she was way ahead of her time.
I wasn't aware of her until the show aired but she is fascinating as are her secret diaries written in her special 'crypt hand'.
I listened to an audio copy of the book which was excellent.
I wasn't aware of her until the show aired but she is fascinating as are her secret diaries written in her special 'crypt hand'.
I listened to an audio copy of the book which was excellent.
December 22, 2019
This was quite narrow in scope and as such wouldn't really work on its own (or probably even for someone reading before seeing the show as opposed to after), but it does what it says on the tin quite well with the exception of a very rushed ending. An insightful read that made me appreciate the show even more!
June 1, 2020
⇝ 4.5 stars
May 19, 2019
I don’t generally buy books which are heralded as a movie or tv tie in. But this companion to a forthcoming tv production about a period in Anne Lister’s life is a compelling read. I’ve read a couple of books about Anne Lister which cover the whole of her life in greater depth. Gentleman Jack is informed, well written and examines a crucial couple of years in the life and times of this extraordinary lady.
It’s fitting that, at last, she’s receiving recognition. Her incredible diaries amount to over 5 million words and now have UNESCO status as a world heritage document. They provide a meticulous account of the minutiae of her life and activities and as such are a valuable social history resource.
Anne Lister was a woman of keen intellect and endless energy. Defying social and gender norm, she dressed always in black, often wore breeches and gents topcoat and was openly ridiculed for her masculine appearance. She was openly lesbian and took a number of female lovers and had a marriage ceremony with one. Doubtless there’ll be much interest in her love life, but this remarkable lady had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She was widely travelled and even experimented with dissection whilst in Paris, just because she wanted to learn about anything and everything. She was familiar with the classics in literature and the works of the great philosophers.
This trailblazer was also an expert in land and estate management at a time when women had few legal rights as landowners or business people. She was also a paradox in that despite her liberalism in many areas, her attitudes towards workers was traditional and she resented the working class radicalism that was demanding reform. She was concerned about the impact such change would have on social order.
Gentleman Jack is thoroughly researched and reads like an adventure tale. I recommend it as an excellent way to learn more about this astonishing individual.
It’s fitting that, at last, she’s receiving recognition. Her incredible diaries amount to over 5 million words and now have UNESCO status as a world heritage document. They provide a meticulous account of the minutiae of her life and activities and as such are a valuable social history resource.
Anne Lister was a woman of keen intellect and endless energy. Defying social and gender norm, she dressed always in black, often wore breeches and gents topcoat and was openly ridiculed for her masculine appearance. She was openly lesbian and took a number of female lovers and had a marriage ceremony with one. Doubtless there’ll be much interest in her love life, but this remarkable lady had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She was widely travelled and even experimented with dissection whilst in Paris, just because she wanted to learn about anything and everything. She was familiar with the classics in literature and the works of the great philosophers.
This trailblazer was also an expert in land and estate management at a time when women had few legal rights as landowners or business people. She was also a paradox in that despite her liberalism in many areas, her attitudes towards workers was traditional and she resented the working class radicalism that was demanding reform. She was concerned about the impact such change would have on social order.
Gentleman Jack is thoroughly researched and reads like an adventure tale. I recommend it as an excellent way to learn more about this astonishing individual.
December 31, 2019
The book does what it says: ties in with the TV programme. But there are noticeable shifts in emphasis. Whereas the TV programme, thanks to the first rate acting of Suranne Jones, suggested a radical and charismatic figure, the book presents a much more conservative identity. Anne Choma places Anne Lister within a Gothic framework-- she was fascinated by dissections and autopsies. And though Anne Lister did project (without question) a daring sexual identity, her world views were orthodox Tory. One personal crisis in the TV programme centred on Anne Lister feeling insulted when money was placed before love. Anne Chroma re-directs this scene, in the book, to demonstrate how, in fact, Anne Lister placed money before love: her love conquests were guided by a desire to ascend the social ladder and marriage was envisaged within patriarchal and Biblical contexts as a way of establishing power and reverence. This is a thoughtfully written book that breezes through a complex subject.
March 17, 2021
It was extremely interesting to read about Anne Lister's life and experience. Her relationship with her sexuality and the way she carved an identity true to herself in a world where nobody seemed to be like her is fascinating--the glimpse of her reasoning and her research and her journey.
