What do you think?
She Devil #2
En Hun-djævels Død
I Fay Weldons 1983-klassiker En Hun-djævels bekendelser kæmpede kvinder med mænd om magten – og vandt.
I 2019 fortsætter kampen på en ny front ...Ruth Patchett, den oprindelige Hun-djævel, er nu 84 år gammel og klar til at trække sig tilbage. Hun har arbejdet utrætteligt på at holde fast i sejren fra dengang: kvinderne på sejrsskamlen, mænd som de underdanige. Nu er hun træt. Hendes mission er fuldført. Magtens fakkel skal gives videre.
Men hvem kan samle den op? Valerie Valeria, hot-shot millennial og Ruths personlige assistent, er i hvert fald klar og mere end ivrig efter at sætte sig i førersædet ...
380 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
About the author
Fay Weldon
164 books407 followersFay 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
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Weldon
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
April 29, 2017
Fay Weldon is (was?) one of my favourite authors, and the original She Devil one of my formative reading experiences, so it physically pains me to write this.
Death of a She Devil is bad. Mind bogglingly, offensively bad. Even more unforgivably for someone renowned for her wit and insight, it's boring.
Tayla is a non entity, and her transition (not "transiting," as Weldon seems to think) is excruciating. I have many trans friends and her reasons are an insult to real people who have undergone gender reassignment. The one time somebody speaks sense on the topic, they're immediately rubbished. The characters (and Weldon herself?) fail to grasp that it doesn't matter what third parties think, it's only your opinion of your gender that matters. Writing that a woman who has transitioned is just a man who's had his penis cut off isn't "satire," it's dangerous. It's prejudiced thinking like this that leads trans people to commit suicide and bigots to attack and murder them. I was horrified to find such views being espoused in a mainstream novel; it was honestly no better than a Daily Mail column from the bad old days.
This was my main objection, but there were numerous others. There is no point in writing a sequel to your best known work if you're barely going to use those characters. Ruth, the most Machiavellian female character in 20th century fiction, is barely present. By making her agonising transformation from the first book fail, Weldon's effectively pressed a reset button. I buy Bobbo as an appalling, demented old man and Mary Fisher as a pretentious ghost, but Ruth's detoothing is unforgivable. It reads like fan fic from somebody who's only caught a glimpse of the show starring Julie T Wallace, not the genuine article.
Also, Weldon has either forgotten or chosen to rewrite characters and history. Nicola, Ruth's daughter, was a lesbian who fell in love with one of her teachers; here she had a teen pregnancy and wound up with three kids, one of whom is Tayla. There are other mistakes too, adding to the "written by casual TV viewer" feel. If you're writing a sequel, shouldn't you revisit the first book to make sure this doesn't happen? Perhaps a one time reader wouldn't mind, but as a huge fan of the original, I ended up keeping a tally of all the errors.
Oh, and I couldn't stand Valerie Valeria. Silly name, 2D characterisation (somebody attracted to both sexes is bisexual, not an indecisive lesbian!) and stealing the spotlight from Ruth. She treats both her girlfriend and Tayla abominably, so why should we care?
Avoid.
PS - I gave this the 2 stars rather than the 1 it deserves because every now and then there were flickers of the old Weldon, making the transmisogny even harder to take. She still has a nice turn of phrase - why did she waste it on this tosh?
Death of a She Devil is bad. Mind bogglingly, offensively bad. Even more unforgivably for someone renowned for her wit and insight, it's boring.
Tayla is a non entity, and her transition (not "transiting," as Weldon seems to think) is excruciating. I have many trans friends and her reasons are an insult to real people who have undergone gender reassignment. The one time somebody speaks sense on the topic, they're immediately rubbished. The characters (and Weldon herself?) fail to grasp that it doesn't matter what third parties think, it's only your opinion of your gender that matters. Writing that a woman who has transitioned is just a man who's had his penis cut off isn't "satire," it's dangerous. It's prejudiced thinking like this that leads trans people to commit suicide and bigots to attack and murder them. I was horrified to find such views being espoused in a mainstream novel; it was honestly no better than a Daily Mail column from the bad old days.
This was my main objection, but there were numerous others. There is no point in writing a sequel to your best known work if you're barely going to use those characters. Ruth, the most Machiavellian female character in 20th century fiction, is barely present. By making her agonising transformation from the first book fail, Weldon's effectively pressed a reset button. I buy Bobbo as an appalling, demented old man and Mary Fisher as a pretentious ghost, but Ruth's detoothing is unforgivable. It reads like fan fic from somebody who's only caught a glimpse of the show starring Julie T Wallace, not the genuine article.
Also, Weldon has either forgotten or chosen to rewrite characters and history. Nicola, Ruth's daughter, was a lesbian who fell in love with one of her teachers; here she had a teen pregnancy and wound up with three kids, one of whom is Tayla. There are other mistakes too, adding to the "written by casual TV viewer" feel. If you're writing a sequel, shouldn't you revisit the first book to make sure this doesn't happen? Perhaps a one time reader wouldn't mind, but as a huge fan of the original, I ended up keeping a tally of all the errors.
Oh, and I couldn't stand Valerie Valeria. Silly name, 2D characterisation (somebody attracted to both sexes is bisexual, not an indecisive lesbian!) and stealing the spotlight from Ruth. She treats both her girlfriend and Tayla abominably, so why should we care?
Avoid.
PS - I gave this the 2 stars rather than the 1 it deserves because every now and then there were flickers of the old Weldon, making the transmisogny even harder to take. She still has a nice turn of phrase - why did she waste it on this tosh?
May 28, 2017
The iconic 1980's novel The Life and Loves of a She Devil (and superb TV series) gets a sequel over 30 years later and I'm sorry to have read it because it taints my view of the original by adding to the saga. Monster that she became, you couldn't help but side with Ruth in the first novel, but there is not one likeable character (Ruth included) in this meandering tale. It's a good 100 pages longer than the first book but far less happens and what was fresh and funny is now repetitious and stale. If you haven't read Life and Loves I don't think you'd have a clue what was going on and if, like me, you have, then I think you will be sorely disappointed.
July 22, 2018
What.
The.
Hell.
Was.
This.
