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bethhouser's review against another edition
2.0
The beginning is incredibly slow, but it gets better after the first 300 pages.
tenmillionhardbacks's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this with the power of a thousand suns. There are some parts I read over and over, both from enjoying them so much and so as not to finish the book too quickly.
The tale of three generations spanning the 20th century, bound by a house in Hampstead where an extra spare bed can always be found, must surely be one of Lessing's finest. From Germany before World War I, via London as the Sixties begin to swing, to the fictional African country of Zimlia (a stand in for Zimbabwe, or Rhodesia as it was when Lessing was growing up), it is ambitious in scale but dazzlingly realised. By the end, the reader feels as if these are old friends, you could almost wander into Frances's kitchen for a cup of tea and to catch up on how everyone is doing.
As well as living, loving and all the usual stuff in between, reluctant patriarch Johnny guards the flame of Revolution, prepared to sacrifice family, loves, children and ultimately whole populations on the altar of ideology.
The shift to Africa and the machinations of international aid is at first a jarring one, so firmly ensconced are we in Julia and France's house. However, it is here that Doris Lessing's power as a writer really shines through, as deft with the small details of character's lives as she is with the march of history.
The Sweetest Dream is the story of how we got to where we are, showing that the family ties that hold us the closest are not necessarily the ones between blood relations. I think Johnny and Frances are also the perfect demonstration that those who theorise would not get as far without the ones who roll up their sleeves and get on with making life better for those around them.
A great read and one I am sure I will be coming back to before too long.
The tale of three generations spanning the 20th century, bound by a house in Hampstead where an extra spare bed can always be found, must surely be one of Lessing's finest. From Germany before World War I, via London as the Sixties begin to swing, to the fictional African country of Zimlia (a stand in for Zimbabwe, or Rhodesia as it was when Lessing was growing up), it is ambitious in scale but dazzlingly realised. By the end, the reader feels as if these are old friends, you could almost wander into Frances's kitchen for a cup of tea and to catch up on how everyone is doing.
As well as living, loving and all the usual stuff in between, reluctant patriarch Johnny guards the flame of Revolution, prepared to sacrifice family, loves, children and ultimately whole populations on the altar of ideology.
The shift to Africa and the machinations of international aid is at first a jarring one, so firmly ensconced are we in Julia and France's house. However, it is here that Doris Lessing's power as a writer really shines through, as deft with the small details of character's lives as she is with the march of history.
The Sweetest Dream is the story of how we got to where we are, showing that the family ties that hold us the closest are not necessarily the ones between blood relations. I think Johnny and Frances are also the perfect demonstration that those who theorise would not get as far without the ones who roll up their sleeves and get on with making life better for those around them.
A great read and one I am sure I will be coming back to before too long.
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-sweetest-dream.html
aoinmn's review against another edition
5.0
This will not be everyone’s cup of tea but I really got caught up with the characters and a time in history I was born into but don’t read much about. (The 60s). Amazing writing!
obsidian_blue's review against another edition
2.0
I initially got this book to read for The Dead Writers Society Literary Birthday. But it took forever for me to get, and by the time I started/finished October was over. So unfortunately it doesn't count.
That said, I wish I had skipped this book. It was all over the place with too many characters/motivations and just horrible choices of all concerned.
I really don't want to even get too into this book besides the basics. A man named Johnny Lennox raised in the lap of luxury for his times and place eventually rebels against his family and becomes a communist. He marries a woman named Frances and they have two sons. Because of communist teachings, Johnny is loathe to take anything from his father or his mother Julia. The whole book really is about all of these people, Johnny's second or maybe third wife, his wife's daughter Sylvia, and the two sons (Andrew and Colin) friends who end up all descending on Julia's home through the years.
The whole book felt very scattered to me and I honestly was bored. I didn't really like anyone save for Julia. A German woman moving to England with her husband and having to deal with the fact that her son becomes a selfish stranger.
I assume there's a larger point to this story, about how those who once were all for communist after World War II eventually fell way to the god of capitalism or something. But seriously, these people felt like cartoon characters after a while.
That said, I wish I had skipped this book. It was all over the place with too many characters/motivations and just horrible choices of all concerned.
I really don't want to even get too into this book besides the basics. A man named Johnny Lennox raised in the lap of luxury for his times and place eventually rebels against his family and becomes a communist. He marries a woman named Frances and they have two sons. Because of communist teachings, Johnny is loathe to take anything from his father or his mother Julia. The whole book really is about all of these people, Johnny's second or maybe third wife, his wife's daughter Sylvia, and the two sons (Andrew and Colin) friends who end up all descending on Julia's home through the years.
The whole book felt very scattered to me and I honestly was bored. I didn't really like anyone save for Julia. A German woman moving to England with her husband and having to deal with the fact that her son becomes a selfish stranger.
I assume there's a larger point to this story, about how those who once were all for communist after World War II eventually fell way to the god of capitalism or something. But seriously, these people felt like cartoon characters after a while.
aswinth's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting story about idealism, belief systems, corruption, and the care work that continues to hold everything up throughout. I felt like the half about “Zimlia” dragged sometimes and potentially exaggerated or singularly characterized the corruption of the time.
carlymford's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first Doris Lessing book I ever read. I was 19 and the only real literature I had read (by choice) were classics like Austen and the Brontes. This book means so much to me and is one of my favorite books.
bird_on_a_wire's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kay_ampersand's review against another edition
2.0
Some interesting commentary here and there but mostly subsumed by aimless writing, stereotypical and sometimes outright offensive characterizations, and meandering propaganda.