The Philosopher's Doll

by Amanda Lohrey

What happens when one partner in a relationship wants to have a child and the other doesn't? Lindsay Eynon, a philosophy lecturer, isn't ready to start a family yet; he has other plans. But Kirsten's biological clock is ticking and she sees the world differently. As their arguments intensify, so does the probability of the unexpected...

The Philosopher's Doll is a highly unusual, constantly surprising novel about the perennial conflict between the head and the heart. Thought-provoking and compellingly readable, it reverberates with the dilemmas of contemporary life. In a culture of affluence, what do we need in order to be happy? And just how much control do we really have over our lives?

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2004

About the author

Amanda Lohrey is a novelist and essayist. She was educated at the University of Tasmania and Cambridge. She lectured in Writing and Textual Studies at the Sydney University of Technology (1988-1994), and since 2002 at the School of English, Media Studies and Art History at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.

Reviews

[Jill Lawson · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading Lohrey's "The Labyrinth" and being somewhat disappointed, I thought I'd give her another chance with "The Philosopher's Doll". After all, I generally like books set in universities, references to philosophy, and family dilemmas. Sadly, I was even more disappointed and did not finish the book. I found the two main characters so deeply unsympathetic and pointless, that all I could hope for was that neither of them ever had a child and that I never had to read about them again.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Premise was enticing but my interest fell through once the author changed narration to a third person to tell the remaining story. Such a shame. Clearly it was too abrupt a change and didn’t connect too quickly.

[Debbie Byass · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. so if you don’t want to have a baby, be honest, tell her, leave her and save us all the bother of having to suffer through this unnecessary drivel.

[Tom Swann · Rating 1 out of 5]

picked this up off the side of the road based on the premise alone - philosophy lecturer doesn't want to have a baby, his therapist wife does.

A few pages in and I realise I'm reading it out of regard for how poorly it is written.

The prose is truly awful. The telling is more than the showing and the latter with metaphors that are bizarre. The characters are both unlikable and flat. The exposition is overwrought and clunky. Needless details, unexplained pivots and implausible plot rhythms.

[Anne Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining novel in which some big questions of life frame the narrative but don't weigh it down. Concepts like free choice, the idea of consciousness, the existence of animal souls, or human souls for that matter. Set in a middle-class suburban household in Melbourne, the story follows a thirty-something married couple confronting the parenthood dilemma. Whether to have a baby and when. Outwardly at least there's more than a hint of gender stereotyping, with the husband Lindsay (an academic) prioritising lifestyle, paying the mortgage, renovating their run-down villa etc. and the wife, Kirsten, a social worker) experiencing the proverbial ticking biological clock. Complications abound of course, not the least being a student with a major crush on Lindsay who threatens to upset his well ordered life.

Lohrey has an amazingly accurate ear for dialogue and it's this more than anything that makes the novel such engaging reading. Towards the end of the book there's a startling change of point of view and perspective, which helped to round out the major characters, although I found some passages of this heavy going and appearing to labour an elusive point.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a strange thing, re-reading a book. You're not the same reader that you were the first time and the context in which you're reading the book is often very different. I read Amanda Lohrey's The Philosopher's Doll soon after it was released back in 2004, straight after reading two big, fat books: The Sotweed Factor and Tristam Shandy. At the time I leapt on it because it was local, domestic and female in comparison to the two hefty tomes that preceded it. Now, twelve years later I'm reading it again, this time for my face-to-face bookgroup. I didn't view it quite as kindly the second time round.
...
This is a very Melbourne book, and in this regard, the book has Garnesque features, but it is burdened with a didactism that you don't find in Garner's work.

For my full review, visit
https://residentjudge.wordpress.com/2...

[Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a very interesting concept but it was a letdown. Kirsten's character is annoying and unlikable at times, eg. in the restaurant at the start. Lindsay's character isn't so great either, he always put things off but in a way that didn't seem natural for the character. Like I understand the plot needs to happen, but his actions seemed unreasonable and random at times.
If you have an interest in philosophy, there are a lot of good references.
I actually liked Sonia's part at the end, although she was meant to be an unlikable and awkward character, she got to the point and the fate of Kirsten and Lindsay was wrapped up nicely in her section.
However, I didn't understand or enjoy the point of the whole aviation ending.
Overall 2/5.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay
I finished it, but to be honest if I had been reading as a print book as opposed to an e-audiobook on a couple of car journeys it would have been discarded after less than a dozen pages. But I got so far in I had to find out what the conclusion may be.
I came to this title after reading the authors,latest publication The Labyrinth, which was an impressive read, but this one was full of annoyingly stupid and self centred characters, who told their story, but the story’s they told themselves were lies. There were a couple of interesting observations on the human condition, but on the whole it was not a book I am glad I devoted a number of hours of my life to reading.

[Cf · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Maureen Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

She writes superbly, but something is missing.

[Diane Mcdonough · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good story up until it switched to Sonia. At that point I lost interest in them all as characters. Glad it was an audiobook.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea, so hard to judge

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very unsatisfying. It felt as if I had read one novel and then was switched to a different novel, albeit with some same characters.

[Sara Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird! The first 2/3 of this novel was brilliant. The story of a married couple in their late 30's, one wants to have a baby and the other doesn't. Compelling to read their rationalisation and heartbreaking to witness their cross-roads. I read the first 2/3 of this novel in one sitting.

Then another character becomes central to their story and the quality of the novel rapidly deteriorates. We never read from the persepcitve of the main couple again and hear second hand how thier relationship ends. This third character plays a small role in the journey of the couple, but not enough to take over the narrative. There does not appear to be any relevance as to why the story makes such a sharp turn. I read pages whilst thinking what's the point?

There were many interesting references to the heart throughout the story, from a philosophical perspective, this was very interesting and I felt very relevant, clever and thought provoking. BUT why all the descriptive pages on stunt-flying, or should I say precision-flying! - What a waste of my time and energy. Very bad editing!

Very difficult to rate this book, the first 2/3 I would lean towards 5 stars, but the final 1/3 bearly rates 1 or 2 stars! So I have decided to go with an average of 3 stars!

[Susan Austin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably 2.5 stars. I didn't like the change of narrative towards the end - just when I was getting interested and intrigued in the story, and the two characters were going to clash and sort it all out one way or another, the whole tone of the book switched, like a big tease, and we just hear third-hand about what happened. And the main male character's story completely changes, so it turns out the narrator lied to us about what went on with Sonia, which was just annoying. There were also some tedious details about philosophy lectures and "precision flying" which didn't seem to add anything to me. Much of the writing which portrayed the two main characters and their relationship was good though, so I did think the book was 'ok'!

[Lesley Anne Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished this. I loved Camille's Bread. I didn't mind the third act change. In fact it took things into a completely intriguing frame. I got quite excited with the change and probably enjoyed the third act the most. Lohrey is such an accomplished writer she makes it all look so easy. She is so easy to read and yet I love her intellect and wit. I found the couple story of interest and she captures the middle aged male privilege through Lindsay with great skill and clearly an insiders knowledge. I am now looking forward to reading her most recent novel.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished this & not quite sure what to make of it or even what was the point of it all. None of the characters particularly like-able or relate-able & seemed to be a lot of unnecessary detail that didn't add anything to the story. Starts out with what seems to be an interesting idea/plot line but, for me, just didn't go anywhere much. An unsatisfying ending and, overall, underwhelming read.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the CD version, which isn't listed here. The story was interesting to a point. I found the transition into a 3rd person towards the end a bit disconcerting. Anyway, a different approach. It was certainly very readable & kept my interest.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Shifts in who the main character is. Get male/female perspectives. Touched by the pregnancy story.

[Nathan Beaton]

Awful.

[Cheryl]

If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted all that precious time reading this book!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably 2.5 stars. An easy read. I found it frustrating how the two main characters wouldn't communicate with each other. For goodness sake, just talk. I also didn't like the change of narrator.