Book.
About?
I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know who to root for. It didn't have a clear enough through story. I really loved the original book, I cheer for funny feminists and I did give it a fair chance, but...WHAT THE?
The.
Hell.
Was.
This.
Book.
About?
I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know who to root for. It didn't have a clear enough through story. I really loved the original book, I cheer for funny feminists and I did give it a fair chance, but...WHAT THE?
September 18, 2017
Maybe if you weren’t there, reading Fay Weldon in the 1980s, you just won’t ‘get’ this sequel to her most famous novel, Life and Loves of a She Devil…
I don’t mean that you can’t follow the novel. It’s decades since I read SheDevil#1 and I’d forgotten the detail of it but Weldon provides all you need to know in SheDevil#2. I mean that for women of my generation the novel will evoke memories of all kinds of feminist battles large and small and the sense of excitement that came with yes, changing the world. Today we can’t use the term The Sisterhood without self-mockery, but back then we knew we were working with women across a yet-to-be-globalised world, and we knew with a sense of empowerment that we were not alone.
And we were all very serious about it. We were reading such serious stuff about feminism. We were reading The Female Eunuch and The Second Sex and The Feminine Mystique and Damned Whores and God’s Police et al, and Fay Weldon came along and made us laugh about ourselves and the patriarchal society we lived in by skewering everything we held sacred. We loved her then, and even though some of us stopped reading her novels when they were bitter and twisted after her marriage breakdown, (almost as if we expected that not to hurt because she was an iconic feminist) she still has a place in the hearts of women of my generation.
And now Death of a She Devil. Ruth Patchett (the She devil) like her creator is getting old and as the fight goes out of her, she worries about handing on the reins of her feminist empire to the young. It’s no coincidence that her would-be usurper Valerie Valeria is a brash PR from Australia: Britain is full of energetic young imports making the place barely recognisable to people born before the war. (I myself have two – sometimes three – Aussie-born expat nieces living and working there for a start). Valerie is boundlessly confident: she bullies Ruth into agreeing to a bizarre ‘World Women’s Widdershins Walk’ to celebrate the equinox, the founding of the Institute for Gender Parity and Ruth’s 85th birthday, and she thinks breezily that she can manage this major event because she took Event Management as part of her degree. Experience and expertise no longer necessary, you see, as long as you have mastered Spin and look smart and purposeful in your skimpy cashmere cardigan.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2017/09/18/d...
I don’t mean that you can’t follow the novel. It’s decades since I read SheDevil#1 and I’d forgotten the detail of it but Weldon provides all you need to know in SheDevil#2. I mean that for women of my generation the novel will evoke memories of all kinds of feminist battles large and small and the sense of excitement that came with yes, changing the world. Today we can’t use the term The Sisterhood without self-mockery, but back then we knew we were working with women across a yet-to-be-globalised world, and we knew with a sense of empowerment that we were not alone.
And we were all very serious about it. We were reading such serious stuff about feminism. We were reading The Female Eunuch and The Second Sex and The Feminine Mystique and Damned Whores and God’s Police et al, and Fay Weldon came along and made us laugh about ourselves and the patriarchal society we lived in by skewering everything we held sacred. We loved her then, and even though some of us stopped reading her novels when they were bitter and twisted after her marriage breakdown, (almost as if we expected that not to hurt because she was an iconic feminist) she still has a place in the hearts of women of my generation.
And now Death of a She Devil. Ruth Patchett (the She devil) like her creator is getting old and as the fight goes out of her, she worries about handing on the reins of her feminist empire to the young. It’s no coincidence that her would-be usurper Valerie Valeria is a brash PR from Australia: Britain is full of energetic young imports making the place barely recognisable to people born before the war. (I myself have two – sometimes three – Aussie-born expat nieces living and working there for a start). Valerie is boundlessly confident: she bullies Ruth into agreeing to a bizarre ‘World Women’s Widdershins Walk’ to celebrate the equinox, the founding of the Institute for Gender Parity and Ruth’s 85th birthday, and she thinks breezily that she can manage this major event because she took Event Management as part of her degree. Experience and expertise no longer necessary, you see, as long as you have mastered Spin and look smart and purposeful in your skimpy cashmere cardigan.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2017/09/18/d...
May 6, 2020
I seldom write reviews but this book has inspired me to complain.
First of all you must understand. I LOVED (yes all caps) the first book. I don't know how many times I read it. It is an elaborate revenge fantasy that grazes reality but doesn't go too deep into it. But really an abandoned wife who tortures her ex and his new mistress until he destroys them? Yes please! I was hesitant to read this follow up novel for fear it ruined the first book. Most unfortunately I was proven correct. It might have been hard to decide what I hate the most. The idiotic Mary Fisher as a ghost. The downfall of our heroine. The way the She Devil now bemoans the fact her children will not return her calls. The new vapid characters that completely fail to rouse any attachment. But no. What I hate the most is the way reality has creeped into the revenge fantasy and strangled it with it's clammy hands. Ruth was so triumphant in the first book. Unbelievably so. Not anymore. Brought down by inevitable old age and young people I get to watch the new characters bury her alive (not literally unfortunately maybe that would have been a better ending) I wish Fay Weldon had never written this book.
First of all you must understand. I LOVED (yes all caps) the first book. I don't know how many times I read it. It is an elaborate revenge fantasy that grazes reality but doesn't go too deep into it. But really an abandoned wife who tortures her ex and his new mistress until he destroys them? Yes please! I was hesitant to read this follow up novel for fear it ruined the first book. Most unfortunately I was proven correct. It might have been hard to decide what I hate the most. The idiotic Mary Fisher as a ghost. The downfall of our heroine. The way the She Devil now bemoans the fact her children will not return her calls. The new vapid characters that completely fail to rouse any attachment. But no. What I hate the most is the way reality has creeped into the revenge fantasy and strangled it with it's clammy hands. Ruth was so triumphant in the first book. Unbelievably so. Not anymore. Brought down by inevitable old age and young people I get to watch the new characters bury her alive (not literally unfortunately maybe that would have been a better ending) I wish Fay Weldon had never written this book.