I didn't know exactly what to expect from this book, and I haven't watched the show before reading it; I think it was a mistake. It makes sense that it's not the entirety of her diaries (Lister documented her life since she was 25 to one month before her death at 49 every single day. That's a lot of diaries) but I was somewhat disappointed in the amount of summarizing. Also of course, it's the recounting of a real person's life so it makes sense that a lot of the daily happenings have been glossed over because deemed uninteresting--but I feel like there might have been more.
The most likely explanation is that since the book was designed to be a filler for the series, the "missing parts" are in fact, in the show. I plan on watching it as soon as I can, so we'll see if I change my mind!
I didn't know exactly what to expect from this book, and I haven't watched the show before reading it; I think it was a mistake. It makes sense that it's not the entirety of her diaries (Lister documented her life since she was 25 to one month before her death at 49 every single day. That's a lot of diaries) but I was somewhat disappointed in the amount of summarizing. Also of course, it's the recounting of a real person's life so it makes sense that a lot of the daily happenings have been glossed over because deemed uninteresting--but I feel like there might have been more.
The most likely explanation is that since the book was designed to be a filler for the series, the "missing parts" are in fact, in the show. I plan on watching it as soon as I can, so we'll see if I change my mind!
October 25, 2020
Great if you have seen the TV show and if you haven't. I love reading biographies of people who did not necessarily shake the fate of the world, wage wars or anything like that, but led remarkable lives nonetheless.
I was surprised to find how faithful the TV show is to her actual life, considering that life is rarely that entertaining. Kudos to the screenwriter, who makes Anne Lister so real, true to what she feels like as a person in her diaries.
I was surprised to find how faithful the TV show is to her actual life, considering that life is rarely that entertaining. Kudos to the screenwriter, who makes Anne Lister so real, true to what she feels like as a person in her diaries.
July 25, 2019
Fascinating! I don't know much about queer history or the important people within it, so I'd never heard of Anne Lister until the recent HBO series. This book only covers a few years of her life and focuses on her relationship with Ann Walker. In fact, the series follows it quite well with some added story-lines about the tenants and servants. That's not a surprise since it seems like Choma and Sally Wainwright (the series's writer/director) are friends and that this show was a long-time-coming passion project for Wainwright.
Because it focuses on only a few years, it's a little lacking--only because I wanted more. Anne herself is so intriguing that I wanted this book to be twice as long as it is. I'm sitting here in 2019, barley capable of making life decisions because I know someone will have something to say about it. And I feel like I no longer know what I want to be or what I want to make of my life. Yet 200 years ago, Anne broke the rules of femininity and society because she knew exactly who she was and exactly what she wanted out of life. How inspiring. One thing that gets touched on briefly that I would've loved to read more about was how she reconciled her sexuality with her Anglican faith. It's mentioned that God made her exactly how she was supposed to be and to go against her nature would be to go against God. But I would've loved to see how she wrestled with that and came to that conclusion through thought. (Is the solution that I should just go read her diaries? Probably...)
I would've loved knowing more about Ann Walker, too. I don't know what sort of documents exist in relation to her besides Anne's diary entries, so perhaps that's not possible. But I wanted to know more about her struggles with mental health and how she was seemingly able to overcome them (at least while Anne was alive). Just the fact that she had these issues that arose from pressure from her family regarding her fortune and her life as well as what I assume to be something akin to modern-day internalized homophobia is really intriguing to me, so I wanted to take a deep dive into her psyche, in a way.
While this all sounds like I was disappointed in the substance, I wasn't. The subject is inherently interesting, and the book was easy to read. The focus is narrow enough that it's a great jumping-off point to learning about Anne Lister.
Because it focuses on only a few years, it's a little lacking--only because I wanted more. Anne herself is so intriguing that I wanted this book to be twice as long as it is. I'm sitting here in 2019, barley capable of making life decisions because I know someone will have something to say about it. And I feel like I no longer know what I want to be or what I want to make of my life. Yet 200 years ago, Anne broke the rules of femininity and society because she knew exactly who she was and exactly what she wanted out of life. How inspiring. One thing that gets touched on briefly that I would've loved to read more about was how she reconciled her sexuality with her Anglican faith. It's mentioned that God made her exactly how she was supposed to be and to go against her nature would be to go against God. But I would've loved to see how she wrestled with that and came to that conclusion through thought. (Is the solution that I should just go read her diaries? Probably...)
