Reviews

The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing

suebarsby's review against another edition

5.0

I thought this was excellent, if an unsettling read. I was surprised how engrossed I was - there was a hypnotic quality about the writing that kept you wanting to know what would happen next. The psychology of Mary's gradual breakdown is painful to witness and I veered between pity and revulsion at her character.

katiealex72's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

trees75's review against another edition

2.0

The writing is beautiful and pulls you through the novel. My challenge was that I didn't like any of the characters. My favorite part of the novel was the PS. I loved reading Doris Lessing's acceptance speech for her nobel prize. I'd be willing to try another one of her books, because I loved her writing.

haazex's review

4.0

This was my first book by the famed Lessing. It focuses on the relationship of a poor couple eeking out a living on a farm in South Africa. When I first started out on this book I was convinced that the story would focus on Apartheid in South Africa. There are different elements of these aspects in the book, but I did not find that race was the main topic. To my surprise the core of the book is about something completely different (from my perspective) in terms of life paths, dreams and expectations versus the brute force of reality. There is also a perception of the power of the past and the present reflected in the characters of Moses and Mary. It seems to me that the novel is a study of sanity in the face of those forces. The true main character is the landscape, the unrelenting flow of time and seasons in the African grasslands under which both human structures and minds crumble. I found myself quite a bit fascinated by the unfolding of the story. The part I am particularly drawn to is when Lessing muses about the South African landscape, the colors of the sky and light, as she embraces the reader with the sounds of insects and scents of dust and flowers. The heat of the world is apparently relentless warping the perception of goals and dreams. Mary's crumbling existence and psyche are depicted in a way that makes me feel uneasy, but allows us to connect to reality. A great read making me interested in other works by Lessing.

intostarlight's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Glad to have read it, glad to have finished it. For me, this book isn’t perfect which explains the 3 star rating. But it is very interesting and really worth reading and pondering a little further. 

bhaines's review against another edition

good. the first half was one of the most relatable character portraits I've read. the second half is very different but also good. how something can completely fall apart, stuck under the hot metal roof with nothing to do forever. the movie Wake in Fright reminded me of it. 

a relationship of any kind between whites and blacks is unthinkable. Society relies on it being impossible to consider it. the actual relationship is confusing and vague in some ways, but maybe inevitably

readymcreadleton's review against another edition

5.0

I started reading this book without knowing much about it and was appreciating the strident feminist voice. It moved into the area of race relations and was similarly scathing about the social environment its characters are set in. Then I looked at the detail of the book and was amazed to see when it was written. The writing is so politically aware at a time when I dont think a lot of women authors were getting published, and certainly I dont know that many people were writing so ardently on subjects like this. It got me very interested in reading more of Lessing's work.
The book details the slow progression of a woman's nervous breakdown due to the heat and isolation of living alone in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The way Lessing describes her deterioration is staggeringly astute. It was not a pleasant read, but the situation of the protagonist rocked me, and I expect she will stay with me for a long time to come.

rpaulams's review against another edition

1.0

La verdad es que no pude empatizar nada con los personajes. En cuanto a la relación entre la protagonista y Moses es muy extraña (o yo no he entendido nada.)

paulams's review against another edition

1.0

La verdad es que no pude empatizar nada con los personajes. En cuanto a la relación entre la protagonista y Moses es muy extraña (o yo no he entendido nada.)

ladybirder's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0