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Walking Naked
Laura is happily married, a mother, and a successful novelist. Although prey to night terrors, she is adept at smoothing the disorder of reality into controlled prose. Interweaving memory, conversation, and reflection, Walking Naked telescopes the whole of Laura's life—childhood, marriages, triumphs, and disappointments—into a day in which the past and the present converge. It begins with a game of tennis played for duty rather than amusement and progresses, via an afternoon party of old friends and jaded emotions, to a bewildering visit to Laura's son, who is imprisoned on a drugs charge. At its close, the possibility of death within the family brings unresolved conflicts to center stage, and Laura strips herself of the posturing and self-deceit with which she has cloaked her vulnerability. Continually surprising, witty, and often disquieting, this is one of Nina Bawden's most impressive novels.
221 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
6 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Nina Bawden
62 books92 followersNina Bawden was a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.
When World War II broke out she spent the school holidays at a farm in Shropshire along with her mother and her brothers, but lived in Aberdare, Wales, during term time.
Bawden attended Somerville College, Oxford, where she gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Her novels include Carrie's War, Peppermint Pig, and The Witch's Daughter.
A number of her works have been dramatised by BBC Children's television, and many have been translated into various languages. In 2002 she was badly injured in the Potters Bar rail crash, and her husband Austen Kark was killed.
Bawden passed away at her home in London on 22 August 2012.
When World War II broke out she spent the school holidays at a farm in Shropshire along with her mother and her brothers, but lived in Aberdare, Wales, during term time.
Bawden attended Somerville College, Oxford, where she gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Her novels include Carrie's War, Peppermint Pig, and The Witch's Daughter.
A number of her works have been dramatised by BBC Children's television, and many have been translated into various languages. In 2002 she was badly injured in the Potters Bar rail crash, and her husband Austen Kark was killed.
Bawden passed away at her home in London on 22 August 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 14, 2024
Added to my to-read list on August 22, 2012. Just getting around to it now, February 10, 2024. One of my goals for 2024 is to read the books that have been on my to-read list the longest.
In my youth I read several of Nina Bawden's books and found they got under my skin. There was a sense of prickliness and reality that I didn't find in other softer stories for children. I was interested in reading one of her books aimed at adults, and now I have and I found it similarly disquieting.
Walking Naked is about the turmoil of a woman's life underneath the glossy seemingly perfect exterior. We learn about Laura over time, from her childhood through two marriages and her lifelong relationship with Hilde who was orphaned, then went to live with their teacher, Miss Loomis. We learn that her life is far from perfect and there are all kinds of emotions just under the surface.
As young girls, Laura and Hilde laughed at Miss Loomis sometimes, they felt "slyly irreverent - mischievous acolytes mocking a clumsy goddess whose energy and moral power we relied upon absolutely."
Bawden seems to feel about the word 'happy' as I do about the word 'nice,' referring to it as "a portmanteau phrase, really; a kind of cheap suitcase containing so many different emotions that it is impossible to select one of them and label it 'happiness.'
During a visit to her son in prison Laura sees another visitor, a young woman with an old fashioned beehive hairdo and wonders "if she had done her hair in this out of date style because it was how she had worn it when her man had been sent to prison. Or was it that time had stopped for her then?"
Laura's son is in prison on a drugs charge and she feels that he blames her for "never explaining the rules properly; only said, truth is relative, nothing is certain, instead of this is right, this is wrong."
"Why should we pass on these absolute rules when we no longer believe them? The trouble is, although we no longer believe, we are programmed by people who did, and so when it comes to the crunch we are shocked and surprised to find that our children cannot hear, as we do, the clear and confident voices of our parents and teachers." I thought this was an interesting observation on parenting through generations.
"When our children disappoint us, fall into traps that we knew were there but forgot to warn them about, we go red and gobble."
During a fight Laura responds to her husband, Andrew: "Well, at least I know what you think of me. Self-regarding, dishonest, ungrateful [...] I was stupid enough to believe you loved me and that we were happy. And all the time, all these years, all this poison has been bubbling away like some horrible cauldron..."
Andrew responds: "You know that it's rubbish, you know I love you, cut it out, Laura," and goes on to ask if they should stop at the next gas station. This seems uncomfortably real for a marital argument.
