The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks on December 5, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Historical / General
Pages: 844
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780369379115England, The Year of Our Lord, 1364
When married off aged 12 to an elderly farmer, Eleanor Cornfed, who's constantly told to seek redemption for her many sins, quickly realises it won't matter what she says or does, God is not on her side - or any poor woman's for that matter. But Eleanor was born under the joint signs of Venus and Mars. Both a lover and a fighter, she will not bow meekly to fate. Even if five marriages, several pilgrimages, many lovers, violence, mayhem and wildly divergent fortunes (that swoop up and down as if spinning on Fortuna's Wheel itself) do not for a peaceful life make. Aided and abetted by her trusty god-sibling Alyson, the counsel of one Geoffrey Chaucer, and a good head for business, Eleanor fights to protect those she loves from the vagaries of life, the character deficits of her many husbands, the brutalities of medieval England and her own fatal flaw... a lusty appreciation of mankind. All while continuing to pursue the one thing all women want - control of their own lives. This funny, picaresque, clever retelling of Chaucer's 'Wife of Bath' from The Canterbury Tales is a cutting assessment of what happens when male power is left to run unchecked, as well as a recasting of a literary classic that gives a maligned character her own voice, and allows her to tell her own (mostly) true story.
To start off, I have to say I’ve never read The Wife of Bath or any of the Canterbury Tales. How I went through a master’s in English without reading this, I do not know, but I did. I did read over a summary of the tale to get a background of where this novel came from.
I thought this was a really lovely novel. Even with all the modern day issues (a 12 year old marrying a much, much older man), Karen Brooks still approached this with care and vulnerability that was well written and filled with heart. I’m actually going to split my thoughts by Eleanor’s husbands and the single/widowhood part of her life.
Fulk, Husband 1: I’m truly surprised how by the end of the book he was my favorite husband out of all of Eleanor’s husbands. Yes, they do have a horrifying age gap that does not make it romantic and would be considered illegal today. But considering 12 would’ve been considered the start of marrying age for most young girls, it’s pretty normal. Also, as stated above Brooks does such a great job of keeping with the history while taking care of not romanticizing nor creating a horribly abusive environment. They both are able to create an equal environment and become partners in the house. I was actually quite sad when he died.
Turbet, Husband 2: Obviously, Turbet really annoyed me, and he’s definitely a snake who just wanted to take over Fulk’s land when he finally had a chance. I will say he’s probably the most common type of husband during this time (or Simon). I do like how Eleanor’s able to handle her husband and figure out how to manipulate him so they do not become destitute. Yes, men might say this is wicked and wrong but considering that Turbet was spending outside of what they owned and had accrued tons of debt, someone has to do something (giving Jankin some side eye right now).
Mervyn, Husband 3: I really appreciate Mervyn as a character and husband. First off, I will say that Mervyn reminds me of some men who are so close to getting the point and then just going right around it. When Mervyn goes to apologize to Eleanor about treating her like a typical woman, he goes on to say how all other women are still dumb and deserve the shame they get. I just wanted to thunk my head on the table. It just shows how even though he’s a minority character (gay man) he still has the privilege of being a white man. I do appreciate the friendship that forms between Eleanor and him, there’s such a sweet understanding between the two that I’m here for. Plus, the fact that he makes sure she’s taken care of once he dies is great.
Simon, Husband 4: I was right there with Alyson and Geoffrey when Eleanor decided to marry Simon. I thought she had learned her lesson with Turbet but apparently not. As with Turbet, Simon seems like he’d be an archetype of a typical husband from the time period. I didn’t like how Eleanor acted during this time period more than anything else. Since she was so focused on Simon, she was neglecting others in her life and that was really annoying. Or just so focused on her hate, she didn’t realize what she was doing.
Jankin, Husband 5: I was so afraid when Jankin came back into the story and she started lusting after him that he would become one of her husband’s. I was not prepared for everything that went down with Jankin. His whole section does remind me of a Criminal Minds episode to an extent. The fact that he met Eleanor so young (and he doesn’t have a mother) his whole love mapped was wrapped by her (without her realizing it). It did become clear once Eleanor was told that Simon was killed who did it. It’s fascinating how someone’s perceptions of a person can be formed based on someone always complaining about someone. I’m in no way blaming Eleanor because even by today’s standard, Jankin’s an adult who has to take responsibility for his own actions. But I was not expecting his complete 180 of thinking women are these wicked beings to be controlled by their husbands (or men in their life). I was never expecting Jankin’s story to play out the way it did when he first appeared on the page.
Post-Marriage/Widowhood: The latter half of Eleanor’s life while not what she dreamed for herself she did end up creating a community of women and ended up being a mother-like figure to many people. I was gutted when Lowdy was killed (even moreso than when Alyson was killed). But I do love how certain events, like tragedy, can make strange bedfellows. Even though Odric and Eleanor were enemies, she poached his girls (prostitutes) and he burned down her house, they came together over the death of Lowdy and finding justice for her. Him even admitting that she gave his daughter and son better lives than he would’ve was pretty big. Plus, them having this truce between each other was a really good note to end on, I think. One of my new obsessions is The Residence, and I think what Cordelia Cupp says at the end definitely applies here, “people are complicated.” From Odric and Eleanor’s husbands to Eleanor herself, people are flawed and make mistakes and are complicated beings.
All of this was a great story that had it’s ups and downs for Eleanor and the people around her. But she became who she wanted to be, a woman who can decide her own fate.
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