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A review by daniellewalsh
Free Love by Tessa Hadley
3.0
It's the swinging sixties in London, and Phyllis isn't satisfied with her life, becoming embroiled with a young family friend. Although the 'romance element' is a vital part of the plot, it doesn't seem overly explored, which in this case I didn't mind.
It is a familiar sounding story, and it doesn't have a groundbreaking plot. Saying that, I did enjoy the whole 'sex, drugs, rock & roll' in the sixties setting. Though I didn't feel an affinity with any of the characters, I liked partially getting to know some of the personalities that cropped up in Phyllis' new circle.
Overall, I think Hadley's writing does well to transport you to this era which was a time of much change and evolution within society. It makes you question the journey that is expected of you versus the one that will truly make you happy - however maybe not as selfishly as some of the characters...?
Also, I know it's more common now to not use speech marks, but the hyphenated dialogue was a bit jarring at times, but was easy enough get used to.
Thanks to Vintage Books for kindly sending me a copy of this.
It is a familiar sounding story, and it doesn't have a groundbreaking plot. Saying that, I did enjoy the whole 'sex, drugs, rock & roll' in the sixties setting. Though I didn't feel an affinity with any of the characters, I liked partially getting to know some of the personalities that cropped up in Phyllis' new circle.
Overall, I think Hadley's writing does well to transport you to this era which was a time of much change and evolution within society. It makes you question the journey that is expected of you versus the one that will truly make you happy - however maybe not as selfishly as some of the characters...?
Also, I know it's more common now to not use speech marks, but the hyphenated dialogue was a bit jarring at times, but was easy enough get used to.
Thanks to Vintage Books for kindly sending me a copy of this.