THE MEMOIRS OF A SURVIVOR
by Doris Lessing
published
1978
(first published 1988)
by PaperJacks
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binding
Mass Market Paperback
isbn
0773771158
(isbn13: 9780773771154)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 265)
I really liked this book. It might have something to do with the fact that I read it all in one go, which tends to completley absorb you in the world, but I got really caught up in it. Finally, a dystopia which owes nothing explicit to Nineteen Eighty-Four, something original! A modern, British dystopia that actually addresses contemporary issues. Reading this, I imagine, was like reading 1984 within Orwell's time. Frightening because it seems so starkly possible, so relevent to the zeitgeist. I...more
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Doris Lessing and I... we don't mix too well. I can see her excellence as a writer--she creates the most vivid, extraordinary yet believable worlds. Reading her work is the closest I can think of to dreaming while awake.
But in the two Lessing books that I have read, I could not see where she was taking me, or I did not agree with where we were going. It's hard to say, really, as I admit I don't remember this book very well. I just recall a sense of disappointment and even incredulity at how th...more
But in the two Lessing books that I have read, I could not see where she was taking me, or I did not agree with where we were going. It's hard to say, really, as I admit I don't remember this book very well. I just recall a sense of disappointment and even incredulity at how th...more
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
People who aren't ready to tackle "The Golden Notebook" just yet...
It's hard not to echo a lot of the previous comments on this book: the novel is an adept meditation on a collapsed society; pleasantly dream-like and gauzy in parts, but often so vague that it hardly seems worth the effort to recover the buried meaning. But that's okay. Lessing writes with such clarity and precision that the sheer pleasure of reading the text makes up for the narrative's more recondite passages.
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Memoirs of a Survivor is a very interesting and somehow different book. It says a lot about the essence of our civilization, about social construction of the world and also about possible future catastrophe that might ruin it.I found in it also some elements from feminist and socialist doctrine...If you want to know about human nature and about broken social ties, read this book.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in March, 2008
I has read many distopias, but this one is unique. It's set in a British city in the midst of the gradual breakdown of civilian infrastructure, the cause of which is never revealed. The pace is slow and dreamlike, and not much really happens. But we do witness the coming-of-age of a young girl in this environment, and it really is a fascinating portrait of womanhood in our society. There are some really intriguing social commentaries and amazing visual vignettes as well. This author was tr...more
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Read in July, 2007
I read this book for my Contemporary British literature class. Out of the whole fabulous book list, it was my least favorite. I have always liked Doris Lessing's books, but maybe I just became fatigued at the end of my semester, I really find this book's vagueness irritating. I like it fine, but not to rave about. But, after class discussion, I appreciated it more. I definitely like it if it is about one person with a splintered personality - then, it would be a cool book!
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I can't believe I'm STILL reading this one. It seemed so good at first. . . . I'm tired of Hugo.
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I probably never would have chosen to read this book (not a fan of dystopia) but it was a book club pick. I liked it more than I thought. It took a while but I really started to enjoy how the author wound about in her descriptions and explanations. I would have given it 4 stars but the end had me saying, "What the heck?" I thought it was me but everyone in the book club found the ending to be lacking.
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Read in September, 2008
I have to say that I'm not a big fan of this book. The lessons seem to be a little too obvious and transparent, the allegory too much in-your-face. I did like the downplayed social chaos - sci-fi books tend to go over the top, and this one was very restrained. Altogether though, I pretty much suffered during the alternative-reality experiences, and never developed a liking toward Emily.
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This is supposed to be a memoir of a SURVIVOR! I felt, however, that the survivor was me. Sadly, this woman is over-published, and she should have compacted most of her books into a few solid pieces.
I know, tough critic...
I know, tough critic...
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