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fendergender's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
i think this may be the oldest lesbian book i've read so yay yippee for that! the subtleties and the censorship didn't bother me too much except for one instance- when on earth did elsie sleep with peter?!? i swear there was never a fade to black sentence about them yet all of sudden she's leaving the cool houseboat where the only other dykes she knows are .....ANYWAY i'm in the mood for sarah waters now happy pride
macroscopicentric's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed this but less than I enjoyed The Charioteer, for a bunch of reasons. The Charioteer is sweetly earnest, in a way that exposes the flaws of its characters but still treats them with kindness. The Friendly Young Ladies' characters, on the other hand, read much more like caricatures in the tradition of The Importance of Being Earnest or a Tom Stoppard play.
Second, as Renault says herself in the afterword, the ending was extremely silly and honestly seemed pretty implausible. I understand that the book was written as a response to Hall's The Well of Loneliness and thus this ending probably felt required of her when she wrote it, but it seemed extremely uncharacteristic ofboth Joe and Leo, but especially Leo. I just finished the book extremely disappointed in her.
Third, Renault's own politics are much more visible and inescapable here, especially because this was such a response to The Well of Loneliness. And her politics kind of suck sometimes!* There are basic examples (there's a use of the n-word as a general negative adjective), but tellingly there's also Leo's entire speech to Peter about the role of inverts in society (without using any actual label).
If you do want to read it, I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of this that has both afterwords (by Renault herself and by Lillian Faderman) as they were extremely helpful context, and maybe even reading those first. But I think it's also fine to just skip this and skip to The Charioteer if you're looking for sweet or kind.
*After hearing the long version of her politics, a friend described it back to me as the queer version of "I'm not like other girls."
Second, as Renault says herself in the afterword, the ending was extremely silly and honestly seemed pretty implausible. I understand that the book was written as a response to Hall's The Well of Loneliness and thus this ending probably felt required of her when she wrote it, but it seemed extremely uncharacteristic of
Third, Renault's own politics are much more visible and inescapable here, especially because this was such a response to The Well of Loneliness. And her politics kind of suck sometimes!* There are basic examples (there's a use of the n-word as a general negative adjective), but tellingly there's also Leo's entire speech to Peter about the role of inverts in society (without using any actual label).
If you do want to read it, I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of this that has both afterwords (by Renault herself and by Lillian Faderman) as they were extremely helpful context, and maybe even reading those first. But I think it's also fine to just skip this and skip to The Charioteer if you're looking for sweet or kind.
*After hearing the long version of her politics, a friend described it back to me as the queer version of "I'm not like other girls."
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
Renault uses the n-word once, as a generic negative adjective (ie, isn't aimed at any specific or general black characters).pllylzbth's review
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
hb1312's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
dubious_little_creature's review
challenging
reflective
medium-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
3.0
marilyn1904's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.5
smellerbee93's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
csweet49's review against another edition
5.0
Written in 1940, set in 1937. A character with gender uncertainty and fluid sexual orientation and 4 other characters among their family and friends. Two who most often misinterpret the others motives and three who get it right most of the time. Relationships are hard. And sometimes we may not want to know another's motive. Really enjoyed how the workings of each character's thoughts was portrayed. The dialog was also realistically difficult to understand--extraordinary really.
An off hand recommendation of molecular ecologist I follow on Twitter! I'd never heard of Mary Renault.
Contrary to the Goodreads Summary, I did not think this was a comedy.
An off hand recommendation of molecular ecologist I follow on Twitter! I'd never heard of Mary Renault.
Contrary to the Goodreads Summary, I did not think this was a comedy.
venusenvy's review against another edition
4.0
I can honestly understand the complaints I see in other reviews of this novel. It definitely doesn’t live up to a lot of the promises from the back cover (it’s disappointing if you’re seeking a lesbian love story, even more disappointing if you’re expecting much real commentary on the ways of artists). But, I have to say, I had a great time. The constant miscommunications, especially with everything flying over adorable idiot Elsie’s head, kept me laughing and coming back for more. Messy bisexual representation!!