Remember Me

by Fay Weldon

A savagely satirical tale of marital revenge. Madeleine wants revenge; Madeleine wants to be Madeleine wants love. Who doesn't? Madeleine is ex-wife and chief persecutor of Jarvis, the architect. Why not? She hates him. Hilary is their daughter, growing fatter and lumpier every day under Madeleine's triumphant care, and witness to the wrongs her mother suffered. For Jarvis has a clean new life with a clean new wife, Lily, and a nice new baby, Jonathan. The furniture is polished and there is orange juice for breakfast. Jarvis is content, or thinks he is, fending off Madeleine's forays as best he can. Jarvis has a part-time secretary too - Margot, now the doctor's wife, unremembered from the days of her youth. Margot, unacknowledged wife and mother, accepting, tending, nurturing his children and her own, complaisant in her lot. Then Madeleine, hurling out her dark reproaches from the other side of violent death, uncovers new familial links in the disruption she creates.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Literary Fiction, British Literature, Feminism, 20th Century, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Fay Weldon CBE was an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrayed contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Weldon

Reviews

[Michael Lent · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was recommended. A dozen pages in realized not my cup of tea. Bad sign that I kept forgetting the book title. I shan't be going back.

[Shay Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, the style of writing in this book thew me completely and I just couldn't get into it at all. But something about the pure, and often brutal honesty, of the characters kept me hooked...and I'm very glad that it did as it rapidly turned into a really interesting read. There was a point in the book where I thought to myself "every character in this is vile" and I was surprised at the emotion Weldon managed to summon from me. It was a good, intriguing read that explored death in an honest yet spiritual way.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike Alice Sebold's use of the "Afterlife theme" in The Lovely Bones, Weldon's is both witty and wrenching. Here is a very well written, piercing, no-holds- barred exposure of human behavior at it's most reptilian. Don't read this if you warm and fuzzy.

[Thomas Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born in the year this book came out, and in truth you probably appreciate the work more if you are 1) 'English of a certain age' (and alive to then-current English nuances and idioms of language); 2) Understand how the world worked before computers and smartphones and 3) have spent a bit of time in introspection on the nature of life, relationships, child-rearing and gender politics. I could see how the book would seem a little unsettlingly alien to younger or non-native readers.

There's also an extent to which the book is a period piece in its dissection of gender roles and of societies iniquitous treatment of women. I don't suggest women have it easy now, but the world has certainly moved on since the 70's, and much of the passionate justified anger of the central protagonist and of the narrative voice would seem to fail against injustices that have (to a large extent) since been rectified.

With all that said, it's a cracking read. I finished it in 2 days (it's a short book) and I really couldn't put it down. The stream of consciousness passages a la Molly Bloom in Ulysses (and redolent of Virginia Wolff) are engaging and give an immediacy to the characters. The narrative voice is unabashedly omnipotent and judgemental in an even-handed urbane way.

It's a fantastic piece of work and well worth a read.

[Alien · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that dissect the lives of a group of ordinary people. Many people find this fascinating. I don´t. The fact that I made it to page 26 is due to the author's interesting writing style. She has an ironic tone that I liked.

[Ruthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm having a clear out and am taking books to the charity shop. I've kept some of my Fay Weldon collection, but am letting this go because I can't remember much beyond the body-shaming of an overweight daughter.

[Merrie121 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Fay Weldon, good characters and enough weirdness.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh this was so bad DNF

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's worth a read, but for me only the one.

[Kate Hopkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Her style didn't grab me on this occasion.

[Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten how engrossing and enjoyable Fay Weldon's biting, witty novels can be. Loved this just as much as I did twenty years ago. RIP, Ms Weldon.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little morality tale.