A Doll's House (Dover Thrift Editions)

Delightful reading - now I am anxious to read the play by Lucas Hnath which is a sequel titled A Doll's House, Part 2 and is being performed in NYC at the present time. The sequel is said to be consistently funny.

Read the first two books, then this one, character development in on going book as this is key and makes it all the more enjoyable. A wonderful police procedural with great twists, turns, and whodunits !

As a high school English teacher, I will be teaching this work to my junior classes. The play accurately portrays the role and status of women during this time period. Until the last act, Nora is an annoying character. Her actions and reactions caused me to want to "just shake her"! This work lends itself well to teaching character development, figurative language, conflict and theme.

In the book, characters are set apart with undescores, and stage directions are not in italics. The only way you can figure them out is because they are in parenthesis. Because of this, it is not an easy read.

Definitely not the most exciting play I've read, but touches on some interesting points about the role of women in society. Still, for anyone interested in Theater, Ibsen is a MUST! And although it might not be the most exciting play, reading Ibsen is certainty not a waste of time.

Henrik Ibsen's drama may seem a little foolish from a 21st century perspective, however, it does at the very end conclude with its

overall message. It will make you wonder about the current status and treatment of women in our time; do men want their women to

be dependent on them? Do men truly love a woman who is independent and has her own character, or do men love the character

that they want women to have? This book also serves as a good way to kill time.

The play itself is a classic for every good reason. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that there were no illustrations. I could have ordered a version for free, but paid for this one because I was curious to see the illustrations.

The description of this purchase said the volume included about 6 or more of Ibsen's works. However, upon recieving the book I discovered only 3 of Ibsen's works were included. I was buying the book for the main play of "A Doll House" but I was looking forward to having the other plays as well. Nice printing, just not as many plays as expected.

I had to purchase this play for required classroom reading. It was a good play and I can see how it created a stir in the late 1800s when it came out. As this edition is an older book it doesn't have the same trigger warnings that newer media may have. Trigger Warnings for implied character death, talks of suicide and self harm.

This is a classic story, very interesting and historical, but the cover seen on the store is very different than the cover on the actual book I received. The book I received had an interesting looking girl on the cover, a live photo, super close up on her face. I can't read this book with its atrocious cover in public. What would people think?
The cover doesn't make the book look interesting; thus, if people were to see me reading this in public they would not think that I am interesting. This is simply unacceptable.

Part police procedural and part mystery, this novel focuses on the hunt for the person who has abducted and killed 3 women -- and now has possibly taken a fourth. The women share common traits, most specifically they have dark hair and blue eyes. In addition, each of the bodies discovered on the isolated beach has another commonality -- a bluebird tattoo. Helen knows that the man they are desperately seeking must be linked in some way to all four of the women and she and her team are out pounding the pavement and knocking on doors trying to find the latest victim, Ruby, before she too becomes another.

The reader has the benefit of the points of view of Helen, Ruby, and glimpses into the psyche of the man behind these crimes. In addition, Helen is still dealing with her personal problems and work issues with her subordinates and superiors. It is important that you read the first two in the series before opening this one as Helen's character develops and we get more insight into what makes her tick with each book. I like the fast pace and the characters -- the story line is good, and the investigation methodical. If you haven't tried Arlidge before, I'd recommend this series if you like an entertaining thriller that's not too gory.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group NAL for the e-book ARC to review. I am looking forward to reading #4 -- Liar Liar.

Previous books in series

Eeny Meeny

Pop Goes the Weasel

This story was fantastic, the striking drama and the author’s details created a powerful story that centered on criminal activities that were realistically portrayed and made me craving more from this author. There was one reference in the story that just didn’t sit well with me but overall this story was great. The author kept the story moving and building in intensity and depth until the very end – the making of a superb novel. Ruby makes a wonderful victim, with her attitude and her intellect as she doesn’t throw in the towel as she is held captive by the man who refers to her as Summer. The novel gets creepy as she plays along with the world he feels he lives in and I had to wonder why his other victims did not survive. The police who are investigating this case have their own drama occurring back at the office and it flows into this case causing rifts. I will read more by this author as I enjoyed his writing.

