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Wifedom
- Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life
- Narrated by: Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood, Jane Slavin
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
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Wifedom
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Summary
Looking for wonder and some reprieve from the everyday, Anna Funder slips into the pages of her hero George Orwell. As she watches him create his writing self, she tries to remember her own…
And when she uncovers his forgotten wife, it’s a revelation. Eileen O’Shaughnessy’s literary brilliance shaped Orwell’s work and her practical nous saved his life. But why – and how – was she written out of the story? Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells’ marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and WWII in London. As she rolls up the screen concealing Orwell’s private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer – and what it is to be a wife.
Compelling and utterly original, Wifedom speaks to the unsung work of women everywhere today, while offering a breathtakingly intimate view of one of the most important literary marriages of the 20th century. It is a book that speaks to our present moment as much as it illuminates the past.
2024 Indie Book Awards Non Fiction Short-listed
2024 Gordon Burn Prize Short-listed
2024 Women's Prize for Non Fiction Long-listed
2024, Australian Book Industry Award Audiobook of the Year, Short-listed
2024, Australian Book Industry Award Biography Book of the Year, Winner
2024, Australian Book Industry Award Social Impact Book of the Year, Short-listed
2024, BookPeople Awards Adult Non-Fiction Book of the Year, Winner
2024, Nib Literary Award, Short-listed
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Critic reviews
'A sharp, captivating look at a complicated relationship and a resurrection of a vital figure in Orwell’s life.’ (Kirkus Reviews)
‘A virtuoso performance on the theme, adding personal memoir, some fictional reconstructions and a glittering sense of purpose.’ (The New York Times)
What listeners say about Wifedom
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Earnest
- 21-07-23
Powerful uncovering of two powerful people’s lives and further denting of myths surrounding Great Men.
I was already a devotee after reading ‘Stasiland.” But now..I’m overwhelmed by the form of this novel and the mammoth task of researching and imagining so many distant lives. Feelings of indignation, anger and recognition were a result of listening to this story. Like so many teenagers, I read Orwell at a formative time in my life and because of the age I was born into, I only rebelled at the gormless politicians and/or populations who did not respond to rising political movements in my time.
Now I have even more to be mindful of. Not only is the world splayed across very worrying times in all arenas of political and economic life, but we need to forcefully mourn and remember the far too many women left out of all histories AND the present. I feel Funder galvanizes the reader so that her efforts have a chance of coming into fruition. Will they? I am old now and I am unsure as to what will be achieved. I will continue to avoid the passive tense. A wonderful book.
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