A Doll's House Paperback – May 30, 2017

I have this `weird` thing of preferring to read plays, rather than see them performed. Henrik Ibsen is one of my favorite writers and I enjoyed reading again one of his best plays (accordingly to me), `A Doll's House`. It's a play with a powerful message, presenting strong internal conflicts, but it's still a somewhat easy read.`A Doll's House` for me it's not just a book about women self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world; it's a book about the duality of relationships, about the duality of each individual (which can make big sacrifices and act selfish at the same time).I like the way Henrik Ibsen constructs the external and internal conflicts, stating somethings clear, letting some aspects just as hints to the reader.I prefer not to get too much into details of the book synopsis in reviews, but this is a good book in my opinion for people to enjoy reading plays.I read the book in the Kindle format, which didn't make it too troublesome to read. The lines of the play fit decently even on a smartphone display, although longer lines might be harder to follow.

This play was a high school reading assignment lo' those many years ago, and as with some other similar assignments, I've undertaken an initiative to re-read them, and consider how the book (as well as I) might have aged in the intervening decades. If fussy memory serves me correctly, I appreciated this play the first time around, and hopefully incorporated some of its messages into my thinking.Henrik Ibsen was the leading Norwegian playwright of the 19th century. This play was first produced in 1879. It is still one of the most popular, and performed plays in the world today. Certainly tame by today's "shock" standards, purportedly it did shock many in the audience when it was first produced, due to its scathing portrait of the staid bourgeois views of the role of women in society and marriage. In brief, not just subordinate, but rather a mere appendage to their father's, at first, beliefs and actions, which would later prepare them for the same role serving their husband. Scandinavia was, and often remains, in the forefront in terms of progressive social ideas and legislation. As one of my Swedish friends would quip: "Sweden is a moral superpower."The two principal characters are Torvald Helmer and his wife, Nora. There are several supporting characters, including Dr. Rank, a family doctor who is ill, Mrs. Linde an old school friend of Nora's, and Nils Krogstad, a bank employee, who is also much else. Money, and the lack thereof, is the catalyst for much of the action. Just when Torvald's promotion to bank manager seems to resolve the money issue, the "sins of the past" revisit the Helmer's with a vengence.Ibsen's portrait of Torvald is one of a man who is insufferably pompous, with very fixed ideas on propriety, and his wife's role as a helpless, not to bright, child. This is no marriage of "soul mates," as the expression has it, for marriages of more recent vintage. Torvald views Nora as a "doll," hence the title. He is also utterly selfish, viewing events only from his perspective, and not how they might have impacted his wife. The audience plays the part of the ancient Greek chorus, realizing how much Nora has actually done for Torvald, without his knowledge. I still remember this portrait from my high school read, and the vow not to turn out the same way.A few decades after this play was first produced, Virginia Woolf wrote her famous  A Room of One's Own  which had very similar themes. Ibsen though was the first, and the play's denouement, with Nora proclaiming to Torvald that she "needs a life of her own" and must determine who she really is, continues to resonate, almost a century and a half later. The play remains a 5-star read.

From other reviews, or your own familiarity with Ibsen's famous—and in 1879 scandalous—play, you'll know the basic story and characters of "A Doll's House." It remains a classic, well worth being performed by superior actors. The latter are in abundance in this 1959 production: the incomparable Julie Harris as tormented Nora, Christopher Plummer as her self-preoccupied husband, Hume Cronyn (excellent) as Krogstad the catalyst—not quite a villain, but by his own admission a desperate man who takes desperate, damaging measures—Jason Robards, Jr., as Dr. Rank, Nora's unrequited lover, and Eileen Heckart as Nora's friend Kristine, for whose love Krogstad pines. For 1959—for any year, in fact—this is as fine an ensemble as one could imagine. George Schaefer, from television's golden age, produced and directed.Reluctantly I've deducted one star for primitive production values. Viewers should know that this is a live production, videotaped as a kinescope. As a consequence the lovely set design is visually murky, the audio is indistinct, and various technical glitches mar the illusion: boom mic shadows on the set, intrusive cameras whose timings were off, visual compositions and cuts between cameras that are not as sharp as they could have been had the players been able to retake certain scenes. If you can disregard these things, you'll be rewarded by a splendid performance of a play whose issues continue to resonate strongly to this day.

My daughter and I truly enjoyed this book. The twist and turns kept us wanting more. Great bonding time for us while getting in a great read.

Nice customer service

Ho acquistato questo libro principalmente per scopi di studio ma poi si è rivelato una bellissima scoperta ed è stato un piacere poterlo leggere.

No esperaba más de la edición, muy económica y el material lo delata, pero funcional.

Although written in late 19th century, the story of Nora and Torvald isn't obsolete for our times. Nora is every woman who is stuck in a hypocritical marriage, where the husband believes he is a more a care taker than a friendly and understanding companion. A marriage where she is obliged to be at her husband's service and nurturing of their children but shouldn't poke her nose, even in the most desparate condition, when it comes to financial matters. On the other hand Torvald lives through an illusion in which he confuses constant attention to his wife as never ending love. The disclosure of a concealed chapter in Nora's life and Torvald's initial reaction led Nora to discover how stranger they were to each other and how she is considered a 'doll' because she lacks individualism. What was that Nora has been hiding from Torvald and What was the aftermath of her discovery define this play. Ibsen's portrayal of Nora is a true reflection of how women were and are considered to be less important and incapable of making important decisions.When it comes to the book, the publishers have done a good job. They have a chosen a nice readable font which is sufficiently big enough to be read even from a 40cm distance. No grammatical errors or spelling mistakes to my notice. Small enough book size so that you can carry it with you wherever you go and, big enough not to be un-noticed and forgotten.When it comes to delivery, I have ordered 4 other books with this and each one of them were delivered in a good condition. The packaging was good and the delivery was on time.In the end, thanks to Henrik Ibsen for this wonderful and gripping play which is never obsolete. Thanks to Maple press pvt ltd for their nice readable font and, thanks to amazon for delivering it on time and in good condition

Perfect! Thanks !