'25 September - theme: '10 things I hate about you' related
The Golden Notebook by Dorris Lessing
First off, I believe some clarification is in order for my readers. Every year on my birthday (in September) I watch my favourite film - '10 things I hate about you' - a modern (1990s) retelling of 'The Taming of the Shrew'. This custom led Alex to suggest my September theme, however I was free to interpret it however I felt fit. Something to do with Seattle? Shakespeare? Young love? the 1990s? Maybe another year I will pick one of those. For the first year it felt like I should take on the main theme of both the original Shakespeare play and of its 20th century counterpart - women and men, feminism and the patriarchy.
I bought this book and started it 14 years ago at the age of 23. I ultimately failed to make it more than a third of the way through, as it is extremely, um, wordy. Not that it was all Lessing's fault - I was simply too young to be able to align with her character much the last time I attempted the book.
But this time I did it! I think not only has age has a lot to do with it, but as the book progresses and out protagonist gets older and has a daughter, much of the book is tied to her identity as a mother. Now I am a mother, these parts resonated with me in a way they simply couldn't over a decade ago. Although it was still unnecessarily wordy.
Lessing wrote mainly science fiction, of which I have read none, and this semi-autobiographical work. She won a noble prize for literature towards the end of her life and many people cite this as the work that led her to receive that acclaim. All I can say is it is beautifully written and quite profound. If you have been imbibing the hobbits pipeweed such that all manner of profound and important thoughts are rushing through your head, then somehow you manage to write all those thoughts down into eloquent sentences and then you keep at it for 500+ pages of small print type, then you too could be Dorris Lessing. However, just like people who have been smoking, she could stand to talk/write less words.
The discussion of politics showed to me how ephemeral current affairs are, what seemed vitally important in 1952 is completely forgotten in 2025.
As well as attempting to give me the answer to life, the universe and everything, Lessing also provides a beautifully captured picture of life in colonial Africa and 1950's London. I actually enjoyed these parts the most.
I will be putting this one on my keep bookcase, but more as a reminder that I actually managed to read the thing. I do not see myself ever putting myself through that again. Other than just being too long, Anna's mental health breakdown as viewed from the inside was painful to watch.
Maybe next year I will read an uplifting book about feminism. Does one exist?