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340th out of 451 books
—
24 voters
Private Papers
To Penelope Butler the family was all, the sole ambition of her adult life. Three of her four daughters, however, had different ideas. Rosemary rejected it; Jess was destroyed by it; Celia found it eluded her. Only Emily pursued her mother's ideal, with disastrous results.
Penelope begins to record their family story as it unfolds. But when Rosemary discovers these private...more
Penelope begins to record their family story as it unfolds. But when Rosemary discovers these private...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
October 7th 2004
by Vintage
(first published January 1st 1986)
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This is superb. I really, really do like Forster's books. You forget that you are not in fact reading different people's accounts, Forster writes so convincingly with two distinct voices. I laughed at some of Rosemary's 'scribblings', she is such a strong character who tries to do the right thing but who is often misinterpreted. You also feel some empathy for the mother. It's a story of many sides; as the cover tag-line states 'this is the portrait of a family no mother or daughter will fail to...more
A good book, but didn't engage me as much as other books by the same author have done. It's basically a two hander, Rosemary is reading through her mother's diary-cum-memoir and interjecting with her own views on events as Penelope relates the story of her life and family from her own point of view. Generally I like to see a story told from two different viewpoints neither of which can be relied on too much and I'm also quite happy to read about characters I don't like or don't find sympathetic....more
This was a reread and I found it rather distasteful, I have read a lot of Forster's books both fiction and non-fiction but this one was a great disappointment.
Nah! Not really my thing.
Pour l'instant plutôt répétitif : amertume de la fille aînée et idéalisation de la mère.
...
J'aurais aimé avoir le point de vue des autres filles. Et la fin... qu'est-ce qu'on retient de ce livre... pas grand chose. Et il n'y a pas vraiment de conclusion et je ne trouve pas que la fille aînée a évolué. Je donne 3 étoiles tout de même considérant que les personnages étaient attachants.
...
J'aurais aimé avoir le point de vue des autres filles. Et la fin... qu'est-ce qu'on retient de ce livre... pas grand chose. Et il n'y a pas vraiment de conclusion et je ne trouve pas que la fille aînée a évolué. Je donne 3 étoiles tout de même considérant que les personnages étaient attachants.
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When a daughter finds her mothers autobiography she challenges the way things were in her family and writes her account of family life from her own point of view. Interesting as we grow up in families but all have different perspectives of the family.
A difficult read for those of us who are someone's daughter or someone's mother. Brilliant, cold, angry, profoundly depressing, it moved me to tears and I remain rather haunted by the subject matter.
MF writes to my heart and soul, PP was one of the best
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Margaret Forster was educated at the Carlisle and County High School for Girls. From here she won an Open Scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford where in 1960 she was awarded an honours degree in History. The day after she finished her final exams, she married the writer Hunter Davies, whom she met and fell in love with at the age of 17.
Since 1963 Margaret Forster has worked as a novelist, biog...more
More about Margaret Forster...
Since 1963 Margaret Forster has worked as a novelist, biog...more
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