Unless

Self-referential, moi?And, as a fairly unreconstructed man, I could have done with a bit less of the musing about the powerlessness of women and wished she would get on with the story. My totally reconstructed wife felt the same.The first 3/4 of the book is worth four stars because of the mastery that she brings her chosen approach. After that it falls to pieces. She reverts, for the first time, to third person narrative to disentangle a sub-plot, and the denouement of the main plot is thoroughly contrived.

A book every writer should read, it causes us to reflect on the writing process and the questions we should be asking about life, about what is going on around us. The book may come across as tedious at the outset. The protagonist, who is a writer, leads a hum drum life, but Shields reveals several unexpected layers to the story. A couple of 'gasp-style' surprises come towards the end. As always, there is humour, showing us that our protagonist is fully aware of the banality of some aspects of her life. Especially wonderful is the characterization of her new 'book editor.' If this hasn't already been made into a movie, then it should be. An easy, warming and insightful read.

I found the book interesting in parts and liked the theme of Norah's decision on how to live her life and the effect it had on others; how it shaped her mother's writing. Intriguing to read and I needed to finish it.

This was our book club read and only one person persevered enough to finish it, and she said it wasnt worth the time. I got to 35% and gave up as nothing of interest had happened at all. Very disappointed given other reviews I read prior to embarrassingly being the one to suggest it.

Good

Interesting plot which kept me guessing until the end, but I found the feminism to be a little too blatant for my liking.

Good book

I couldn't put this book down. Our experiences can change our dispositions inexplicably. Love can bring us back.