October 22, 2020
Like several of the other reviewers, I loved 'The Life And Loves of A She Devil', both on paper and on screen. So I was pleased and curious to see this sequel.
What a disappointment! A "so-what" plot, a disjointed and rambling story that had no real storylines I could get my teeth into, a fairly major continuity error in Nicola, and unsympathetic and unconvincing characters.
My biggest problem, though, was with the Big Event that took up much of the first part of the book - the Widdershins Walk that was due to take place on the winter equinox. The first time I saw "winter equinox", I assumed that there was going to be some explanation for such a howler, but no... and it wasn't a one-off typo, either. The same error was repeated over and over again, even occuring within a few pages of an acknowledgement that the Walk was happening on the shortest day of the year. Such lazy writing, and worse editing, is a major turn-off for me.
This book is a waste of time and money - avoid.
What a disappointment! A "so-what" plot, a disjointed and rambling story that had no real storylines I could get my teeth into, a fairly major continuity error in Nicola, and unsympathetic and unconvincing characters.
My biggest problem, though, was with the Big Event that took up much of the first part of the book - the Widdershins Walk that was due to take place on the winter equinox. The first time I saw "winter equinox", I assumed that there was going to be some explanation for such a howler, but no... and it wasn't a one-off typo, either. The same error was repeated over and over again, even occuring within a few pages of an acknowledgement that the Walk was happening on the shortest day of the year. Such lazy writing, and worse editing, is a major turn-off for me.
This book is a waste of time and money - avoid.
May 9, 2017
Such an arch, cynical tone and a confusing story lacking any tension. I seem to remember Weldon being funny and making interesting points about gender, but this was just hard to slog through. She can still turn a phrase ' A generation of millennials sunk into callously copulating, digital gloom.' 'Don't wish for family in case you get it'. And Valerie Valeria, her scheming minx of a hero/ine, wore a 'skimpy red cashmere cardigan' which for some reason made me wish for one.
March 29, 2018
I used to love this author’s books and certainly loved the original she devil one. But I had difficulty in getting through this one, and eventually abandoned it.
Ruth, the she devil, is now 84 and tells us about her current life. Bobbo, 94, is bedridden and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but it is doubtful that he does in fact have it, since sometimes his mind seems a bit too clear, and he himself admits that he faked it when he was being tested. He is living in the High Tower and is looked after by a nurse.
Ruth’s children, Nicci and Andy, won’t speak to her. Nicci’s children, the twins Madison and Mason, and Tyler, are grown-up. Nicci’s family go to therapy every week. Tyler is beautiful, but “resentful and unemployed”.
Then there is the ghost of Mary Fisher, wailing in the wind. She is in love with the she devil’s grandson, Tyler.
Fay Weldon writes as engagingly as ever; it was probably just my problem that I found the book unreadable.
Though the book wasn’t for me at this point in time, I’m sure most others will appreciate it.
Ruth, the she devil, is now 84 and tells us about her current life. Bobbo, 94, is bedridden and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but it is doubtful that he does in fact have it, since sometimes his mind seems a bit too clear, and he himself admits that he faked it when he was being tested. He is living in the High Tower and is looked after by a nurse.
Ruth’s children, Nicci and Andy, won’t speak to her. Nicci’s children, the twins Madison and Mason, and Tyler, are grown-up. Nicci’s family go to therapy every week. Tyler is beautiful, but “resentful and unemployed”.
Then there is the ghost of Mary Fisher, wailing in the wind. She is in love with the she devil’s grandson, Tyler.
Fay Weldon writes as engagingly as ever; it was probably just my problem that I found the book unreadable.
Though the book wasn’t for me at this point in time, I’m sure most others will appreciate it.
May 16, 2017
Do not read this sequel to Life and Loves of a She Devil! You will not get that time back. Ms Weldon has lost it.
December 30, 2017
What are the reasons an author writes a sequel to a book, particularly one as lauded as Fay Weldon's "The Life and Loves of a She Devil", originally published in the mid 1980's? I always assume it's because the author has not finished saying all she wanted to say about her characters. British author Weldon has actually published several "series" books; her latest well-regarded novel. "Before the War", is being followed by another in fall of 2018. But why follow up to a book published 40 years ago? What could Weldon have to say about Ruth Patchett and the characters of the previous book? Well, whatever Fay Weldon was trying to do in "Death of a She Devil", she succeeded in writing a real stinker.
I read the original book a week ago. For some reason, I never got around to it when it was published, nor did I see the movie. So after reading "Life and Loves", I was pleased to find Weldon had written a sequel. The first book was filled with disagreeable and ugly-inside and ugly-outside characters. I don't think anyone was particularly "likable", and many readers have a problem with a book filled with unlikable characters. It doesn't bother me as long as the characters are "interesting", which Ruth Patchett and crew basically were. The first book was also seen and considered literally as in the context of the women's rights movement. Fay Weldon had written a book that the reader could consider both entertaining and important. She should have left well enough alone and not written "Death of a She Devil".
Forty or so years have passed since Ruth Patchett changed herself and society. She has been honored by the queen with a damehood and has become Ruth, Lady Patchett. She has moved into Mary Fisher's High Tower, and has a women's movement based in the Tower and an adjoining office and dormitory complex. Ruth's now about 85 and Bobbo is still alive in his early 90's, alone in a Tower room. Ruth also has many female minions who are rushing around trying to do things important for the She Devil. The many rootless characters with odd names, designations, histories, and goals are flung at the reader like "incoming"; we don't know what ridiculous character or plot point is being fired our way. Pretty soon not knowing evolves into not caring. The book's a mess, from start to finish.
Now, we know that Fay Weldon is also in her mid 80's and it's very tempting to say perhaps age has had its way with her writing. But, her latest-before-this-book, "Before the War", is a real gem and is an example of a well-written Fay Weldon novel. I'm looking forward to the sequel. But what happened with "Death of a She Devil"? I don't suppose we'll ever know, but I can't advise your reading it.