I really wanted to love this novel but I was cautiously reading it, scrutinizing every word as I read it just wondering when the storyline was going to change. I found unfortunately that there weren’t any notions to tell me when the storylines were changing in the novel and I found myself getting lost; having to reread sections to get myself back on track and this took away from the enjoyment of the novel. I was not grasping all the intensity, nor the drama and the excitement that was occurring and it was frustrating. Had the story had one storyline, it would have been fine but this story did not and reading a novel of this caliber, I was inclined to read it with intensity but unfortunately I just couldn’t. Reading slowly, I felt I missing a really great story. I lowered my rating from a 5 to a 4 because of this issue.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this novel for me to read in exchange for an honest opinion.

After reading the other books in this series I was so looking forward to getting my hands on this one so I was overjoyed to read it.

Its intense, its mysterious, it captures your interest from the start to finish. The reason I have dropped a star is that it didn't give me that heart thumping moments that the other books did. Don't get me wrong, it was ace, it was fab, but there was just something I felt was missing in the pace of the plot.

This author is on my top list of authors that I eagerly await each book.

Imagine waking up somewhere not knowing how you got there and as this intensifies as it goes on its nail biting.

I had moments of intense times reading this and then short bursts of.....c'mon...c'mon....
Maybe that was down to me for wanting it to hurry along.

But its certainly not a book to be missed.

I have been late in coming to the table with this as it slipped down my kindle, I have a notepad but it fell apart and I had to rewrite my 'to read' books out and this one slipped me by.

Never mind, everything comes to those who wait right?

I was provided a copy of this from Penguin via Net Galley who I need to thank

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Carson Beck's audiobook version of this book. He does such an excellent job of distinguishing people's voices. He even manages to do a great job with women's voices without sounding forced or over using his falsetto. The story itself is such a great commentary on gender roles. It caused quite a controversy when the play was first released, and its themes still stand up to modern times. Men and women still cast themselves in these roles even today. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy English literature, history, and books with commentary on gender roles.

My review is not a synopsis of the book, but rather my opinion of it. I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.

The body of a young woman has been found. Though dead for years, her family had received texts from her recently. Another young woman is missing and it becomes a race to find a killer and stop a murder.

Somehow, I managed to read these out of order. As a result, when I was reading The Doll's House I already knew some of what would happen with some of the key characters. However, even knowing who would end up alright (and who wouldn't), I still loved this book.

As usual, Arlidge brings a ton of twists and turns to the story. I'm always surprised by the who and why of it and this is no exception. And Helen, of course, is still dealing with her dark demons. Helen really comes alive in this book, as the series continues, she's becoming more real - a great mix of incredibly strong, yet emotionally frail. She's a force to be reckoned with.

Because of the nature of the crimes here, this book is perhaps a bit less violent than some of the others, but it's still edgy, suspenseful, and an excellent piece of crime fiction.

Well, I've already read the next in the series (Liar, Liar), but I can't wait to see what the author (and Helen Grace) come up with next!

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

This was my second read by this author highlighting Detective Helen Grace. I am only sorry that the balance reads by this author on Netgalley are archived as I have heard a lot of good things about the books I have missed!

Helen is on the trail of a killer. As usual no one believes that this is a serial killer, that he has killed before and gone undetected and will kill again. His modus operandi is harsh and heartbreaking. He starves his victims to death and right now we know that one girl has been reported missing. Working on her own with the help of people within her department and those whom she can trust is the only way Helen knows that will save whoever is in the clutches of this killer. The higher ups do not want to believe her and her boss Harwood hates her guts. So things have to be done privately.

Harwood on her own is setting Helen for a fall which will take her out of the Police permanently so Helen is working against the odds.

This is a nail biting mystery/murder and the reader is left literally on a cliff because as you turn the pages you know there is going to be another twist in an already twisted tale!

