{"product_id":"an-unconventional-wife-the-life-of-julia-sorell-arnold","title":"Unconventional Wife","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe page-turning biography of an Australian woman who refused to bend to the expectations of her husband and her time.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\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 \u003ci\u003eBrave New World\u003c\/i\u003e, and the evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \n\u003cp\u003eWith 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\n\n\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\n\n\u003cp\u003eTold with the pace, depth, and psychological richness of a great novel, \u003ci\u003eAn Unconventional Wife\u003c\/i\u003e is a riveting biography that shines a shaft of light on a hidden but captivating life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Scribe Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32124327788627,"sku":"","price":31.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781912854387.jpg?v=1769521517","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/an-unconventional-wife-the-life-of-julia-sorell-arnold","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}