{"product_id":"9781912854387","title":"An Unconventional Wife : the life of Julia Sorell Arnold","description":"\u003ch3\u003eAuthor:  Hoban, Mary \u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eLanguage\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 13 June 2019 by Scribe Publications.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHardback | 320 pages, Illustrations, black and white\u003cbr\u003e240 x 180 x 30 | 580g\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe page-turning biography of an Australian woman who refused to bend to the expectations of her husband and her time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJulia Sorell was an original. A colonial belle from Tasmania, vivacious and warm-hearted, Julia's marriage to Tom Arnold in 1850 propelled her into one of the most renowned families in England and into a circle that included Lewis Carroll and George Eliot. Her eldest daughter became a bestselling novelist, while her grandchildren included the writer Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, and the evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e  With these family connections, Julia is a presence in many documented and famous lives, but she is a mostly silent presence. When extracted from her background of colonial life, extracted from the covers of marriage and family life, her story reveals an extraordinary woman, a paradox who defied convention as much as she embraced it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat began as a marriage born of desire soon turned into a relationship riven by discord. Tom's sudden decision to become a Catholic and Julia's refusal to convert with him plunged their lives into a crisis wherein their great love for each other would be pitted against their profoundly different understandings of marriage and religion. It was a conflict that would play out over three decades in a time when science challenged religion, when industrialisation challenged agrarian forms, when democracy challenged aristocracy, when women began to challenge men. It was a conflict that would shape not only their own lives and that of their children, but also touch the lives of all those who came into contact with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTold with the pace, depth, and psychological richness of a great novel, An Unconventional Wife is a riveting biography that shines a shaft of light on a hidden but captivating life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Far From The Madding Crowd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43924703772931,"sku":"9781912854387","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0404\/3207\/4914\/files\/9781912854387_ff9719f0-f6cd-4ac0-89a0-6dc35921fa87.jpg?v=1731409136","url":"https:\/\/www.maddingcrowdlinlithgow.live\/products\/9781912854387","provider":"Far From The Madding Crowd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}