pickSuper interesting read, and a really interesting perspective, focusing on a woman who has been largely forgotten by history
11 likes
pickSuper interesting read, and a really interesting perspective, focusing on a woman who has been largely forgotten by history
so-so3.5 🌟 a disturbing dystopian read, with parallels to the handmaids tale but much much darker. Playing on the cruelty of teenage girls to each other and for perfection is spookily familiar in todays society , throw in how women have lost the right to their own bodies in the USA and many other countries & the aggressive dominance of men & the eroding of women‘s rights world wide it is eerily reminiscent & scary,
It‘s late there‘s a fine 🤣so binge reading in the British spring sunshine ☀️ 😎
pickMan, George Orwell does not come off well in this book!
An account of the first wife of George Orwell, the celebrated author of 1984 and Animal Farm, shining a light on his misogyny. The book however transcends beyond just the life of the wife, it brings into light the inherent patriarchy prevalent in our society since times immemorial, with a special focus of male misogynistic authors and their privilege.
Sometimes just by thinking about it I magic books into Little Free Libraries. That was the case with the tagged book yesterday which I was pleased to discover on my way to two hours of ballet last night in the rain.
pickThis book is part biography, part fiction and part memoir of the author. A strange combination and I wasn‘t sure what to make of it at first. I like George Orwell‘s work but this book looks at his wife Eileen and her role and influence on his work. And how she has been ignored by everyone including Orwell. It left me thinking that Orwell was a completely self absorbed a-hole!! The book had me questioning assumptions but rounded them out perfectly
‘Listen to this for a thank-you note,‘ she tells Lettice, finding Wells‘s letter. “Why do you attack me in this way? Is it some perverted jealousy or some insane political machinations. Read my early works you shit.”‘ Lettice chuckles.
‘Poor man,‘ she says. ‘Probably thinks you were trying to kill him.‘
‘Yes,‘ Eileen says. ‘Death by plum cake.‘
These anxieties of authenticity exist because when words go inside a reader, they make magic. They fizz and pop and conjure. They change minds. Your words may cast a spell on the reader but they cannot be felt to be a con-artist's trick, for then the reader will feel de- frauded. All the reader wants is for the avatar sitting behind the table to match their inner picture.
