The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (Simon & Schuster, 1971)
An ambitious and original novel and a very impressive achievement. I had read this when I was in High School (1978), when of course the world and time of the book were both much closer to me. Now it seems very long ago and far away, and perhaps more startling and interesting because of that. Lessing takes on many interesting subjects: communism, sexual politics, love, sex, creativity, depression, psychiatry and analysis, and creates a book that allows her to explore all these topics intelligently and sensitively in a novel and complex form.
The book bogged down for me in its fourth fifth (the affair with Saul Green) but most of it engrossed me, especially the African sections, which were very rich and powerful. I’m glad to have read it again. I feel enriched and broadened.
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