Reviews

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, Sheba Blake

feste_thejester's review against another edition

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3.0

I actually cannot believe it took me so long to get through this book with a plot as wild as this.

bill_wehrmacher's review against another edition

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4.0

This is not your Alex Kingston's Moll Flanders. Although the general outline is the same, the feeling of the book (audio book) is different than the Masterpiece Theater presentation.

In Defoe's own preface, Moll Flanders was, in his words: "12 years a whore, five times a wife, once to her own brother, 12 years a thief, and eight years a transported felon in Virginia." That does not make Moll, for the most part, an unlikable character; certainly a very interesting character. In fact, found Moll an extraordinary woman.

This is yet again a story that casts a light on the state of women in the 16th century and the nature of punishment prescribed for what we would consider relatively minor crimes today.


mayahensley's review against another edition

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slow-paced

4.5

i had a great time learning about this lady! gonna miss her 

jay_the_hippie's review against another edition

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4.0

Yeah, well, early on kept setting this book aside. 11 CDs of audiobook. I listened to one disk and then another book or two interrupted my listening. The same thing happened after the 2nd disk. After the third disk, though, I no longer had any interest in putting this one aside because I was hooked. Moll Flanders is an incredibly interesting character living a difficult life. Sometimes the troubles of the past seem quaint because they aren't really a problem in our time. It's hard to work up a lot of emotion about a solved problem. The presentation in this book makes the issues of the 1680s a lot more real to me. Be living her busy and varied life, we learn a lot about the world and society back then. That's not the reason to read this book, though. The reason to read it is because Moll Flanders says a lot that worth hearing and because her adventures are so unique that you need to see what's going to happen next.

I'm now wondering if I should reread Robinson Crusoe, or see what other tales Daniel Defoe has to offer. This one was definitely worth reading.

chairmanbernanke's review against another edition

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4.0

A timeless story of one adventurer’s life. Impressively written, and clearly reflective of another time. Still worth reading more than three centuries after the first edition.

unreliable_narrator's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.25

rosalindroe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kshoes's review against another edition

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3.0

Brilliant and interesting character. However, I found I was interested in many parts of her life that she glossed over with a sentence or two, whereas several pages were spent on some concepts that did not require such deliberation.

caoilsbooketlist's review against another edition

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challenging funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

layvitar's review against another edition

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dark inspiring
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0