As the book progresses toward its conclusion Bawden addresses aging. She writes: "Old age is Indian Country. Uncharted and dark. Even when we have parents still living to provide us with maps; show us, over the rising hill, the rest of the road, we don't want to look."
Other passages that I loved:
"The pain that I feel is the sense of loss for a time that is past."
"At that time, when Andrew put his hand under Irma's elbow to lead her from the stone-flagged, cold passage into the warmth of the outer air, the fitful spring sunlight, all I really felt was a mild, childish grumpiness, a faint pique at the sight of him leering tenderly down at her as I followed behind with her husband." I note that Bawden crafted a lovely descriptive passage and dropped the ugly word "leering" into it, providing a 'prickly' undertone. To me, this is vintage Bawden and what makes her books so interesting to read.
"Letters from women I didn't know; from other sisters under the skin."
"The mind has its sly, hidden corners."
In my youth I read several of Nina Bawden's books and found they got under my skin. There was a sense of prickliness and reality that I didn't find in other softer stories for children. I was interested in reading one of her books aimed at adults, and now I have and I found it similarly disquieting.
Walking Naked is about the turmoil of a woman's life underneath the glossy seemingly perfect exterior. We learn about Laura over time, from her childhood through two marriages and her lifelong relationship with Hilde who was orphaned, then went to live with their teacher, Miss Loomis. We learn that her life is far from perfect and there are all kinds of emotions just under the surface.
As young girls, Laura and Hilde laughed at Miss Loomis sometimes, they felt "slyly irreverent - mischievous acolytes mocking a clumsy goddess whose energy and moral power we relied upon absolutely."
Bawden seems to feel about the word 'happy' as I do about the word 'nice,' referring to it as "a portmanteau phrase, really; a kind of cheap suitcase containing so many different emotions that it is impossible to select one of them and label it 'happiness.'
During a visit to her son in prison Laura sees another visitor, a young woman with an old fashioned beehive hairdo and wonders "if she had done her hair in this out of date style because it was how she had worn it when her man had been sent to prison. Or was it that time had stopped for her then?"
Laura's son is in prison on a drugs charge and she feels that he blames her for "never explaining the rules properly; only said, truth is relative, nothing is certain, instead of this is right, this is wrong."
"Why should we pass on these absolute rules when we no longer believe them? The trouble is, although we no longer believe, we are programmed by people who did, and so when it comes to the crunch we are shocked and surprised to find that our children cannot hear, as we do, the clear and confident voices of our parents and teachers." I thought this was an interesting observation on parenting through generations.
"When our children disappoint us, fall into traps that we knew were there but forgot to warn them about, we go red and gobble."
During a fight Laura responds to her husband, Andrew: "Well, at least I know what you think of me. Self-regarding, dishonest, ungrateful [...] I was stupid enough to believe you loved me and that we were happy. And all the time, all these years, all this poison has been bubbling away like some horrible cauldron..."
Andrew responds: "You know that it's rubbish, you know I love you, cut it out, Laura," and goes on to ask if they should stop at the next gas station. This seems uncomfortably real for a marital argument.
As the book progresses toward its conclusion Bawden addresses aging. She writes: "Old age is Indian Country. Uncharted and dark. Even when we have parents still living to provide us with maps; show us, over the rising hill, the rest of the road, we don't want to look."
Other passages that I loved:
"The pain that I feel is the sense of loss for a time that is past."
"At that time, when Andrew put his hand under Irma's elbow to lead her from the stone-flagged, cold passage into the warmth of the outer air, the fitful spring sunlight, all I really felt was a mild, childish grumpiness, a faint pique at the sight of him leering tenderly down at her as I followed behind with her husband." I note that Bawden crafted a lovely descriptive passage and dropped the ugly word "leering" into it, providing a 'prickly' undertone. To me, this is vintage Bawden and what makes her books so interesting to read.
"Letters from women I didn't know; from other sisters under the skin."
"The mind has its sly, hidden corners."
April 27, 2020
One of Nina Bawden’s lesser known novels it takes place on one day. It concerns Laura, a writer and her husband Andrew. The day is split into four parts. The first part consists of going with her husband whilst he plays a game of real tennis with a client. The second part is a lunch time buffet at a close friend’s house (to celebrate the boat race). Thirdly a visit to prison (Wormwood Scrubs) to visit Laura’s son from her first marriage who is serving six months on a drugs charge. Finally there is a visit to Laura’s parents as her father is unwell. Each of these events is linked to a set of memories from Laura’s past and gradually a picture is built up over the day which gives the reader an insight into Laura and her life. On the surface Laura is happily married and successful; the day strips away the veneer. It is set in the 1970s when Laura is in middle age.
