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After Such Kindness Paperback – January 1, 2013

by Gaynor Arnold (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 47 ratings
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Following her fictional treatment of Dickens' marriage in Girl in a Blue Dress, Gaynor Arnold now expertly reimagines the controversial relationship between the celebrated author Lewis Carroll and his young muse, Alice Liddell.

When the writer, Oxford scholar and photographer, John Jameson, visits the home of his vicar friend, Daniel Baxter, he is entranced by Baxter's youngest daughter - Daisy. Jameson charms her with his wit and childlike imagination, teasing her with riddles and inventing humorous stories as they enjoy afternoons alone by the river and in his rooms. The shocking impact of this unusual friendship is only brought to light when, years later, Daisy, unsettled in her marriage, rediscovers her childhood diaries in an old toy chest.
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  1. Print length
    375 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tindal Street Press
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.96 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1781251592
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1781251591
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tindal Street Press; UK ed. edition (January 1, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 375 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1781251592
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1781251591
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.96 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

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Gaynor Arnold

Gaynor Arnold

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
47 global ratings

Top review from the United States

S Riaz
5.0 out of 5 stars After Such Kindness
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2012
This is an unsettling and fascinating novel, looking at the relationship between Lewis Carroll (whose real name was obviously Charles Dodgson and in this novel is renamed John Jameson) Alice Liddell (renamed Daisy Baxter) and her family. Of course, Alice Liddell was famously the inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland" and although this is a fictional account of real life, it is wonderfully done. The novel is told from the viewpoint of Jameson himself, Daisy as a young girl and as a grown woman, not quite sure why she is reluctant to read a childhood diary, Daisy's mother and her father.

Daniel Baxter is a vicar who meets John Jameson at Oxford, where they become friends. Over time, Jameson meets Baxter's family, including his three daughters, of whom Daisy is the youngest, and his baby son. During a birthday treat for Daisy, a picnic on the river, Mr Jameson averts a near disaster and is welcomed with even greater warmth into the family. Soon Daisy becomes his particular favourite and he arranges tea parties for her and her friends, as well as taking photographs of them, declaring, "girls, in my opinion, are the most delightful creatures in the world." Daisy obviously basks in the attention, but gradual disquiet is voiced about the relationship. The novel builds to a disconcerting and well written climax, as the author cleverly shows the point of view of all concerned, as well as the way behaviours which now seem very inappropriate were viewed in more innocent times.

If you enjoy this novel, and I am sure you will, you might like to read  The Alice Behind Wonderland , which looks at Lewis Carroll and his photography (including his famous portrait of Alice Liddell) in greater detail. You might also want to read Gaynor Arnold's first novel,  Girl in a Blue Dress , which also takes a fictional look at a real life relationship - in that case the marriage of Charles Dickens - and is also a wonderful read. Both novels by this author would make an excellent choice for a reading group, with lots to discuss and interesting themes. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
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GreenInk
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark themes - light touch
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2013
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The cleverness of Gaynor Arnold is that she manages to deal with challenging subjects, insanity, "inappropriate" behaviour, hypocrisy, misogyny, Victorian Christianity, faltering faith, while at the same time writing a book that is very easy to read. The relationship of John Jameson and Daisy Baxter (respectively fictionalised depictions of Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson and Alice Liddell) is, despite our modern sensibilities, described with a lightness of touch that leaves you wanting to believe that it is truly innocent; indeed that decision is left to the reader without any large red signposts from the author. The occasional allusions to Alice in Wonderland which by and large take the form of snippets of conversation between John Jameson and Daisy, are delightful and the cleverness is that one is shown the workings of the clergyman-mathematician's mind that is to create the Alice in Wonderland fantasy. Although central to it, this relationship is only part of the story which deals also with the struggles of its adult characters and their very real adult problems.