I would've loved knowing more about Ann Walker, too. I don't know what sort of documents exist in relation to her besides Anne's diary entries, so perhaps that's not possible. But I wanted to know more about her struggles with mental health and how she was seemingly able to overcome them (at least while Anne was alive). Just the fact that she had these issues that arose from pressure from her family regarding her fortune and her life as well as what I assume to be something akin to modern-day internalized homophobia is really intriguing to me, so I wanted to take a deep dive into her psyche, in a way.
While this all sounds like I was disappointed in the substance, I wasn't. The subject is inherently interesting, and the book was easy to read. The focus is narrow enough that it's a great jumping-off point to learning about Anne Lister.
January 31, 2020
I really loved this! This is a companion to the BBC/HBO show Gentleman Jack. It is written by the historian who consulted on the show. The book covers roughly the same time period as Gentleman Jack, 1832-1834, when Anne is almost 41 to almost 43, though with some detail about other times in Anne Lister’s life, before and after this period. It goes into more detail and adds context to the tv series, and includes many direct quotes and sections from Anne Lister’s diaries. I found it very moving to read Anne Lister’s words directly. So many times I was brought up short by how funny and clever and surprising she was, how utterly herself in all her complexity, how courageous. Her discussion and references to sex often left me blushing, gasping, and laughing at how utterly confident and audacious she was.
Learning more about Anne Lister has meant so much to me. Watching the tv series Gentleman Jack, I realized this was the first time I had ever felt truly represented in a tv show or film. Ever. In my life. A television series that portrays a butch lesbian from the 1800s in all her complexity, her strength and vulnerability, with so much respect and care. It means so much to so many of us. Through reading this book, it was great to see how closely the tv script kept to Anne Lister’s actual life and her own words.
I’ve already bought the two Jill Liddington books (ordered from the UK) that cover and discuss Anne Lister’s diaries from this time period and subsequent years, Nature’s Domain: Anne Lister and the Landscape of Desire; and Female Fortune: Land, Gender and Authority: The Anne Lister Diaries and Other Writings, 1833-36.
I’m sure I’ll also soon buy the two Helena Whitbread volumes, exploring the diaries of Anne’s earlier years (and all her many girlfriends!), The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister (previously: I Know My Own Heart), and The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, Volume II (previously: No Priest But Love).
Representation matters!
Learning more about Anne Lister has meant so much to me. Watching the tv series Gentleman Jack, I realized this was the first time I had ever felt truly represented in a tv show or film. Ever. In my life. A television series that portrays a butch lesbian from the 1800s in all her complexity, her strength and vulnerability, with so much respect and care. It means so much to so many of us. Through reading this book, it was great to see how closely the tv script kept to Anne Lister’s actual life and her own words.
I’ve already bought the two Jill Liddington books (ordered from the UK) that cover and discuss Anne Lister’s diaries from this time period and subsequent years, Nature’s Domain: Anne Lister and the Landscape of Desire; and Female Fortune: Land, Gender and Authority: The Anne Lister Diaries and Other Writings, 1833-36.
I’m sure I’ll also soon buy the two Helena Whitbread volumes, exploring the diaries of Anne’s earlier years (and all her many girlfriends!), The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister (previously: I Know My Own Heart), and The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, Volume II (previously: No Priest But Love).
Representation matters!
May 11, 2019
The subject matter was very interesting but not very well written. The quotes from Anne Lister's diary we often repeated within a couple of pages. I would have liked more of the journal pieces but maybe that's for another book. I haven't seen the dramatization of this yet but I'm sure with Sally Wainwright involved it will be excellent quality. May be this book could have done with more of her influence.
October 18, 2022
I re-read this and Steidele's biography for a recent project and I dropped a star from both. I think both are unfair: Choma is too generous and Steidele is too harsh. Lister is just too complicated to write a fair biography about.
