The Fever - Megan Abbott

I got this as a "grab bag" choice from the library - they pick a book out for you and include it with the hold you are picking up in this new world of parking lot library service.

I really enjoyed the vivid representation of the life of teenage girls today.  The author weaves their daily lives with texting and phones and attitude into the story and paints the adults around them as cluesless though with good intentions.

It's the story of teenage girls who suddenly have symptoms of a strange illness ...is it drugs or the stagnant lake on the edge of town?  We are inside the minds of the girls as they grapple with things beyond their control.  Good read and thanks to the librarian!

Published: 2014   Read: June 2020 Genre: Fiction

In the Name of Friendship - Marilyn French

Why have I not heard of this author before?  She was a major influence on feminism with her 1977 book, The Woman's Room.  She wrote many, many scholarly articles and books as well as works of fiction.  I am so glad I found this one! 

She tells the story of four women friends, from their late 70's to early 30's.  Their voices are so real, their conversations intimate, kind, meaningful.  It is a book written completely from the female perspective, with no apologies or stereotypes - so refreshing!  I bought another one of her books and will read her first.

She did a dissertation on James Joyce's Ulysses and has written extensively on feminism in Shakespeare. 

I liked this quote :

"What really happened in aging was that every day your got more and more amenable to dying."

Published:  2005  Read: July 2018  Genre: Fiction