I read the original book a week ago. For some reason, I never got around to it when it was published, nor did I see the movie. So after reading "Life and Loves", I was pleased to find Weldon had written a sequel. The first book was filled with disagreeable and ugly-inside and ugly-outside characters. I don't think anyone was particularly "likable", and many readers have a problem with a book filled with unlikable characters. It doesn't bother me as long as the characters are "interesting", which Ruth Patchett and crew basically were. The first book was also seen and considered literally as in the context of the women's rights movement. Fay Weldon had written a book that the reader could consider both entertaining and important. She should have left well enough alone and not written "Death of a She Devil".
Forty or so years have passed since Ruth Patchett changed herself and society. She has been honored by the queen with a damehood and has become Ruth, Lady Patchett. She has moved into Mary Fisher's High Tower, and has a women's movement based in the Tower and an adjoining office and dormitory complex. Ruth's now about 85 and Bobbo is still alive in his early 90's, alone in a Tower room. Ruth also has many female minions who are rushing around trying to do things important for the She Devil. The many rootless characters with odd names, designations, histories, and goals are flung at the reader like "incoming"; we don't know what ridiculous character or plot point is being fired our way. Pretty soon not knowing evolves into not caring. The book's a mess, from start to finish.
Now, we know that Fay Weldon is also in her mid 80's and it's very tempting to say perhaps age has had its way with her writing. But, her latest-before-this-book, "Before the War", is a real gem and is an example of a well-written Fay Weldon novel. I'm looking forward to the sequel. But what happened with "Death of a She Devil"? I don't suppose we'll ever know, but I can't advise your reading it.
February 8, 2018
This may upset some people, but I actually preferred this to the first one, Life and Loves of a She Devil... I enjoyed the story being told from multiple perspectives and the slight fantasy element with the ghostly narrators. There were a lot more characters given time and space too, which I think added extra dimensions to the story, as opposed to the very singular perspective of the first book. Loved it! By turns funny and grotesque....
May 15, 2017
Not at all impressed by this, was really odd and I didn't see the point, both of the novel as a whole and of plot details such as the ghosts. Having read it straight after life and loves the lack of continuity was confusing and the comparison very much to the detriment of the sequel.
March 27, 2018
Why did Fay do this? It seemed hurried, fractious and I got the feeling she was laughing at her readers.
March 11, 2023
This sequel was not so plot driven. However wildly dramatic and satirical. Fay Weldon addresses the criticisms of feminism and the progress of gender through her portrayal of the She Devil and her maniacal characters. A brilliant read. Fan for life.
July 14, 2021
I loved the "Life and Loves of a She Devil" miniseries when I first saw it on the Arts & Entertainment network as a teen. I eventually tracked down and read the book, one of my early lessons in how a filmed story is a pared down version of an original novel.
I didn't know about "Death of a She Devil" until the past fortnight. The narrator is very good with voices: in most cases, I could tell that there'd been a character change.
The story picks up with Ruth at 84, head of an organization for gender parity, having helped overseen Vista Rose into an international service for working women that had blossomed internationally into the age of the internet. Ruth's plastic surgeries have started to reverse, the weight is starting to come back, and her ailing husband - Bobo - will not let her or anyone else forget it.
Ruth is considering a successor for her empire, and young Valerie is jonesing for it so obviously that it's annoying. But what other choice is there? None of the children she abandoned, or even her grandchildren, will talk to her.
One of the big themes of the book is whether the ends justify the means. I'm still uncertain. If one considers all the ends - including the fact that Ruth's children won't speak to her gain, that she lives with chronic pain due to her surgeries, and the fact that a celebrated and powerful Dame of the British Empire - then ... yes, I guess? I'm uncertain of how Ruth could've accomplished what she did without what she set in motion 40 years previously, or even if she would've thought about it had Bobo not made the decisions he did.
Everyone in the novel stands fairly resolutely by the decisions they've previously made, or related ones that they're currently making: they've come even to accept the judgements others have made about them while still defending their own actions. Whether or not the ends can be said by a more objective observer to justify the means, the characters in question seem determined that they couldn't have - and wouldn't have - chosen any differently, even given what befell them.
One claim made repeatedly by Ruth through the book is that younger women of today didn't seem to understand how bad things were for women of past generations, and that the concepts of reproducing, partnering intimately or creatively with men, etc. could lead only to ruin. I wonder who Weldon was hanging out with around the time she wrote this book? And who does she think has been holding the line against regressing to a point where women had fewer rights? Or maybe I should just hand wave that into being about the women in the She-Devil-verse?
A theme that was lightly sprinkled in a disguised way throughout the 3/4ths of the novel, and then came roaring up in the last fourth, was an old transphobic argument men in dresses infiltrating protected women's spaces in the hopes of destroying them. I've never actually heard of this happening, but it seems to remain a popular accusation amongst FARTs.
I realize that between Ruth's age and the suggestion that someone may be messing with her, Ruth's accusations are called into question; but they're also examined at length in the novel so I'm unsure of what to make of this. However, given Ruth's previous decisions and the depths of her hatred, the fact that she'd continue to lean towards the Dark Side isn't that much of a shock.
With that said, I'm knocking off one star for having to slog through transphobic drivel, and another for suggesting that - in general - only the women of Ruth's generation know what's at stake.
However, one for a gripping story that kept me interested, one for a great narrator, and one for simply revisiting the story of the She Devil.
I didn't know about "Death of a She Devil" until the past fortnight. The narrator is very good with voices: in most cases, I could tell that there'd been a character change.
The story picks up with Ruth at 84, head of an organization for gender parity, having helped overseen Vista Rose into an international service for working women that had blossomed internationally into the age of the internet. Ruth's plastic surgeries have started to reverse, the weight is starting to come back, and her ailing husband - Bobo - will not let her or anyone else forget it.
Ruth is considering a successor for her empire, and young Valerie is jonesing for it so obviously that it's annoying. But what other choice is there? None of the children she abandoned, or even her grandchildren, will talk to her.
One of the big themes of the book is whether the ends justify the means. I'm still uncertain. If one considers all the ends - including the fact that Ruth's children won't speak to her gain, that she lives with chronic pain due to her surgeries, and the fact that a celebrated and powerful Dame of the British Empire - then ... yes, I guess? I'm uncertain of how Ruth could've accomplished what she did without what she set in motion 40 years previously, or even if she would've thought about it had Bobo not made the decisions he did.
