A time of life which i love to read about-however would have liked more of the way of life-but that wasn't the story.
I appreciated the fact that the historian was a man-or a monster even. I like the fact that it went in between the two historical stories.
Sometimes i wonder if Doris Lessing simply writes as thoughts come to her mind and then never goes back and edits it. I found that throughout this story she was constantly repeating herself-which i found slightly annoying. I don't think that that was an accurate voice of the historian-as he as an academic and probably a very proud one and wouldn't allow that simple kind of repetition. I found that Lessing's own voice came through quite clearly in these situations.
I understand that the whole point of the story was to describe the difference in male and females and why we have become the way we have because of things way back then-and fare enough. But why did both genders have to be so annoying? I would have liked more descriptions of the ones that broke away from the similarities-it is a fable after all not historical-so i would have liked it to be more fictitious.
The bit with the boys running away and starting up their own group i found questioning and disconcerting-was it supposed to make us think of rebellious teenagers and gangs? And in that case where were the girls? Or was there supposed to be a certain boyishness over it? For me it simply reminded me of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'-creepy.
I would have like a girl who said no to sex so that she could take part in the men's activities more and not be tied down to a child-that would have made me like the book more.
I like identifying myself with the books i read. The females nagging and laziness i did not. Not being of the mothering kind-i didn't get the obsession with the children. Possibly this can be expanded on. I preferred the men-maybe there is a meaning to that as well-however ignorant, selfish and stupid they came across to be. As true to real life. All this fable showed me is how women have developed while men have remained the same. Or maybe we're all still the same...still living in the stone age.