October 30, 2021
This was an enjoyable read, but was ultimately a TV tie-in and only covered the period of Anne Lister's life as seen in series 1 of Gentleman Jack. There were some interesting insights, but it didn't go into too much depth and didn't add much new if you've seen the series.
Read
April 2, 2019This companion to the BBC/HBO series is thorough and well researched. I’m sure many who enjoyed the series, and want more, will be glad that this is available.
September 19, 2021
LESBIANS!
October 27, 2025
Never in my life can I recall becoming so taken with a historical figure like I have with Anne Lister.
I thank the gods that Goodreads recommended that LGBT regency graphic novel, because in the back there was a whole section of selected readings. At the very top of that list, shining upon the mountaintop like a herald, was this book.
GENTLEMAN JACK!!!
I am smitten.
Anne Lister is one of the most bad ass women that I've ever had the opportunity to read about. What an enamoring character she was! Her life was so fascinating that I'd almost think it fiction.
First of all, she was unabashedly herself. I admire her in so many ways because of that. She was brazen, acerbic, but scintillatingly brilliant, with a voracious and contagious passion for life.
Secondly, she was SO COOL. I could gush about this chick for my whole life. Because she was gay, she knew her reputation was constantly at stake. So, being an avid journal keeper (avid is putting it lightly), she came up with a code. It was a mix of Latin and Greek letters, but also random shapes and all that. Whenever she wrote in her journals about her dalliances with women from around the world, they were kept in this incredible code.
Reminds me of when I was in Ukraine for a year and a half and I would write in my journal every single day. Sometimes I would write pages of random interactions and thoughts and all that. For a few weeks I would write either in French or Russian but would use the Korean alphabet so you'd have to go through 2 languages to figure out what I was saying. But why??! I was not writing anything spicy enough to elicit that lol. But now I am inspired to take up a journal again and make a code for no reason.
Aside from having a code of letters, she had THE funniest code words that she made up. It reminded me so much of the random crap my friends and I would come up with in high school. Don't even ask because I can't explain it, but having code words like "munch" instead of "kiss" and all that.
One of her code phrases is "going to Italy," which meant "going all the way" with someone. In one of the best turns of the phrase, Anne describes one of her ex-lovers who got married and went to Naples on her honeymoon, to which Anne pens: she's going to Italy, but not with me.
BRRRROOOOO!!!! Have you ever heard of something more clever?!!!? When I tell you my jaw was ON THE FLOOR LOL it's just so funny! People from the 1800s don't seem so prim and proper now do they?
Oh, speaking of: homegirl's journals were EXPLICIT AF. No like she does not leave anything to the imagination. She'll tell you everything....which is why once her journals were deciphered, historians honestly wondered if they were a hoax. Because who in their right mind wrote about all that??!? And WITH A WOMAN? Gasp.
I absolutely adored this book because not only do we get a massive insight into what life was like for a fairly openly gay woman in the 1800s, but we see all the other aspects of Anne too. It's certainly entertaining to read about her love affairs, but as a human being herself she was simply fascinating.
Through destiny or sheer dumb luck (to be read in McGonagall's voice), she inherited her family's estate, which was completely unheard of. She learned how to manage the lands, often working long days in the fields with the men she hired. She had a complex understanding of agriculture, coal mining, politics, anatomy, etc. that allowed her to have a place among male-dominated societies.
She balanced meticulous spreadsheets, ran multiple businesses, dissected humans and animals alike, and was very popular with the ladies. She scaled mountains, she traveled to FREAKING GEORGIA and if you know me then you know I'm weirdly enamored with the Caucasus, so yeah, Anne Lister just became even cooler to me.
Even though she seems unimaginably larger than life, Anne Lister was just a woman who lived and breathed like all of us. But man if she was not inspiring!!! The funny thing was that she wasn't even really a huge activist or champion for LGBT rights. She didn't think she was doing anything wrong. She scoured the Bible (because she was very religious and devout her whole life!) for proof that she was sinning, but she never found it. She felt that her "oddity" was God-given.
And you know what? I think she was right.
