This book was about a pair of women in their 80s, dealing with changes around them and where they live, and coming to terms with the end of their lives. It was quite a long book, and seemingly in line with the octogenarians who are the main characters, the plot moves at a somewhat geriatric pace.
The good: the author writes well about nature, and the natural setting of Fellowship Point gets plenty of attention. I’d have liked more descriptions of nature – and fewer descriptions of the interior design and garden arrangements. One particular character, Agnes, is extremely clever and a firm believer in people being treated equally. Her sharp wit was always fun to read, while her friend Polly seemed to be too weak and subservient at first, and only just started to come into her own. It was very interesting to read about characters that are so much older than I am – most literary characters that I encounter are younger.
Other characters got some attention, but this book was really about the friendship of the two women. There is a lot about feminism in this book, and I got a “girl power” vibe when reading that continued throughout.
My problem with this book was the pacing – caught up in unnecessary details that I felt could have been cut or simplified. The characters spend a lot of time in their own heads, and these passages are all written in explicit detail that might be handled in a better (and more brief) way.
I was happy with the end of the book – it reached a satisfying resolution, but I wasn’t really happy with all the extra work (that it seemed like to me) to get there.
Next I’m reading Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.