Everyone in the novel stands fairly resolutely by the decisions they've previously made, or related ones that they're currently making: they've come even to accept the judgements others have made about them while still defending their own actions. Whether or not the ends can be said by a more objective observer to justify the means, the characters in question seem determined that they couldn't have - and wouldn't have - chosen any differently, even given what befell them.
One claim made repeatedly by Ruth through the book is that younger women of today didn't seem to understand how bad things were for women of past generations, and that the concepts of reproducing, partnering intimately or creatively with men, etc. could lead only to ruin. I wonder who Weldon was hanging out with around the time she wrote this book? And who does she think has been holding the line against regressing to a point where women had fewer rights? Or maybe I should just hand wave that into being about the women in the She-Devil-verse?
A theme that was lightly sprinkled in a disguised way throughout the 3/4ths of the novel, and then came roaring up in the last fourth, was an old transphobic argument men in dresses infiltrating protected women's spaces in the hopes of destroying them. I've never actually heard of this happening, but it seems to remain a popular accusation amongst FARTs.
I realize that between Ruth's age and the suggestion that someone may be messing with her, Ruth's accusations are called into question; but they're also examined at length in the novel so I'm unsure of what to make of this. However, given Ruth's previous decisions and the depths of her hatred, the fact that she'd continue to lean towards the Dark Side isn't that much of a shock.
With that said, I'm knocking off one star for having to slog through transphobic drivel, and another for suggesting that - in general - only the women of Ruth's generation know what's at stake.
However, one for a gripping story that kept me interested, one for a great narrator, and one for simply revisiting the story of the She Devil.
June 30, 2019
Reading Fay Weldon's 1983 novel, The Life and Loves of a She Devil, always felt a little like warming one's feet in the scalding afterglow of an author's nuclear blast of rage and anger; I used to assign it to students in a college novel seminar I taught, because it was such a stark and thoroughly modern retort to Frankenstein and Jane Eyre and the other fiction we'd read for the semester. Students loved She Devil for its remorseless and even soapy excesses, and because its concentrated chaos upended everything they expected a novel to be.
Weldon's sequel, Death of a She Devil was 35 years in the making, and I'm sorry to say it's woefully underbaked. The titular Ruth, previously a wild force of nature, is here a toothless Queen Lear figure who spends much of the book...napping. The characters surrounding her crab and scheme for her power, but none of it amounts to anything. The book spends chapter after early chapter laying on some heavy foreshadowing that never comes to fruit. The most lively character in the entire book, in fact, is the ghost of poor dead Mary Fisher, the romance novelist over whom Ruth triumphed in the original, infinitely better novel—and she vanishes for good halfway through.
Worst of all, Weldon delves here into some wrong-headed and reactionary views on transgender identity. It's bewildering to witness a formerly progressive writer suddenly become so stubbornly regressive and resistant to change. I skimmed through the chapters of this book with increasing disappointment—for while Ruth's angry willfulness in the original novel was a catalyst for incredible metamorphosis, Weldon's current insistence in remaining cocooned from social change and progress beyond her own successes is astonishingly, and selfishly, perverse.
Weldon's sequel, Death of a She Devil was 35 years in the making, and I'm sorry to say it's woefully underbaked. The titular Ruth, previously a wild force of nature, is here a toothless Queen Lear figure who spends much of the book...napping. The characters surrounding her crab and scheme for her power, but none of it amounts to anything. The book spends chapter after early chapter laying on some heavy foreshadowing that never comes to fruit. The most lively character in the entire book, in fact, is the ghost of poor dead Mary Fisher, the romance novelist over whom Ruth triumphed in the original, infinitely better novel—and she vanishes for good halfway through.
Worst of all, Weldon delves here into some wrong-headed and reactionary views on transgender identity. It's bewildering to witness a formerly progressive writer suddenly become so stubbornly regressive and resistant to change. I skimmed through the chapters of this book with increasing disappointment—for while Ruth's angry willfulness in the original novel was a catalyst for incredible metamorphosis, Weldon's current insistence in remaining cocooned from social change and progress beyond her own successes is astonishingly, and selfishly, perverse.
August 13, 2019
A mean-spirited sequel that is funny but often full of misfires.
There's a decidedly tone-deaf plot point with a character transitioning that I can't quite get to the point of (I'm not sure if it rivals on what people call "Terfdom" or not. I really like the intentionally "hysterical" tone and pace this book goes through. But the dealing with nontraditional sexuality is extremely disappointing.
I read this right off the heels of "Life and Times of a She-Devil" about a week ago--so I'm probably wrapped in the afterglow enjoying that book. The first felt like a frustrated feminist screed (about excesses) but now this sequel feels like a misguided King Lear.
Which on a meta-level, feels entirely appropriate.
There's a decidedly tone-deaf plot point with a character transitioning that I can't quite get to the point of (I'm not sure if it rivals on what people call "Terfdom" or not. I really like the intentionally "hysterical" tone and pace this book goes through. But the dealing with nontraditional sexuality is extremely disappointing.
I read this right off the heels of "Life and Times of a She-Devil" about a week ago--so I'm probably wrapped in the afterglow enjoying that book. The first felt like a frustrated feminist screed (about excesses) but now this sequel feels like a misguided King Lear.
Which on a meta-level, feels entirely appropriate.
October 21, 2018
I surprised myself by finishing this book. I had expected it to be disturbing and thought provoking but instead found the implacable nastiness of both plot and characters took over and swept everything else aside. To work for me satire has to touch on something real but here it was superficial - an overload of grisly situations and voices. The ending I found rushed and confused and rather pointless. The structure of the book - very short chapters from different characters - was one aspect I did find interesting. It kept the flawed plot moving along and stopped any boredom setting in.
October 14, 2017
Written in a slightly hysterical tone I felt disappointed with this sequel. Ruth is sidelined for the most part, the story is not really hers but a host of bit players who share the telling through chapter swapping.
The gender storyline is up front and centre but I couldn't fathom what the message was.
Coincidental meetings urged on by narrative ghosts, the weather and two gods to provide numerous deus ex machina make for sloppy storytelling.
The gender storyline is up front and centre but I couldn't fathom what the message was.
Coincidental meetings urged on by narrative ghosts, the weather and two gods to provide numerous deus ex machina make for sloppy storytelling.
