ISBN: Ostalo
Godina izdanja: Ostalo
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

U dobrom stanju

Language English
Publisher Picador
Publication date January 1, 1995
Dimensions 5.31 x 0.71 x 7.87 inches



`A beautifully written narrative, turning on the stories of four women at different ages, and through their self-analysis, the story of many more.`

This is very much a woman`s book, or, more properly, a work of feminism, complete with footnote references to classic feminist texts. But it`s not a textbook at all; it`s a quite readable story of a middle-aged woman reflecting on her life. The book is anchored in Virginia Woolf`s philosophy of education for women. Woolf, denied the formal education her brothers received, proposed education for women precisely like that our Australian narrator received at a British girls` school. It seems to have `worked` for some young women (the teachers` pets) who loved their time there, and not worked for others (including our narrator) who were miserable. Is that how it works for men? Is this what Woolf expected? These are the recurring themes of this book that climax when the narrator makes a trip back to the school years later. Along the way the writer reflects on her life and loves, family, art, gardening, and fights an illness that threatens to result in loss of vision.

Because the narrator is Australian, and went to girls` school in Britain, we have the usual collection of mutual put-downs that the Brits and Aussies engage in. The best one is this: `...being British [is] a bit like being a man. That awesome certainty that your view of the world is THE view of the world.` (The author was born in England but was educated in and lives in Australia.)

There are many though-provoking gems in the book. In the chapter titled `The Adultery Factor` we read: `These days...everyone speaks too much and says too little.` `...everyone wants something for nothing: love without risk, sex without hurt, safety without boredom.` `She, the mistress, misread the man`s capacity to pay as an indication of his care for her...` Later in the book we have: `To speak of luck, or of chance, is a response, sometimes envious, sometimes bewildered, made by those who see others take the opportunities they miss.`

There is a blurb on the book jacket from the Herald Sun of Australia: `As enriching a book as you`re likely to read.`