The Millstone

Rating:
Summary: Engaging work of social fiction.
Review: I typically do not gush when speaking or writing about a literary work, but rarely have I ever experienced so much heartfelt concern for the well-being of a fictional character. Drabble endows her main character with a fierce, albeit flawed, sense of individualism and self-sufficiency. She tackles burdens and obstacles head-on and alone, even when help was available for the asking. Drabble also coveys the conflict present within her. Rosamund considers herself a modern and liberated woman, yet she is still bound by the Victorian sensativities she denounces. Her lifelong seach is for true love, but only does she find it in the place, or person, she was not seeking to meet. Commentary: There was a painfully obvious correlation between the rise of the welfare state and the decline of the family. Rosamund could have never done what she did on her own without the welfare state operating in Great Britain, with no welfare state, she would have had to maintain close ties with her family.

Rating:
Summary: Engaging work of social fiction.
Review: I typically do not gush when speaking or writing about a literary work, but rarely have I ever experienced so much heartfelt concern for the well-being of a fictional character. Drabble endows her main character with a fierce, albeit flawed, sense of individualism and self-sufficiency. She tackles burdens and obstacles head-on and alone, even when help was available for the asking. Drabble also coveys the conflict present within her. Rosamund considers herself a modern and liberated woman, yet she is still bound by the Victorian sensativities she denounces. Her lifelong seach is for true love, but only does she find it in the place, or person, she was not seeking to meet. Commentary: There was a painfully obvious correlation between the rise of the welfare state and the decline of the family. Rosamund could have never done what she did on her own without the welfare state operating in Great Britain, with no welfare state, she would have had to maintain close ties with her family.

Rating:
Summary: I love this book
Review: I've just started reading Drabble and I loved this book. The writing has verve, the main character is very sympathetic, and her experiences with her child are wonderful. Dive in! She's great.

Rating:
Summary: UGH
Review: The ending left me completely unsatisfied. Drabble spends the entire book developing these characters, yet the book ends with no sense of completion or closure.

Rating:
Summary: UGH
Review: The ending left me completely unsatisfied. Drabble spends the entire book developing these characters, yet the book ends with no sense of completion or closure.

Rating:
Summary: This is it, and then it's over
Review: The Waterfall remains my favorite Margaret Drabble novel, but this one uses a faster pace and even more humor. That humor comes from timing and odd observations, rather than obvious attempts at making readers laugh. For example, just before Rosamund Stacey loses her virginity, her seducer asks, "Is this all right? Are you all right, will this be all right?" Rosamund then tells us "that was it and it was over." You'll hate when this book is over. Rosamund seems like an old friend, and you'll enjoy your visit with her.

Rating:
Summary: Humurous portrait of Londoner sex revolution in the 1960s
Review: This was my first Margaret Drabble and I was pleasantly surprised at the cutting but subtle satire of English manners of the 1960s. The theme itself -- a single woman's decision to have a child without a husband -- was rather in keeping with the sexual revolution brought about in the 1960s in Western Europe. The narration is light and engaging, in keeping with the best of the traditional English social satirists from Austen to Pym. For my taste the books loses momentum in the last quarter, but it is still a very intelligent rendition of manners and mores.

Rating:
Summary: Humurous portrait of Londoner sex revolution in the 1960s
Review: This was my first Margaret Drabble and I was pleasantly surprised at the cutting but subtle satire of English manners of the 1960s. The theme itself -- a single woman's decision to have a child without a husband -- was rather in keeping with the sexual revolution brought about in the 1960s in Western Europe. The narration is light and engaging, in keeping with the best of the traditional English social satirists from Austen to Pym. For my taste the books loses momentum in the last quarter, but it is still a very intelligent rendition of manners and mores.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting Read
Review: This was my second Drabble book and, I gather, one of her earliest works and it is a dilly. The young woman protagonist isn't all that likable but she has character and verve and the writing is excellent. Some scenes propel the reader into a vortex of emotions (watch for the episode in the hospital). What a great read this was!