Anne, if I had known about you when I was a kid, I think my life would've been a lot easier. As a kid who grew up as a massive tomboy (I'm talking-- my mom point blank asking me if I wanted to be a boy when I was in 4th grade lol, getting mistaken for boys as a kid, etc.) it would've been incredible to see someone who proved that women can do anything men can do, and that we can occupy the same space in the world.
Anne Lister, I will love you forever.
I thank the gods that Goodreads recommended that LGBT regency graphic novel, because in the back there was a whole section of selected readings. At the very top of that list, shining upon the mountaintop like a herald, was this book.
GENTLEMAN JACK!!!
I am smitten.
Anne Lister is one of the most bad ass women that I've ever had the opportunity to read about. What an enamoring character she was! Her life was so fascinating that I'd almost think it fiction.
First of all, she was unabashedly herself. I admire her in so many ways because of that. She was brazen, acerbic, but scintillatingly brilliant, with a voracious and contagious passion for life.
Secondly, she was SO COOL. I could gush about this chick for my whole life. Because she was gay, she knew her reputation was constantly at stake. So, being an avid journal keeper (avid is putting it lightly), she came up with a code. It was a mix of Latin and Greek letters, but also random shapes and all that. Whenever she wrote in her journals about her dalliances with women from around the world, they were kept in this incredible code.
Reminds me of when I was in Ukraine for a year and a half and I would write in my journal every single day. Sometimes I would write pages of random interactions and thoughts and all that. For a few weeks I would write either in French or Russian but would use the Korean alphabet so you'd have to go through 2 languages to figure out what I was saying. But why??! I was not writing anything spicy enough to elicit that lol. But now I am inspired to take up a journal again and make a code for no reason.
Aside from having a code of letters, she had THE funniest code words that she made up. It reminded me so much of the random crap my friends and I would come up with in high school. Don't even ask because I can't explain it, but having code words like "munch" instead of "kiss" and all that.
One of her code phrases is "going to Italy," which meant "going all the way" with someone. In one of the best turns of the phrase, Anne describes one of her ex-lovers who got married and went to Naples on her honeymoon, to which Anne pens: she's going to Italy, but not with me.
BRRRROOOOO!!!! Have you ever heard of something more clever?!!!? When I tell you my jaw was ON THE FLOOR LOL it's just so funny! People from the 1800s don't seem so prim and proper now do they?
Oh, speaking of: homegirl's journals were EXPLICIT AF. No like she does not leave anything to the imagination. She'll tell you everything....which is why once her journals were deciphered, historians honestly wondered if they were a hoax. Because who in their right mind wrote about all that??!? And WITH A WOMAN? Gasp.
I absolutely adored this book because not only do we get a massive insight into what life was like for a fairly openly gay woman in the 1800s, but we see all the other aspects of Anne too. It's certainly entertaining to read about her love affairs, but as a human being herself she was simply fascinating.
Through destiny or sheer dumb luck (to be read in McGonagall's voice), she inherited her family's estate, which was completely unheard of. She learned how to manage the lands, often working long days in the fields with the men she hired. She had a complex understanding of agriculture, coal mining, politics, anatomy, etc. that allowed her to have a place among male-dominated societies.
She balanced meticulous spreadsheets, ran multiple businesses, dissected humans and animals alike, and was very popular with the ladies. She scaled mountains, she traveled to FREAKING GEORGIA and if you know me then you know I'm weirdly enamored with the Caucasus, so yeah, Anne Lister just became even cooler to me.
Even though she seems unimaginably larger than life, Anne Lister was just a woman who lived and breathed like all of us. But man if she was not inspiring!!! The funny thing was that she wasn't even really a huge activist or champion for LGBT rights. She didn't think she was doing anything wrong. She scoured the Bible (because she was very religious and devout her whole life!) for proof that she was sinning, but she never found it. She felt that her "oddity" was God-given.
And you know what? I think she was right.
Anne, if I had known about you when I was a kid, I think my life would've been a lot easier. As a kid who grew up as a massive tomboy (I'm talking-- my mom point blank asking me if I wanted to be a boy when I was in 4th grade lol, getting mistaken for boys as a kid, etc.) it would've been incredible to see someone who proved that women can do anything men can do, and that we can occupy the same space in the world.
Anne Lister, I will love you forever.
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