Down Among the Women

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Scarlet, on the other hand, simply wants to have a nice time in life -- hence her adoption of a constant stream of casual male partners -- but she’s starved for true affection at home. But things do not slot neatly into pigeon holes, and as the women negotiate around the events in their lives, they discover their real selves. Fortunately that wasn’t the case because I couldn’t keep my grubby little fingers away from this book. The novels Down Among the Women (1971), Female Friends (1974), and Remember Me (1976) focus on various women’s reactions to male-and-female relationships.

Praxis (1978) is noted for the development of its heroine, who endures in the face of repeated disasters. All of these women, in whatever their own circumstances, are unhappy and bitter and although there are moments of relief and redemption, each of them are more than willing to throw one another under the (metaphorical) bus when suits. This is one of those books which at first seems doubly dated: the story is set in the 1950s, but it was published in the early 1970s, and in many ways it wears openly more signs of those later times than it does the former. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

These women can only try to survive; and then, look with hope at the new generations, raised differently from how their mothers had raised them, destined to break with many of the patterns that had stifled them - once they all land in the tumultuous 1960s. Jag hade förväntat mig mer humor, men istället är det en ganska sorglig historia om kvinnoöden som berättas. A queste donne non resta che cercare di sopravvivere; e poi guardare con speranza alle nuove generazioni, cresciute diversamente da come le madri avevano cresciuto loro, destinate a rompere con molti degli schemi che le avevano soffocate, una volta approdate nei tumultuosi anni '60. The novel is by now a bit dated, but I think that it stands out as a testament to the way women where perceived and perceived themselves in that era. Respectable wife, unmarried mother, divorcee, femme fatale - these are roles that society demands from Scarlet, Jocelyn, Helen, Susan and Audrey.

I used to love them, but now I’m reading this one, it seems like a parody, since she has such a characteristic, flippant style. Samtliga påverkade av ett samhälle där kvinnans roll var starkt begränsad och förväntningarna var tydliga. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses.

I was also a little apprehensive because of how many new characters were being introduced in the beginning, partly because my memory is that of a goldfish and also because if I am not glued to a book, I will grow frustrated at having to remember so many names.