Reviews

Till the picture of Dolly came up at the end, I kept wondering why was this shortlisted for the Women's Prize. Not that it was bad, but just meh? I found it quite hard to root for Dolly. She wasn't an unlikeable character per se but there was not that much conflict (beyond her father forbidding her from teaching) and, at this stage of my life I daydream about settling, so restlessness kinda irks me. Moreover, the plot was a bit repetitive after a few different moves of her and Bert, they all bled into one and they weren't really pulled apart by the narration either. LIke, when they decide to build the house, the process of building takes less than a page. Still, there were somethings I appreciated. The psychological portray of why (and how) Dolly stays with Bert after finding out Sally was quite powerful and plausible I thought. And the relationship between her and her daughter Nancy was very well-portrayed and interesting. Even though, the culminative scene (Dolly screaming that Nancy will become a teacher over her body, like Dolly's father said to her) was a bit on the nose, the idea that under oppressive structures the relationship between two members of the oppressed groups is likely to foster mutual resentment was thought-provoking and resonated with me.
Where the book really shines though, is after the post-pic context is provided. Being told that this entire book is a family retelling or perhaps a reclaiming narrative provides such a different context. On the one hand, initially, I didn't like that Cathy would write a book making her grandmother look 'better', it felt disloyal to her mother. On the other hand, as a book, which attempts to answer her mother's dying concerns (why didn't she love me?), the retelling is much more beautiful. Ultimately, the precise way of storytelling in this book was not my favourite at the time of reading, but I like the thicknesss of reflection the book provided.

letrecgirl's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

angesquires's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

anonymousreader's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

krobinson9292's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

lillucat3's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad 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

3.75

sandytfrench's review against another edition

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3.25

Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.25 stars
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Dolly Maunder is born at the end of the nineteenth century, when society's long-locked doors are just starting to creak ajar for determined women. Growing up in a poor farming family in rural New South Wales, Dolly spends her life doggedly pushing at those doors. A husband and two children do not deter her from searching for love and independence.

I find myself struggling with this review because, although this book didn't objectively do anything wrong, I don't think it did anything great either.
It is a fictional account of the life of the author's grandmother, Dolly Maunder. Born towards the end of the 19th century, Dolly finds herself battling throughout her life against the societal restrictions imposed on her by her gender.
But beyond that, the story was quite mundane and repetitive. After Dolly gets married and has children, she gets restless (we're not going for subtle here,) rages about how limited her options are as a woman, takes the family to a new place to build a new business and a new life. Then she gets restless, rages about how limited her options are as a woman, takes the family to a new place to build a new business and a new life. Then she gets restless, rages about... Rinse and repeat until the end of the book.
The story was fine, serviceable but forgettable. I may be judging it harshly but this book's presence on the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist means I had certain expectations and I was left thoroughly underwhelmed.

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