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A Short History of Womenby Kate Walbert |
Arlene Almas: I found this book a bit dry.
It tells the fictional story of five generations of women, from the British
suffragist Dorothy Trevor Townsend in the early 20th century to Dorothy "Dora"
Louise Barrett-Deel in New Haven in 1989. The women's stories are told in
alternating chapters going back and forth in time, which seems to be a trend
in novels lately - sometimes it works well, but I don't think it does in this case.
The one chapter I liked was about Elizabeth "Liz" Anne Barrett and her daughter Suzanne
in 1963. The description of their play date with a classmate of Suzanne's and her
mother is both funny and sad, and gives us an unsparing look at women in the early
60s. I can't really say I recommend this book, but it may be of greater interest
to another reader.
Rating: **