Beautifully told, characters spot on.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group!
Helen Grace is simply the best female detective ever (or at least features in the top 10). She is strong, resilient, smart and she won't stop until she gets her villain. In this book, the baddie is horribly damaged (ugg! the reason for his madness is deeply disturbing). He abducts young girls with black hair and blue eyes and keeps them in his "doll house." DI Grace's hunt is relentless, and I couldn't stop reading. There are also internal issues and a plot to bring Helen down, and this part, even if not as exciting as the criminal investigation, is just as suspenseful. We get new characters, old characters, a scary villain and a victim who will not give up. We also get to know Helen a little better, even if she may be as much as a psychopath as the perps she chases – she uses her powers for good, but she doesn’t seem to have much empathy. All in all, a very solid thriller that may be read as a stand-alone, if you haven’t caught up with this excellent series. Five stars!

Simple plot yet very thought provoking and presents a philosophical dilemma
The story starts out with a trivial interaction between a husband and a wife when declares his promotion, and now he is in a powerful position. The wife feels all her dreams came true, and there financial issues have disappeared. Then she is blackmailed by an act she find out of love and devotion. The events accelerate and husband finds out and he is shocked then relieved that the man drops the issue and apologizes to them ....
Then she suddenly leaves him because she thought she was happy and found our she was not

1. This story written in late 1800, where as this thinking and search for happiness is norms
Now it was unexpected and strange then, so is there such a thing as " social visionary" ...my opinion is:no there is a science or math visionary but not a social interaction visionary. Social interaction is normal only in its social confines and outside them is abnormal behavior
2. Events and interaction at the end of the story are illogical
3.is there such a thing as "think I am happy " feeling is not a thought it is a result of a condition not an independent condition ..so when you feel happy then you are happy
Simple plot, few characters, not time appropriate and weird ending

An essential classic in stage literature... But for all its lasting relevance, the play is in large parts unbearably dated. You have to wade through the 'doll house' phase with endless patience. The kitsch is heaped on mile high... As we know from later, this build-up was needed to prepare us for the epiphany and the show-down.
Nora is the good wifey with the secret. The daft hubby knows nothing about her and betrays/ deserts her when the going gets tough. She will not forgive his lapse and leaves him and her 3 children, because she cannot live with a stranger.
The play was a scandal in the late 19th century. How can a woman desert her family?
It is social history and stage history now. Can it still tell us something?
I attended a new stage performance in Frankfurt yesterday. It had premiered in May and got rave reviews in the press. When I watched, the house was packed.
For half the show, I hated it. It made fun of the play. The actors were fooling around and made their roles seem parodies. It became serious only towards the crisis. I got the point. This thing is terribly old fashioned, but we have to pay respect to the pioneer.

Although this is the third book in Arlidge's Helen Grace series, it is the first one I've read. I'm now searching out the first two. This book held me spellbound from start to finish. It opens with Ruby coming to in a strange room, unable to remember all the details of last night. From there it moves to the discovery of a body. The author is cagey when he changes scenes--you have to read a paragraph or two before you know if the body is Ruby or someone else. He uses this device often, and it is quite effective in maintaining the tension. DI Helen Grace is in charge of Ruby's case, but at the same time, she is under attack by a superior, searching for a lost relative, dealing with subversion in her department, and all the other problems and relationships that occur in daily life. 434 pages, and I read it in one day and about an hour the next morning. I literally could not put it down.

Ibsen's gut-wrenching domestic drama foreshadows women's liberation with Nora's coming-of-age after eight years of marriage. She ultimately realizes that she has never been allowed to exist as more than a doll for her domineering father and then for her masculine husband--even treating her own children as living dolls. Recognizing her long-hidden unease we gradually sense that she has a desperate plan to free herself from endless domestic tyranny and prolonged financial distress. With its sudden twists the play's emotional denouement could have been manipulated in several ways; no matter how well we think we understand the female protagonist, she has surprises in store for readers as well as her shocked husband.

Set in a comfortable household in a Norwegian city this play reveals the false facade of happiness and financial security, as four characters revolve like moths around the flame that is Nora Helmer, a young and still lovely mother. Her husband, Torvald, has no inkling that his cure in sunny climes was financed by his wife's secret sacrifice--so great was her love for him. To him she is just a feather head but adorable little bird, who can not be expected to understand the ways of the business world. She is his Doll who keeps his house charming but is never supposed to worry about serious matters.

