Dinah Jefferies

Kate o visatoare si Baba o supravietuitoare isi parasesc satucul natal din Irlanda in anii de dupa Al Doilea Razboi Mondial si pleaca la Dublin in cautarea iubirii. Orasul cu lumini stralucitoare le ofera insa „legaturi primejdioase“ falsitate in comunicare si compromis. Interzisa in Irlanda imediat dupa aparitie pentru felul in care abordeaza subiecte-tabu legate de sexualitate si societate trilogia Fetele de la tara pune sub lupa vieti de femei de la zilele vesele din tinerete la atmosfera rece de la maturitate de la speranta la disperare. Edna O’Brien priveste in profunzimea lucrurilor cu franchete cu brutalitate cu lirism creand o saga dureroasa dar nu lipsita de umor. Viziunea subtila si curajoasa a scriitoarei irlandeze continua sa aiba rezonanta si in secolul XXI. „Niciun scriitor de limba engleza nu se pricepe la fel de bine la a-l face pe cititor sa se puna in pielea unei femei.“ The Evening Standard

Soția plantatorului de ceai - Editura Nemira

Nona G

Is it just me, or is chick-lit really, really bad these days? It's the second "beach" book I read this year that's just awful. I am again left wondering how does this book have the rating it has on Goodreads since it's neither interesting nor well-written...

I picked up this book because I'm a fan of period novels and it had one of those titles and covers that sometimes tell me it may be a good interlude between "harder" books. I was sorely disappointed.

Let's start with the story. There's a young woman getting married to a much older man, who leaves her home to move across the globe. They have a fairytale marriage and live... oh, wait. That's not how it goes. There's a stupid young woman who marries a much older man and does everything in her power to ruin her marriage. Yeah, that's better.

As you can see, I'm not very fond of the main character, whom I just find stupid and annoying. The stupid part, I can forgive, since 19 year-olds during the first half of the 20th century were not exactly known for being bright and informed, but the annoyingness... that I cannot simply ignore. All Gwen does during this book is cry, massage her neck and complain of headaches. 

The story itself would have been a lot more engaging if it were put in a lot more socio-economic context. There are hints of what Ceylon society looks like, however not enough to make this a proper period novel. The race issue is barely touched, although it would have been a ripe topic and would have made for a much more interesting subject than Gwen's innumerable illnesses.

The other characters are just a tad more likable, although not developed enough to make me want to get invested in their stories. What disappointed me the most was that McGreggor's story was not fully developed, although I suspect he would have made a much more interesting character than all the others.

I'm not very fond of the writing style either. It seemed choppy, somehow, too detailed in parts (so. many. birds) and quite rushed in others - for example, entire weeks/months are omitted, all the while Gwen getting lost in the woods gets quite a few pages although the episode is pointless to storytelling and character development.

I really wish I can find something nice to say about this book, but honestly, it was wasted money. Fire fodder.

Soția plantatorului de ceai - Editura Nemira

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