November 13, 2017
I recommend (re)Reading ‘the live and loves of a She-devil.’ And just skip this sequel.
2 stars...
1 for the idea of this book, which is better than the book itself
And 1 because there are glimpses of fay weldon at her best...
2 stars...
1 for the idea of this book, which is better than the book itself
And 1 because there are glimpses of fay weldon at her best...
May 12, 2017
Full. Confused. Disappointing.
March 9, 2026
I typically don't rate books at 1 star. Even the worst books typically have some kind of redeeming quality, something that I use to bump up the rating by a star and highlight something that the book did well, rather than focusing on what it didn't. After really sitting with this book and considering all its aspects, I couldn't find a single thing about it that merited an increased rating.
I won't belabor this type of review. This book had essentially no story, just a bunch of meandering characters that never really did anything. The characters themselves were also not likeable. They felt more like caricatures rather than dynamic individuals. I wasn't invested in any of them, and given that very little happened, I wasn't rooting for them in any capacity. The main plot of this book appears to be the transition of one male character into a female, but this doesn't begin until the book is over three quarters over. It felt like this book had something to say about the role of trans people in the overarching theme of feminism, but I'm hard pressed to tell you what the book's stance was. Given the character's reason for the transition and the subsequent usage of names and pronouns, I'm even more convinced that the view on the trans experience is a negative one.
As a sequel, this book also failed. The characters are nearly unrecognizable from their appearance in the first book. There was a big focus on Nicola (or Nicci, as she is called in this book, a name change no one needed and never mentioned before) whose life and journey don't seem to align with how she was portrayed in the first book. Mary Fisher too, appearing in this book as a narrative/literal ghost, takes on a lot of blame and responsibility for past events that seems out of place. And of course Ruth, our titular character, has somehow improved the world for all women, dedicating her life to empowering women such that they now are viewed as leaders, decision makers, and the more valuable sex. Not sure where this kind of ambition came from, or even how effective it is, since it's clear that this hasn't stopped men from their misogynistic ways (as evidenced by Nicci's past relationships) or in the battle for women's reproductive rights (which Nicci is still fighting for). A changed world is conveyed to the audience, but the hows and whys are still unknown, making the whole thing nebulous and unconvincing.
I could go on but I won't. I'm very disappointed by this book, especially as a follow-up to the first book which was both plot-driven and theme-heavy. The only thing I liked about this book was the feeling I had when I turned the last page and realized it was finally over.
I won't belabor this type of review. This book had essentially no story, just a bunch of meandering characters that never really did anything. The characters themselves were also not likeable. They felt more like caricatures rather than dynamic individuals. I wasn't invested in any of them, and given that very little happened, I wasn't rooting for them in any capacity. The main plot of this book appears to be the transition of one male character into a female, but this doesn't begin until the book is over three quarters over. It felt like this book had something to say about the role of trans people in the overarching theme of feminism, but I'm hard pressed to tell you what the book's stance was. Given the character's reason for the transition and the subsequent usage of names and pronouns, I'm even more convinced that the view on the trans experience is a negative one.
As a sequel, this book also failed. The characters are nearly unrecognizable from their appearance in the first book. There was a big focus on Nicola (or Nicci, as she is called in this book, a name change no one needed and never mentioned before) whose life and journey don't seem to align with how she was portrayed in the first book. Mary Fisher too, appearing in this book as a narrative/literal ghost, takes on a lot of blame and responsibility for past events that seems out of place. And of course Ruth, our titular character, has somehow improved the world for all women, dedicating her life to empowering women such that they now are viewed as leaders, decision makers, and the more valuable sex. Not sure where this kind of ambition came from, or even how effective it is, since it's clear that this hasn't stopped men from their misogynistic ways (as evidenced by Nicci's past relationships) or in the battle for women's reproductive rights (which Nicci is still fighting for). A changed world is conveyed to the audience, but the hows and whys are still unknown, making the whole thing nebulous and unconvincing.
I could go on but I won't. I'm very disappointed by this book, especially as a follow-up to the first book which was both plot-driven and theme-heavy. The only thing I liked about this book was the feeling I had when I turned the last page and realized it was finally over.
October 24, 2018
This long-delayed (or long-awaited, I’m not certain which) sequel to The Life and Loves of a She Devil is a bewildering hodgepodge of mysticism, philosophy, romance, sex, misandry, misogyny, deceit, treachery, unbounded optimism, weather-induced gloom and a probably illegal preponderance and administration of pharmaceuticals.
The novel concerns itself with the supposed struggle for women to maintain equality—if they could only agree on what that was. The tug-of-war appears to be on several levels: men vs. women, young vs. old, cisgender vs. transgender, dead vs. living, etc. Matters take strange turns as one oddly named Valerie Valeria tries to start a holiday called Widdershins Day. Valerie is a little Miss Mary Sunshine, upbeat, perky, even given to skipping and she stirs the pot in startling and unsettling ways. Not helping matters is the ghost of Mary Fisher. In fact, there is more than one ghost, each one yanking the plot in unexpected ways.
The She Devil of the title, one Ruth Patchett, is aging but still filled with shrewdness…at least on the days when she can force herself out of bed. Her voice looms large but it’s among a bunch of ladies as aging as she is and most of them would be glad to leave the burdens of administration to Valerie, even if the only thing she has going for her is her unbounded, bubbling enthusiasm.
You wonder whether this novel aspires to be political or merely funny in a wry British way. The book struggles to address sexual issues, transgender politics and the changing of the guard. It’s a tangled mess and the ending is oddly unsatisfying, suggesting that Ruth Patchett had nothing more going for her than the aforementioned Mary Fisher.
If you like your stories meandering and peppered with goofy conversations about construction and trans-surgery, be my guest. To me, the book, like the High Tower that looms literally and figuratively over everyone, is a mess of crumbling structure, erosion and unsafe construction.