The shadowy character who causes her great mental distress is Krogstad, a sleazy lawyer with a bad reputation, desperately seeking to keep his position at Torvald's bank. Unfortunately he was involved in a forgery scandal (nor is he the only one) so now he is shunned by decent society. Holding Nora's note he coerces her into pleading his case at the bank, while Torvald wants to get rid of the odious man at any cost. Next there is Nora's school fiend, Christine, who requests their help in securing an accounting position. Lastly there is the faithful family friend, Dr. Rank, dying of Cancer, who harbors a secret passion and devotion to Nora.

As the scenes melt into each other and acts progress readers realize that these characters are involved in a myriad of ties in which they struggle or exult falsely. How can Nora get free of the accepted domestic shackles, and redeem her old note to Krogstad, while maintaining her husband's love and respect? Her terror is visualized for readers as she dances the tarantella at a costume ball--all the while deathly terrified of her macabre plan to breathe free of her crushing guilt. Is her first duty to her husband and children or to herself? Must she remain forever a doll in the eyes of the world?

In writing this review I try to demonstrate that Torvald has been in my opinion the recipient of much harsh criticism. At the risk of sounding chauvinistic I would like to demonstrate that he is in fact a most misunderstood man and an easy target.. I would like to demonstrate, however unpopular this might be, that he is in fact a man who actually deserves our pity and sympathy!! The more we analyse his behaviour and attitudes the more, I believe, we are confronted with a someone who presents us with a classic case of neurosis. All the evidence points towards a personality Freud would have considered as obsessional; a condition he thought likely to occur in dedicated, intelligent and successful people like himself.

His persona has all the attributes of a man with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.( Like many physical disorders it was not recognized in his day but it nevertheless existed!). Typically he is intelligent, a workaholic, scrupulously honest and obsessed by the need for order and probity both in the home and in society. Indeed he feels that without these virtues society is on the edge of an abyss. To this extent he is a typical middleclass man of his time. However, as the play proceeds we become increasingly aware of his obsessive attitudes to thrift and honesty. Formerly a lawyer he is now a bank manager with a position in society Also like many other men of his time he feels the need as paterfamilias to be in control of his household and the domestic economy. A role re-enforced by society through its laws and customs.

If further proof were needed of Torvald's fragile state of mind we learn in a disclosure from Nora to Mrs. Linde that the doctors had informed her that her husband needed a complete break. Still in the dark as far as mental illnesses were concerned they at least prescribed the need for a complete break According to them he was suffering from nervous exhaustion brought on by overwork and his own impossibly high standards.

At the denouement of this play we can understand his state of mind. His utter abhorrence at being obliged to a man he considered to be an unscrupulous, unethical rogue. Also his bitter disappointment and shock on learning that Nora has committed the unspeakable act of forgery. At that moment his world seemed meaningless, his place in it destroyed.

The final moments of the play are poignant. Nora now takes the initiative telling Torvald that it would take a miracle to save their marriage and that she no longer believed in them. She leaves abandoning him and her children. In the dying moments Torvald looks around him. Stage directions say that hope flashes across his face. Ibsen's use of the word is interesting suggesting a momentary illumination. The door slams. The illumination is extinguished. Hope fades. The tragedy is complete. All are victims.

This is Ibsen's stark, unforgiving play about men and women, with a dreadful undercurrent of desperation. Torvald Helmer offers only bland, devastating condescension to Nora, whose despair grows ever more public as she realizes that she has drowned herself in the domestic dead-end of being Torvald's "doll-wife."
If you ache, like me, to bash Torvald and comfort Nora as you experience the pervasive and thinly veiled brutality in the Helmer household, then you, like me, must realize how much you wish it could be unimaginable in any way....but in vain...
Nora tells her husband that she had hoped he would take the blame for her transgression, and the disdainful Torvald rebukes her: "...one doesn't sacrifice one's honor for love's sake."
Nora replies with quiet thunder: "Millions of women have done so."
Enfin, we understand how Nora could be too hurt to cry, and too happy to remain in a doll's house....
Read more on my blog: Barley Literate by Rick