You might have noticed me mentioning in a few places recently that I had been reading a rather large review book. That volumes was “Letty Fox: Her Luck”, a long, interesting and in some ways frustrating read!
This was my second encounter with Christina Stead, who certainly can write although seems to me to be in need of an editor! The book is another lovely reprint from Apollo, and they certainly do produce some lovely editions.
My review is here – do go and check it out, as well as all the lovely bookish things on Shiny New Books!
Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 
Jun 27, 2017 @ 11:51:54
Well done on getting through it and I loved the review!
Jun 27, 2017 @ 13:30:02
Thank you and thank you! 🙂
Jun 27, 2017 @ 13:16:11
I’ve read two of her books and think The man who Loved Children one of the great books of the 20th century. Her other, the later one, needed editing. All three are then overlong? You’re right about the fundamental contradictions at the heart of her books. My feeling is she couldn’t imagine women in general to be any other way. Before the 1950s in general the real ideal for women was not to go out to work, to marry, stay home, have children. We should think of how John Stuart Mill said he couldn’t come near women’s capabilities since they behaved in an unnatural forced way. They were still doing this vis-a-vis income and success in-the-world in the 1950s.
Jun 27, 2017 @ 13:31:53
Yes, perhaps I was expecting to much of her ideologically, given the time in which this was written. But I was surprised – Stead strikes me as an independent woman, but her characters here seemed to focus solely on finding a man with money rather than find any kind of work or fulfilment themselves. I would need to read her more widely to make a proper judgement – maybe I’ll pluck up the courage to pick up another of her doorsteps that I have lurking on the TBR!
Jun 28, 2017 @ 09:16:17
Loved your review. I have this in the old Virago edition, and have picked it up several times, then stuffed it back on the bookshelf. But I’m trying to read the unread Viragos (there are an awful lot of them), and you’ve made it sound interesting, so I think I’ll get it out again.
Jun 28, 2017 @ 11:26:05
Thank you! Yes, I have a lot of unread Viragos too, it’s just getting on to them is a problem. This was good – though desperately in need of an editor!
Jul 10, 2017 @ 03:18:47
Like Ellen, I love The Man Who Loved Children, but have had worse luck with the others. Oddly, I’ve read Letty Fox twice, because I had such a lovely edition I thought it would make better writing the second time. NOT the way it works. I do have several of her other books, but am not sure which one to read.
Jul 10, 2017 @ 03:19:08
Oops, I meant better “reading,” not “writing”!