Coming at the tail end of the victorian era, this book provides various perspectives of gender roles and expectations of women during this era. These various POVs,  does beg the question- what is Gissing wanting us to understand from his perspective? 

I read this because of its early feminist novel credentials.. which I think is why I was left quite disappointed. 
It would have been a better if

Mary and Rhoda had turned out to be a couple, because the story really could have done with breaking from all the usual boring tropes

I just don’t really enjoy reading about toxic men and women who are haggard once they get to 30. 
I agree that it was probably very progressive for its time. And

I’m glad Rhoda wasn’t convinced to marry that somehow creepy *and* dull man in the end