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“I have to admit that I had high expectations of this - loved the concept of the book - but I was a bit disappointed in the end.”
Sorrel wrote this review Friday, November 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“JudithAnn said: 3 stars
Play Book Tag Shelf wrote this review Friday, September 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book is mainly about the parents of Doris Lessing. The first half of the book is a fictional account of what might have happened to her parents if there had not been a first world war.
Interestingly enough, Doris let them meet but not marry (both marrying someone else) and although her father gets two sons, her mother does not get any children. So, no daughters called Doris!
The second half of the book is more about Doris herself and her life at the farm in Rhodesia. This was OK but I didn't really expect this and I was not really that interested.
So, slightly disappointing. If you happen to have read a lot by Lessing, you might actually find it very interesting!
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“The premise of this book was very intriguing to me-- the two parts, fiction vs. reality. I found the novella to be engaging, even though the flow of time was inconsistent. I wondered why she gave her mother an oftentimes depressing fictional life... until I got to part two. Mother issues abound here, and I appreciated the author's reflective nature when discussing her complicated relationship with her mother. For the nonfiction, almost essay-like chapters, I felt that her father's existence was presented in a much more sympathetic voice. All in all, I felt quite sad for Alfred and Emily both, since their lives were marked by significant troubles. Not necessarily an uplifting read, but a unique presentation of two stories, of two lives.”
Dawn M wrote this review Thursday, March 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Kind of a strange book. The author writes the first half of the book about her parents and how their lives may have played out if WWI hadn't interfered. The last part was actually about their lives. Never heard of this tactic before”
Judy S wrote this review Thursday, November 6 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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