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A review by despina19
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville
4.0
Continuing to work my way through the short list for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
In this novel, we follow Dolly from a child into her old age. Each step of the way is set up thoroughly, from the exhaustion and confinement of Dolly’s work on the farm and in the kitchen through to her dealings as a business and property owner later on.
Throughout, the story focuses on how Dolly moves through the limits placed on women. And this is where the story came together in the end for me. I love how the author, Dolly’s own granddaughter, ties Dolly’s story to so many women’s stories during that period of transition for women in history.
Overcoming trauma, limits, loss, and navigating complex family relationships and motherhood are themes here, and they seem to run through all the books up for this prize - which is why this may be my favorite of all the prizes. This is a very memorable story, and I loved this book.
In this novel, we follow Dolly from a child into her old age. Each step of the way is set up thoroughly, from the exhaustion and confinement of Dolly’s work on the farm and in the kitchen through to her dealings as a business and property owner later on.
Throughout, the story focuses on how Dolly moves through the limits placed on women. And this is where the story came together in the end for me. I love how the author, Dolly’s own granddaughter, ties Dolly’s story to so many women’s stories during that period of transition for women in history.
Overcoming trauma, limits, loss, and navigating complex family relationships and motherhood are themes here, and they seem to run through all the books up for this prize - which is why this may be my favorite of all the prizes. This is a very memorable story, and I loved this book.