Monday, March 21, 2011

Diary of an Ordinary Woman by Margaret Forster

Sorry this has taken awhile to post. I hope I can remember it all.

1. General impressions - I think everyone liked the book. We all found it a nice easy read.
2. Novel is described as a "fictionalized memoir" - We all found it to be quite authentic. Especially for those that didn't know that it was fictional until the end. Everything written regarding the social and political background seemed to fit with the times and added to the feeling of reality.
3. How did you find the diary method - everyone found it quite nice. It was easy to pick up and put down and read a few days even while cooking dinner.
4. View of Margaret Forster's authorial interventions - Most found that it helped move the story along, and sometimes even clear up some (not all) questions concerning events in the book.
5. Millicent's personality - most found in the beginning she was quite selfish and that did carry on through most of her life. The death of her sister and brother in law did change her character the most as she then had to raise the kids. You could then see how she became very dedicated to raising them.
6. Millicent compared to other women of her time - Most found that she was quite modern and ahead of her time.
7. Was Millicent extraordinary - It wasn't so much herself that was extraordinary but the events she lives through. Her life itself was quite ordinary but it was the events that she lived through, and having to live through and deal with the aftermath of 2 world wars is quite amazing in itself.

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