In this bittersweet book, readers are treated to a glimpse of real, day-to-day life in Victorian London from the perspective of a young girl. Molly was the youngest child in her family, and the only girl, with four elder brothers. The ways in which the children squabble, band together, play, and tease each other will ring true to most of us who grew up with siblings. The construct of this book is that the author, as an adult, is reflecting back on her early childhood - a time in her life which is punctured by a catastrophic event. This event is revealed in the final pages of the text, and marks a drastic change for the family. Until those final pages, however, A London Child of the 1870's is quite joyful and exuberant.
One of the most surprising parts of Molly's childhood was how progressive her education was, especially for the era. Molly's mother, who had come from a wealthy and educated Cornish family, encouraged her daughter to be curious and adventurous. She was allowed to be rambunctious in her play and through her experiences she learned a great deal. She learned a great deal from the books that her family kept in the house, and was well-versed in Latin, literature, French, and some science. One subject, in which she admittedly didn't excel, was maths. However, she wasn't segregated from the sentiments of her time; her brothers were enrolled in schools from a very young age, but it wasn't until Molly was over the age of 10 that she was allowed to attend a nearby school for girls. In this way, her education was progressive, but she was still required to fit into the societal mold of a Victorian woman.
Although Molly was certainly aware of the expectations in her time, she did not automatically or happily internalize them. When she was forbidden from going to the theater or out to other places with her brothers, she would freely express her frustration and displeasure. There are so many things she wants to do, and places she wants to go, but cannot because she is female. It gives some context for the reader to then reflect on how far society has developed with regards to the rigidity of gender roles, but also how much further we can go.
While reading, I was regularly confronted with the ways in which technology has advanced since the Victorian era. Transportation, especially long-distance travel, was an arduous and dirty ordeal. Buses were not motorized as they are now, but were pulled by animals across streets that were mostly made of dirt and stone. Trains were much slower and far less comfortable in their appointments. Although travel isn't always pleasant nowadays, it is certainly moreso than it was in the author's time.
One of the greatest takeaways from A London Child of the 1870's was the general freedom that children had in Victorian London. Running around nearby parks and gardens was not uncommon, and parents didn't constantly chaperone their children. If a window got broken, as happened when one of Molly's brothers convinced her that a rock wrapped in cloth wouldn't break glass the way a naked rock would, no one seemed to get severely punished. The author and her family lived in the Islington neighborhood of London, which is quite an urban area today. On a recent holiday in London, my partner and I stayed at a hotel in Islington, so I am quite familiar with the area as it is in the twenty-first century. To allow these children to run amok around that area now, it would be quite unthinkable.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would. It not only gives a heartfelt and touching portrayal of daily life for a Victorian child, but it shows that the stereotype of that life is not necessarily the reality. It also provides a perspective from which a modern reader can analyze the societal changes that have taken place and impacted our lives in all sorts of ways. As with all books that have been republished by Persephone Books, it is beautifully written and quite poignant throughout - a touching and memorable book for sure.
Librorum annis
