couldn't finish it
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Initially compelling and intriguing, Memoirs of a Survivor ultimately bored me. The idea is an interesting one but once halfway through picking it up became a chore. I couldn't have cared less about the characters and found the style flat and dull.
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a modern parable
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this is a vital book for our times: prescient, as is so much of Doris Lessing's writing, beautifully written, and a story which unfolds from our own age. the contrast between the raiding groups of youth who come into the town in search of food, and the inhabitants of that town - afraid to move out of their homes for fear of the raiding gangs - throws an echo of our own times: when [we are told] many people are afraid to leave the safety of their homes for fear of the violence which young gangs of disenchanted youths will inflict. Perhaps the fear is mother to the fact: perhaps there is indeed a culture of violence which is unmoved by compassion, or a sense of community with any people other than their own kind... Doris Lessing saw into the future in many of her books, and we are alerted, and given the signposts we need. Can we take the necessary steps to avoid these happenings, or are we indifferent until it is too late? One way or the other, read this book and reflect.
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A dazzling novel which unfolds and reflects
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This novel works on many levels, and has a strong story line which is addictive. The world is falling apart, urban life as we know it is disintegrating and new ways of living are emerging. In this way the novel is a piece of sparse future-realism, but it is also much more than that. The old woman, the 'survivor', is observing all these changes, but she is also reliving her past and experiencing mystical realms, when she walks through the living room wall to other rooms, which reflect and illustrate, illuminate her life. This part of the novel seems just as real. There is also a girl who is left with the old woman, and again there is uncertainty as there is no explanation for this strange girl, and, as the old woman watches her grow up, she relives some of her past. Perhaps both old woman and girl are facets of the same person? Underlying the dreams and the histories are elements of fable and analogical teaching story, giving the novel dimensions which unfurl and mirror both ourselves and our society. All together, a fantastic novel and also a gripping read!
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