There is a strong cast of secondary characters who are gradually revealed and on the whole Bawden is pretty good at character building. The characters and settings are thoroughly middle class and that can be a bit wearing, but there is a knowingness about it and Bawden always makes her characters flawed and believable. Laura is a flawed narrator and in terms of evaluating a situation, not always reliable. The narrative voice occasionally switches and there are the occasional knowing asides which I found rather irksome. There is also a portrayal of serious mental health issues in one character which were a little predictable as was the selection of which character in the novel to drop it on. Of course they are going to be alone, unable to hold down a job and with a tragic history. Not really convincing. This was ok, but didn’t really hold my attention.
There is a strong cast of secondary characters who are gradually revealed and on the whole Bawden is pretty good at character building. The characters and settings are thoroughly middle class and that can be a bit wearing, but there is a knowingness about it and Bawden always makes her characters flawed and believable. Laura is a flawed narrator and in terms of evaluating a situation, not always reliable. The narrative voice occasionally switches and there are the occasional knowing asides which I found rather irksome. There is also a portrayal of serious mental health issues in one character which were a little predictable as was the selection of which character in the novel to drop it on. Of course they are going to be alone, unable to hold down a job and with a tragic history. Not really convincing. This was ok, but didn’t really hold my attention.
April 4, 2024
I worried this older title wouldn’t resonate in 2024 but Bowen’s marital issues, individual insecurities, and interpersonal relationships are timeless.
September 6, 2020
Another masterfully wrought tale of social constructs and the underlying distress beneath most social interactions.
The main character is, this time, an author. As such she is working on a piece not dissimilar to this work, a day in the life of a couple.
It may have just been a day, but the history and the way the story wended through the past to the present, the decisions people made with the best of intentions made it a very long and interesting day.
If you're ever looking for the 'good' character in a Bawden, chances are they have an obsession with books and lesbians. Right on, Nina.
The main character is, this time, an author. As such she is working on a piece not dissimilar to this work, a day in the life of a couple.
It may have just been a day, but the history and the way the story wended through the past to the present, the decisions people made with the best of intentions made it a very long and interesting day.
If you're ever looking for the 'good' character in a Bawden, chances are they have an obsession with books and lesbians. Right on, Nina.
January 25, 2023
Loved the stream of consciousness writing, really felt like I was digging through the main character’s memories. Was really interesting to see how past events shape feelings of how things are fanning out. The main character is not necessarily a good person, but maybe because she is being honest and unfiltered rather than being any worse than anyone else.
February 17, 2022
Bawden masterfully follows Laura and second husband, Andrew, through the course of one day in 1980's Britain. Through reflections, Laura tells of her first marriage, her bringing up, the story of her son who is in prison, and more. Skillfully done and quite interesting.
September 3, 2012
Although written with some stylistic devices which I found irritating (I can see these were part of the character depiction), the revelation of the heroine’s real thoughts seemed very authentic, as if the author was revealing herself. As part of the well-constructed plot line, the recognition of the heroine’s ultimately manipulative character, was delayed until near the end, and quite shocking. She reminds me of “Gone with the Wind”. The story was absorbing, enlivened by dialogue, different characters’ views, events chronicles and changes in time sequence (each trip back in time revealing more understanding of the present and the truth about story and characters. Very perceptive of people’s interactions and personalities.
April 24, 2017
'Walking Naked' is written with exceptionally clear prose, and employs an interesting technique of having the fictional narrator (Laura) occasionally write from the supporting characters' perspectives, with varying degrees of confidence.
I liked these two aspects quite a lot.
Otherwise, 'Walking Naked' didn't do much for me. It failed to challenge or excite me intellectually, and it barely summoned my emotions beyond the occasional mild annoyance toward the narrator.
Oh well, onto the next book...
I liked these two aspects quite a lot.
Otherwise, 'Walking Naked' didn't do much for me. It failed to challenge or excite me intellectually, and it barely summoned my emotions beyond the occasional mild annoyance toward the narrator.
Oh well, onto the next book...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews