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Sue's Reviews > The Women in Black
The Women in Black
by
by
Geez, I dunno. What am I missing?
I think this is possibly the first time I have ever been bamboozled and swept off a book's trail by its foreword.
Coming to this book knowing nothing about Madeleine St John, I decided to read the foreword written by the film director, Bruce Beresford, who was Madeleine's class compatriot at Sydney University in the early 1960's.
I became interested in the author herself - who was this difficult woman whose tastes went in all directions - Christianity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - and what was it about her and her past which made her so quick to cut off friends and family who did her wrong?
Leaving the forward then I was descended into a pile of fluff, from which I somehow just couldn't find myself being able to muster up the energy to care enough about any of these characters. Reviews by others have left me a little bewildered. While Hilary Mantel found it a "pocket masterpiece," and Lee Tulloch devoured it in one sitting as a "delicious meringue" and Bruce Beresford thought it a "comic masterpiece", I found it a sort of sweet silhouette of the Sydney of that time but ultimately, really didn't care all that much.
Sigh. What am I missing?
Maybe I just need to lighten the hell up :)
I think this is possibly the first time I have ever been bamboozled and swept off a book's trail by its foreword.
Coming to this book knowing nothing about Madeleine St John, I decided to read the foreword written by the film director, Bruce Beresford, who was Madeleine's class compatriot at Sydney University in the early 1960's.
I became interested in the author herself - who was this difficult woman whose tastes went in all directions - Christianity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - and what was it about her and her past which made her so quick to cut off friends and family who did her wrong?
Leaving the forward then I was descended into a pile of fluff, from which I somehow just couldn't find myself being able to muster up the energy to care enough about any of these characters. Reviews by others have left me a little bewildered. While Hilary Mantel found it a "pocket masterpiece," and Lee Tulloch devoured it in one sitting as a "delicious meringue" and Bruce Beresford thought it a "comic masterpiece", I found it a sort of sweet silhouette of the Sydney of that time but ultimately, really didn't care all that much.
Sigh. What am I missing?
Maybe I just need to lighten the hell up :)
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
March 1, 2013
–
Finished Reading
March 26, 2013
– Shelved
March 26, 2013
– Shelved as:
library
March 26, 2013
– Shelved as:
australian-women-writers-challenge
Comments Showing 1-13 of 13 (13 new)
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I loved Come in spinner and have been hesitant about this book, maybe I will think a little more. Like you I prefer to read the book before seeing any adaptation.
It's a quick read - not a lot of plot. Read it quickly before you see the movie.
I agree wholeheartedly. Comic masterpiece?? There were sections in the latter half where the prose was almost a point form summary as if the author thought I " I can't be bothered writing this out properly so I will just do a quick list of what happened"
I agree! It was just starting to get interesting and then it ended. It was sort of about nothing
Agree totally the most memorable section is Bereford’s forward that paints such an intriguing picture of a woman in solitude, ageing disgracefully amid memories of a huge life. The image does not match the book itself. I would much rather read a story of the character Beresford presented. Did anyone else notice how often the book used the word “and”. It was a style of conjunctive sentences and lists. No true insight into the characters lives, just a kind of rambling sequence of their actions and superficial observations.
Exactly my wording for it when my mum asked if it was good “ just a bit of light fluff! I honestly feel like it was almost just a synopsis for a movie not the entire plot line lol like it was missing actual ... substance. When I was telling mum what happens she kept asking, “ and?then what?” But there were no answers for her lol .
For some reason I thought this would be along the lines of ‘the help’. I have very little free time to read, so I try to choose very carefully. Sounds like this might be a pass.
I did end up reading it & I like it, it was worth the read for me
Maybe you should listen to Alana rather than me, Julie :)That's the thing, isn't it – reviews are so selective. I don't even trust my OWN review to be so solid that I might not read it again and have the very opposite view :)
I agree - doesn't match the build-up.
I agree completely. It was quaint and mundane. There was nothing to hold my interest. The only interesting character to me was Magda. Lisa is shy and timid and new to retail. Whooopy do. Her character ark could have been interesting if her father was domineering and overly sexist but he was just a confused sot stuck who wasn't sure what to think of his daughter going to university. Even Lisa's choice of subject matter at university was uninspired - she wanted to be a poet, a writer or an artist. She could be all of those things without going to University. Total bunch of fluff.
Can't explain exactly why, but your review has made me want to read the book. I can't say what i will think about it, but be sure I will tell you. Maybe we'll agree or not, I'll let you know.
There is a much better book, set in the 1940's in a retail establishment like David Jones, called "Come in Spinner" by Dymphna Cusack and Florence James. Having read this (they also made it into a miniseries years ago), I didn't think "Women in black" was that interesting.