The novel concerns itself with the supposed struggle for women to maintain equality—if they could only agree on what that was. The tug-of-war appears to be on several levels: men vs. women, young vs. old, cisgender vs. transgender, dead vs. living, etc. Matters take strange turns as one oddly named Valerie Valeria tries to start a holiday called Widdershins Day. Valerie is a little Miss Mary Sunshine, upbeat, perky, even given to skipping and she stirs the pot in startling and unsettling ways. Not helping matters is the ghost of Mary Fisher. In fact, there is more than one ghost, each one yanking the plot in unexpected ways.
The She Devil of the title, one Ruth Patchett, is aging but still filled with shrewdness…at least on the days when she can force herself out of bed. Her voice looms large but it’s among a bunch of ladies as aging as she is and most of them would be glad to leave the burdens of administration to Valerie, even if the only thing she has going for her is her unbounded, bubbling enthusiasm.
You wonder whether this novel aspires to be political or merely funny in a wry British way. The book struggles to address sexual issues, transgender politics and the changing of the guard. It’s a tangled mess and the ending is oddly unsatisfying, suggesting that Ruth Patchett had nothing more going for her than the aforementioned Mary Fisher.
If you like your stories meandering and peppered with goofy conversations about construction and trans-surgery, be my guest. To me, the book, like the High Tower that looms literally and figuratively over everyone, is a mess of crumbling structure, erosion and unsafe construction.
August 26, 2021
Ruth Patchett – known as the She Devil – is now eighty-four and her children will not speak to her.
This novel follows on from Weldon’s wonderful novel, ‘The Life and Loves of a She Devil’ (1983). Lady Ruth Patchett has become world famous and is now the powerful CEO of her own corporation – The Institute For Gender Parity.
The She Devil lives and houses her large female staff in a tower and annex overlooking the sea. It was once owned by her nemesis, the Romance novelist Mary Fisher.
Ruth’s former husband, Bobbo, is ninety-four and lives at on the top of the tower. He’s haunted by the ghost of his mistress Mary Fisher. Bobbo is the token male in the all-female institute and signs legal documents when required.
The novel is structured in very short chapters of two to four pages and each character appears briefly. However, the reader doesn’t have the same opportunity to get to know Ruth as we did in the earlier novel. At times Ruth’s actions are difficult to comprehend. I won’t reveal these events at it would be a spoiler!
I also found it distracting having to constantly switch from one character to the next and back again. The humanity and dark humour of Ruth Patchett seems to have disappeared and her increasingly macabre attitude and cruelty to all things male becomes hard to fathom.
The book seems more like a moral fable than a novel. What drives the main characters changes rapidly especially towards the end. At times I wondered if Weldon’s marvellous wit and humour was being obscured by a series of bizarre events.
This novel follows on from Weldon’s wonderful novel, ‘The Life and Loves of a She Devil’ (1983). Lady Ruth Patchett has become world famous and is now the powerful CEO of her own corporation – The Institute For Gender Parity.
The She Devil lives and houses her large female staff in a tower and annex overlooking the sea. It was once owned by her nemesis, the Romance novelist Mary Fisher.
Ruth’s former husband, Bobbo, is ninety-four and lives at on the top of the tower. He’s haunted by the ghost of his mistress Mary Fisher. Bobbo is the token male in the all-female institute and signs legal documents when required.
The novel is structured in very short chapters of two to four pages and each character appears briefly. However, the reader doesn’t have the same opportunity to get to know Ruth as we did in the earlier novel. At times Ruth’s actions are difficult to comprehend. I won’t reveal these events at it would be a spoiler!
I also found it distracting having to constantly switch from one character to the next and back again. The humanity and dark humour of Ruth Patchett seems to have disappeared and her increasingly macabre attitude and cruelty to all things male becomes hard to fathom.
The book seems more like a moral fable than a novel. What drives the main characters changes rapidly especially towards the end. At times I wondered if Weldon’s marvellous wit and humour was being obscured by a series of bizarre events.
December 7, 2022
I started reading this straight after Life and Loves of a She-Devil and I wish I hadn't bothered.
I'm part way through and not sure I'll finish it - its certainly going to be a struggle! There's not one character who doesn't get on my nerves, they are all so repetitively wishy-washy and predictable. So much so that they're in danger of merging into one.
Weldon has no idea of her subject matter when it comes to Widdershins and keeps referring to it was walking backwards - its actually working anticlockwise. This grated on me from the very beginning, and don't get me started on Mary Fishers ghost whoo-hooing all over the place, by her third appearance I was ready to exorcise her myself!
The author contradicts herself, and in one paragraph refers to Mary Fisher helping Nicci when she became pregnant with the twins, this was also referred to by Ruth who thought Mary Fisher should have persuaded her to have an abortion, but in the next paragraph stated that Mary Fisher was already dead at that point. Counselling while whoo-hooing around the tower no doubt.
The chapters are incredibly short, some are just over 1 page in length so difficult to get into because as soon as that little snippet is dealt with the book moves to someone or something else and it makes the whole book fragmented and cluttered with too many characters, all with nothing much to say.
Very disappointing read.
I'm part way through and not sure I'll finish it - its certainly going to be a struggle! There's not one character who doesn't get on my nerves, they are all so repetitively wishy-washy and predictable. So much so that they're in danger of merging into one.
Weldon has no idea of her subject matter when it comes to Widdershins and keeps referring to it was walking backwards - its actually working anticlockwise. This grated on me from the very beginning, and don't get me started on Mary Fishers ghost whoo-hooing all over the place, by her third appearance I was ready to exorcise her myself!
The author contradicts herself, and in one paragraph refers to Mary Fisher helping Nicci when she became pregnant with the twins, this was also referred to by Ruth who thought Mary Fisher should have persuaded her to have an abortion, but in the next paragraph stated that Mary Fisher was already dead at that point. Counselling while whoo-hooing around the tower no doubt.
The chapters are incredibly short, some are just over 1 page in length so difficult to get into because as soon as that little snippet is dealt with the book moves to someone or something else and it makes the whole book fragmented and cluttered with too many characters, all with nothing much to say.
Very disappointing read.
January 14, 2023
Era: set in England 2017, on the coast and in a ‘high tower’. A sequel to The Life and Loves of a She Devil.
Timeframe: Book covers a timeframe of one year or so. Written in a linear sequence of events with discussion of prior times - ie the first book.