The story is told through the eyes of the four main characters, Jameson, Daisy both as a child and young adult and each of Daisy's parents and latterly also through those of Daisy's husband. The themes are difficult but with so much of the tale related by the bright and innocent Daisy through her journal and thoughts, it never for a moment becomes bogged down. I raced through the book which is both serious and a page-turner all at the same time. A wonderful achievement, buy it and read it!
2 people found this helpful
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woelalin
5.0 out of 5 stars tolles Buch, unbedingt lesen. couldn't put it away, excellent written,
Reviewed in Germany on August 3, 2013
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It is a intriguing story about some people: to begin with an unhappy married couple, in particular the wife - Margaret = Daisy, She happens to find her diary she wrote into from age of eleven and - reading it again - she remembers those years and understands quite better, what problems she has to face.
The story unfolds with present currents, diary notions and following memories, not only Daisies, but also her mother's, father's and from a friend of him, who befriends to her, too. Seeing what happens from different views is a very fortunate way to get to know each person and even to like them all. Regardless, I feared , that there will happen some wrongdoings, but the story turned out to become quite different, Though there are some surprisingly turns, the whole story is straight, the language is fine, not too complicated to read for foreigners and makes the story sound absolutely true. Though it's placed in 19th century it could have happened today, it is all very understandable. The ending is strong, quite suitable, happening about 10 year before S. Freud started his work. Usually I don't like open endings, but this book is one exception Reading it, I felt like going all this way with those people and learned so much about everyone, especially Daisy, that I can imagine, she'll work things out eventually.
Vielleicht sollte ich die Rezension doch lieber in meiner Muttersprache verfassen: Das Buch ist umwerfend. Es ist durch seinen Aufbau: von der Gegenwart, mit dem Finden des Tagebuches zum Lesen und Erinnern und passenden Rückblicken auch der anderen beteiligten Personen sehr authentisch, dabei nicht so kompliziert und schwer verständlich wie andere Bücher mit diversen Handlungsebenen. Man kann die Sprache gut verstehen, diese und die Beschreibung der Lebensumstände machen die Handlung im späten 19. Jh. glaubhaft, die Probleme sind ebenfalls sehr zutreffend geschildert, könnten sich auch heute (fast) genauso entwickeln. Da man dieselbe Situation von verschiedenen Blickwinkeln aus erfährt, lernt man alle Beteiligten ganz gut kennen und schätzen, man bangt mit und hofft, das sich alles zum Guten wendet, auch, wenn immer klarer wird, das Schlimmes passiert i(st), was und wie ist dann gleichzeitig überraschend und nachvollziehbar. Das Ende ist "der Hammer", normalerweise mag ich keine "offenen Enden" aber weil man Daisy praktisch die ganze Zeit "begleitet", kann man sich vorstellen, dass sie einen Weg (und Hilfe) finden wird, ihr Problem zu lösen.
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MisterHobgoblin
4.0 out of 5 stars Drink Me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2014
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Gaynor Arnold's first novel, Girl In A Blue Dress, animated a fictional Dickens. In After Such Kindness, she bestows the same treatment on Lewis Carroll. Or, to be more precise, she animated a fictional Rev. Charles Dodgson, the man who wrote as Carroll.

Famously, Carroll wrote Alice In Wonderland for - and about - his friend's daughter, Alice Liddell. Sure enough, Gaynor Arnold's fictional Rev John Jameson writes for the young Daisy Baxter. But the point of the novel is not the writing - nor a parade of known and verifiable biographical incidents - but an exploration of characters through entirely fictitious situations. This is a huge strength of Arnold's work; other fictionalisations of known people tend to look two dimensional because reality is just so much less vivid than fantasy, but by permitting the use of fantasy, these interesting characters can be portrayed with the colour turned up.

Since his death, there have been suggestions that Charles Dodgson's rapport with children might not have been entirely healthy. It would have been easy to write a book full of schlock to illustrate this. But John Jameson is portrayed in a more ambiguous way - the reader is left to decide whether and what to infer. The story focuses on the impacts of the friendship on both Daisy and Jameson, as well as her fictional parents and future husband. Told through different viewpoints, the story is allowed to unfold gradually - perhaps slightly slowly - and to morph as viewpoints differ. Perhaps there are transgressors in the narrative, but the blame seems to fall more squarely on societal viewpoints: "the Eyes of Society" as Jameson would have it.

The issues of sexuality and emancipation are treated gently, yet still with power and impact. The novel as a whole feels well crafted, well measured and competent. Perhaps it lacks a certain wow and occasionally Gaynor Arnold might be accused of using the benefit of hindsight to make characters seem prescient. On balance, though, this is a good novel well worth reading.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful and moving book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2016
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This is one of the most moving books I have read. It illustrates beautifully how it was impossible for women to report sexual abuse in a man's
world really throughout history. Also that children had no rights either. Gaynor Arnold writes with such a skilful, delicate touch which speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of the Victorian middle classes.
This is a book that leads you down one path and surprises the reader. This book is not a biography of Lewis Carroll, about whom there is much
controversy, but it is based loosely on his life and gives one a clearer picture of how I assume the man was. He has been clearly well researched for
this book. I can thoroughly recommend this book if the reader likes historical novels that deal profoundly with issues that are ongoing today. We can be very happy that we live in a more open society where the vulnerable have a voice.
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evelyn stocker
2.0 out of 5 stars uncomfortable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2013
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I gave up on this book half way through. Not that it wasn't well written but I could see where it was leading and didn't want to go there.
2 people found this helpful
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