Moll Flanders

Similar in spirit to Madame Bovary, Moll Flanders is a 17th century bodice-ripper. Defoe is famous for having written Robinson Crusoe, but, frankly, I like Moll Flanders better, and it's certainly more entertaining than Defoe's Journal of the Plague Years. Moll Flanders is an unforgettable heroine: the orphaned child of a female prisoner in 1600's England, Moll has the pluck to do whatever it takes to survive, including prostitution and becoming a master pickpocket. Her tales of narrow escape are very entertaining, and the dialogue is delightful, with none of the stiffness one would expect from characters of this era. In fact, Moll Flanders was one of the earliest best-selling novels ever written, and for good reason. It's truly an overlooked classic. While it could be easy to dismiss Moll's character as despicable, her heart is so good and her life is so hard that you can't help but love her and root for her happiness. The story's ending is very satisfying.

I read Moll Flanders many years ago and was surprised that there were no chapter breaks in the book. I had to make certain that I marked where I left off. But I still love Daniel Defoe's writing style. Having the book in CD form makes it easier to break off by listening to one disk at a time.

I absolutely love the quality binding of the book! The story itself is also quite the exceptional read!! Love love love my book!

Book came in great shape. Great.

Moll Flanders had as many lives as a cat, and almost as many "husbands" and many paramours. Born in Newgate prison where her mother was incarcerated, she got off to a bad start, but learned to live by her beauty and wit and became a survivor. She made little distinction between legal and illegal activities, but knew when to lay low when her reputation was in need of rehabilitation. She was always in search of her next husband, and was always obsessed with how she could are her meager income stretch to last as long as possible.Her story must have been shocking in its time, and it revealed in graphic detail how little power and opportunity were granted to women. An unmarried woman with no income or inheritance or family to fall back on had very few prospects. She could become a servant or a whore. Moll was neither a "good woman" nor a "bad woman" as a result of her illegal activities - she simply did what was needed to survive.Listening to the 13+ hour audio CD became a bit tedious though, because I really couldn't keep track of all the men and whether she had married them legally, or just called them a husband. Moll's story has resonated for a very long time and has spun off many tv series and movies, and I might check out a few of those to see how others have chosen to characterize this unique woman.

Whilst I managed to avoid reading Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders was on my reading list for the second year of my English degree. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

"Nata nel carcere di Newgate orfana, sposa del fratello, piccola apprendista cucitrice, giovane gentildonna, femminista ante litteram, e più grande ladra del suo tempo. Questo, e altro, è Moll Flanders."La storia del romanzo è quella di Moll Flanders, una giovane protagonista dai mille volti, magistralmente descritta da Daniel Defoe.Il volume è arrivato in perfetto stato e un giorno prima del previsto: sono molto soddisfatta.

"Moll Flanders" di Daniel Defoe è una storia che mi è piaciuta molto nel complesso. Ho amato particolarmente la parte iniziale (fino al primo matrimonio della protagonista) e la parte finale (quella dopo il suo arresto). Tuttavia, la parte "di mezzo" l'ho trovata un po' ripetitiva. Dopo il suo primo matrimonio, la protagonista non fa altro che descrivere tutte le volte che è riuscita ad "accalappiare" un marito: le vicende sono nel complesso sempre le stesse, ripetute all'infinito: lei riesce, con l'inganno, a trovare un uomo, lo sposa, ha dei figli (che poi abbandona), il marito o muore o scompare, lei torna a essere povera, e dunque la storia si ripete. Nella seconda parte, invece, non fa altro che elencare i suoi furti, più o meno sempre simili. Per questo posso dire di aver amato l'inizio e la fine, ma non tanto la parte centrale del romanzo, che è abbastanza ripetitiva e monotona.

Libro classico ma non troppo conosciuto, spesso indicato nelle superiori come lettura consigliata per inglese, risulta piacevole anche se un po’ lento e con tratti un po’ difficili da capire più per differenze culturali che per scrittura, comunque ancora abbastanza attuale per molti aspetti

Consegna immediata, come sempre. Un libro di cultura da conoscere assolutamente, spiritoso, intelligente, ricco di particolari sulla vita in Inghilterra nel passato.