Point of view: Mostly written in third-person but some chapters are written in first-person, notably the first chapter where the ‘She-Devil’ reintroduces herself and sets the scene of the book.
Characters: Main - She-Devil and her right hand woman Valerie. Valerie is career driven and is working her way up through the ranks of the feminist Trust. She is taking control away from the She-Devil who is now 84 years’ old. The She-Devil’s ex husband Bobbo lives in the tower but is the only male allowed. He’s basically a prisoner, but he’s an abusive one. Taylor is the She-Devil’s grandson who has been mistreated by all the women in his life including his mother and sisters (because he’s a boy). A few other minor characters.
Other: Leading to the death of the She-Devil, the book uses ghosts and weather to paint an eerie picture of a dismal organisation of schemers, abusers, rot, and death. Can we even believe the third-person narrator? It questions the nature of gender and feminism, and throws everything out of the tower.
Timeframe: Book covers a timeframe of one year or so. Written in a linear sequence of events with discussion of prior times - ie the first book.
Point of view: Mostly written in third-person but some chapters are written in first-person, notably the first chapter where the ‘She-Devil’ reintroduces herself and sets the scene of the book.
Characters: Main - She-Devil and her right hand woman Valerie. Valerie is career driven and is working her way up through the ranks of the feminist Trust. She is taking control away from the She-Devil who is now 84 years’ old. The She-Devil’s ex husband Bobbo lives in the tower but is the only male allowed. He’s basically a prisoner, but he’s an abusive one. Taylor is the She-Devil’s grandson who has been mistreated by all the women in his life including his mother and sisters (because he’s a boy). A few other minor characters.
Other: Leading to the death of the She-Devil, the book uses ghosts and weather to paint an eerie picture of a dismal organisation of schemers, abusers, rot, and death. Can we even believe the third-person narrator? It questions the nature of gender and feminism, and throws everything out of the tower.
Read
July 29, 2018Personally I didn't care for it, because it was all over the place, and I disagree with the apparent opinions and perceptions of the author. But I think the book is interesting because I believe it is a glimpse into how Weldon, who was indeed a powerhouse and an important opinion maker in feminist thought, sees what feminism has wrought. I have a more happy view of things than she does. Indeed, as much as I laughed at the original She Devil novel, I stopped reading Weldon because it stopped being funny and seemed to be too bitter and angry and myopic. If you read her current interviews and blog, you won't be too surprised by this book. And it is messy, but in fairness, so is life, and so is anyone who is honestly expressing how they feel about life and the world. If you loved and appreciated Fay Weldon, esp her brand of feminism, you might enjoy this look inside her teeming - but not necessarily rational! - mind.
December 28, 2019
Det er vel næppe Fay Weldons bedste eller det, der ligner. Den er dog underholdende sine steder og undertiden også temmelig kynisk og en anelse usammenhængende. Men det lykkedes alligevel, og en af hovedpersonerne - den noget irriterende karrierekvinde Valerie Valeria - viser i hvert fald, at Fay Weldon stadig i en høj alder kan skildre noget væsentligt i tidsånden. Hundjævlen selv - Ruth Pachett - får den fikse idé, at barnebarnet bør skifte køn fra mand til kvinde for at kunne blive arving til hendes formue. Hvilket bliver modtaget positivt af omgivelserne - inklusiv barnebarnets nye kæreste, føromtalte Valerie - der har konkluderet, at udeblivende orgasme må skyldes selve penetrationen. Det giver således fin mening (!) Barnebarnet selv synes temmelig umoden, men accepterer også. Således udvikler fortælllingen sig i en noget søgt retning.
Det er IKKE en nødvendig bog. Men en bog med en løst funderet og rablende fortælling fra en forfatter, der er på vej mod de 90, og som stædigt holder fast i sit forfatterskab og rollen som provokatør.
Det er IKKE en nødvendig bog. Men en bog med en løst funderet og rablende fortælling fra en forfatter, der er på vej mod de 90, og som stædigt holder fast i sit forfatterskab og rollen som provokatør.
April 12, 2019
I really love Fay Weldon and I feel conflicted about this book. While I loved the language and humour I felt uncomfortable about how she portrayed what it means to be transgender. In the novel women now have the upper hand in society and men are going through what us women go through on a daily basis. What is unsettling is the flippant dealing of the grandson’s transition to female just to inherit the She Devils fortunes. Anyone who knows a trans person knows that its a matter of life or death for them to identify as the gender they are inside and no-one goes through physical changes lightly as they are risky, painful and have a lot of recovery time. Its a shame as this let the novel down. If it wasn’t for this ham fisted portrayal it would have been a 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
November 23, 2020Emne: alderdom ; bitterhed ; familien ; kvinder ; feminisme ; samfundssatire ; 2010-2019
Den bitre hun-djævel, Ruth Patchett, er blevet 84 år. Men hun mangler at finde en værdig efterfølger til direktørposten i Institut for Kønnenes Ligeværdighed, inden hun kan takke af
"Det har været en ganske populær misforståelse, at Fay Weldon er en feministisk forfatter, men hun er meget mere yderligtgående end som så: Weldon er magtkritiker. Hun har blik for magtudøvelse i dagligdags relationer, og dér er kvinder ikke altid kun ofre."
Anne Knudesn, Weekendavisen
"Fay Weldon inspirerede kvinder i hele verden med 'En hun-djævels bekendelser', dét kommer denne næppe til"
https://netpunkt.dk/linkme?rec.id=870...
Kilde: DBC
Den bitre hun-djævel, Ruth Patchett, er blevet 84 år. Men hun mangler at finde en værdig efterfølger til direktørposten i Institut for Kønnenes Ligeværdighed, inden hun kan takke af
"Det har været en ganske populær misforståelse, at Fay Weldon er en feministisk forfatter, men hun er meget mere yderligtgående end som så: Weldon er magtkritiker. Hun har blik for magtudøvelse i dagligdags relationer, og dér er kvinder ikke altid kun ofre."
Anne Knudesn, Weekendavisen
"Fay Weldon inspirerede kvinder i hele verden med 'En hun-djævels bekendelser', dét kommer denne næppe til"
https://netpunkt.dk/linkme?rec.id=870...
Kilde: DBC
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews