Review by Choice Review
An informed, often interesting discussion of six novelists (Murdoch, Byatt, Drabble, Weldon, Figes, Brookner). Kenyon (Morley College, London) takes a "determinedly eclectic" approach, usefully combining humanist, feminist, Marxist, structuralist, and deconsctructionist methods. Free of strident ideological bias, it offers balanced feminist reading. Application of French feminist criticism, especially on Figes, is particularly clear. Kenyon relates most writers to English and Continental traditions, making fine comparisons of Murdoch with Yourcenar, Byatt with George Eliot, Figes with Woolf and Sarraute. While "the six novelists here demonstrate the richness of voices, topics, and structures in women's writing today," the inclusion of Byatt and Drabble (particularly the latter) and the exclusion of Spark, Carter, Lessing, and Pym are puzzling. The introduction is superficial; chapters on Murdoch, Byatt, and Figes are invigorating; those on Drabble, Weldon, and Brookner are less engaging. The chapter on Brookner ignores influence of her scholarship (and the bibliography omits three of her four major art historical texts). Notes reveal overdependence on unpublished interviews and talks; the bibliography is basic but helpful. Really a reader's guide, this book will be useful for undergraduates but unsatisfying for graduate students and faculty. -R. E. Hosmer, Jr., Mount Holyoke College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
