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Victorian Chaise-Longue
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Victorian Chaise-Longue
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Gina
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Sep 23, 2014 08:21AM
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I'm about halfway through. Things are happening ;). BTW, I was happy to find this was available on Kindle in the U.S.
I love this kind of story. One of my favourite books as a child was Charlotte Sometimes about two girls who swap places in time because they're sleeping in the same bed, 40 years apart. So I found it a little spooky, but fascinating. There's a question on the forum about whether there's a 'moral' in the story. For me, the most important aspect was the difference in the position of women in not very many years, and I thought Melanie was as frightened to find herself trapped in that old society as she was to find herself in another body.
I read Laski's elegant and macabre novel this October, (in the gorgeous Persephone edition, of course). I found it intensely creepy, but in a way which is a bit hard to define. Is it an unconventional ghost story, or is it about reincarnation or time travel? This novel is a must-read!
My response to the book was that it was also slyly feminist. The two female main characters seem to lead very different lives, yet there are unmistakable parallels. Though one is pampered and indulged and the other is judged and harshly treated, both share a certain childlike helplessness. They are linked, not just by a sinister piece of furniture, but by a lack of power and control over their own bodies and lives.
My response to the book was that it was also slyly feminist. The two female main characters seem to lead very different lives, yet there are unmistakable parallels. Though one is pampered and indulged and the other is judged and harshly treated, both share a certain childlike helplessness. They are linked, not just by a sinister piece of furniture, but by a lack of power and control over their own bodies and lives.
I just finished this book and was quite blown away. I didn't know what the story was about, just went into it blindly. It reminded me of "The Yellow Wallpaper" in a way.I do agree that there is a feminist streak in it. I think it's definitely one of these powerful stories that will stay with me.
I found both women's lack of relationships with their babies so sad. I have a little one myself and couldn't bear to be parted with him like that.
