Product Description
A collection of journalism from a topical and entertaining author.A cornucopia of a book, Godless in Eden brings together a selection of lectures and essays contributed to newspapers, magazines and books over recent years, revised for this volume, and all highly relevent to today. From the changing face of government, the feminisation of politics, life in Tony Blair's godless and un-idealogical New Garden of Eden, to whence and whither Feminism via the new cult of Therapism, to our turbulent and benighted royals by way of Roseanne and Jamie Lee Curtis.A final treat in the final section, Growing Up and Moving On, some wonderfully incisive autobiographical snippets of Weldonian life and times. ... Read more

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Decorative hardcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very funny - Defines term Mordant Wit
This book was a delightful examination of attitudes to war over history and misunderstandings among cultures - within the typical English country house motif. In this case the country house is a military academy. The characters are the usual ill-assorted group.

The book also examines the issue of the exploitation by Western developed countries of refugees from underdeveloped countries as domestic staff. While I was reading it I went to a reception where, naturally, all the wait staff was minority and immigrant. Weldon's insights caused me to re-examine that experience and implied relationships.

The book is also an exemplar of the world-power-in-decline writing that is typically English. Given our frittering away of world political leadership and credibility and the constant slide of the dollar against the Euro, perhaps we should read these books for clues to the future or a bad example.

Unpleasant
Let me tell you what I liked about the book:

Okay, now that that's done...
I couldn't finish this book, so I'll avoid a precis of the plot.The writing is tedious.The author thinks that it's okay to directly address the readers, but her asides are at best condescending, and at worst puerile.In some cases, as with Martin Amis, it's kind of fun to be directly addressed by the author.

The characters were all cardboard cutouts, at best.

If there were a zero star rating, I'd use that. ... Read more

Product Description
A savagely satirical tale of marital revenge.Madeleine wants revenge; Madeleine wants to be remembered: Madeleine wants love. Who doesn't? Madeleine is ex-wife and chief persecutor of Jarvis, the architect. Why not? She hates him. Hilary is their daughter, growing fatter and lumpier every day under Madeleine's triumphant care, and witness to the wrongs her mother suffered.For Jarvis has a clean new life with a clean new wife, Lily, and a nice new baby, Jonathan. The furniture is polished and there is orange juice for breakfast. Jarvis is content, or thinks he is, fending off Madeleine's forays as best he can.Jarvis has a part-time secretary too -- Margot, now the doctor's wife, unremembered from the days of her youth. Margot, unacknowledged wife and mother, accepting, tending, nurturing his children and her own, complaisant in her lot.Then Madeleine, hurling out her dark reproaches from the other side of violent death, uncovers new familial links in the disruption she creates. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

one of Weldon's weaker books - unfortunately
Having heard many praises and recommendations for Fay Weldon, I went to the library and picked the first book I saw, which happened to be "Remember Me".

The satirical story of several people, connected by sexual ties and/or marriage, involving their children and details of their social positions, has a great potential. Madeleine, the first wife of Jarvis, lives with her twelve-year old daughter, Hilary, and struggles with finances and depression. Jarvis, happily married for the second time to Lily, the butcher's daughter with middle-class ambitions, and with a baby son is reluctant to give Madeleine more money and Hilary more attention. The second couple are Phillip, the doctor, and his wife, Margot, who works for Jarvis as his part-time secretary. Margot feels unsatisfied with her marriage and focuses her attention on Jarvis, because of one night's party sex in remote past, long escaped from Jarvis' memory.

Madeleine is desperate to make Jarvis miserable and to be remembered, so she devises a cunning plan to get her revenge...

The problem with this novel is, that despite its potential, the importance of the issues tackled, and the attempt to satirical humor, there are many shortcomings. The characters are flat, undeveloped and one-dimensional. This could be fine with satire, but it is too far stretched. The irony is too bold and the humor not funny. It is as if the author wanted to get even to the most unintelligent people on the planet. Ambitious task... Considering the pool of readers for this type of fiction.

I thought that I expected too much from this acclaimed feminist author, but, luckily, it seems that I have just chosen the wrong book to start. I would not recommend it to anybody, who does not know Weldon's works. It can be read later, to get the full scope, but not as the first one and definitely not as the representative one.
... Read more

Product Description
This is a collection of four blistering stories about curious turns of family life, given an extra twist. ... Read more

Product Description
A new collection of short stories from the glitteringly talented author of The Cloning of Joanna May and The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The people in these stories--mothers, lovers, wives, and betrayers--all must make choices, and they all have something to learn. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
I often find that people don't quite understand what Fay Weldon is doing in her books; or, at least, I find that they'd understand them better if they read the sleeve in the back that says she studied in St. Andrews University in Scotland, M.A. in Economics (and psychology).

I've read some reviews saying she is negative. Not so, not so.
Not so.

It really benefits everyone to study at least one course of economics at least once in their lives. Or, at least, to have a grasp at the concept of choice and what it reallymeans. Choice is a really simple concept, but like all simple things, it can become very unsimple, because human beings happen to be tied to each other. (Like it or not.)

So many of her ideas have already been explored before, but in a more lyrical way. Then, people are apt to miss the point.

I can think of the Swedish film from 1967, Elvira Madigan. This film is a great example of the consequences that an idealized, absolute love between one man and one woman may result in. When Fay Weldon talks about love, she does not say love is a bad thing. On the contrary, she wonders quite effectively WHY we THINK it's a bad thing. Love, like anything else, in this world has a price. It's just the way it is, whether we like it or not. That is to say, we might be individuals, but we live within another individual - called the society. Being inside it is like being seriously married to it, because divorcing ourselves from it is very, very difficult. Yet, deep down, Fay Weldon addresses always this very important question: should we choose to conform or to rebel? It is always, always, always, an economic choice.

People do not understand what economics is. It, really, is a philosophy that is very applied, therefore people associate it with money. But Fay Weldon's books are precisely that: where is the equilibrium between efficiency and the other problem of economics---equity? She takes a feminine perspective always because she probably found out out there that being a female economist is a really damn hard thing to do when you are used to being a woman. In a field shaped mainly by men, it is very hard to reason with them once they believe they have the answer. Why is there inequality? Perhaps it is efficient -- but is efficiency ALWAYS efficient in the long-run? Shouldn't things like health, self-reliance, happiness even--come first? Fay Weldon asks this questions. She is a great economist, even if she is not working in a bank or an university.

Very independent, brilliant lady. She asks women, "Don't YOU have a choice, too? Hey! YOU! Wake up. Maybe you forgot you had a choice too."

another wonderful output from a master(mistress) of writing
fay weldon is just so wonderful, i cannot imagine anyone enjoying dannielle steele comparied to her, its like eating a bowl of whipped cream as compared to a tasty lobster dinner, one iwth a zing of tart and sourlemon juice throughout, but hey, thats life and no one and i mean no one isa better, more honest chrinicler of life than fay weldon. she should berequried reading in every book club, and her books should be lining thebook stores first tables, not hidden in the back. i just love her work andi hope she becomes more well known here in the states, as the english say. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Yes - that's the way they were and the way we are now
Mainly, I took the book out from the shelf on the library because it was in paperback and I did not want to carry some heavy hardback book along. The cover made me curious as well. Something that had been filmed could notbe all that bad.

Although I've already read several of Ms. Weldon'sbooks, this one was new to me. I find that some of her books that I've readpass above my horizon and only belong to the generation of my mother's.Well, I was in for a surprise.

Starting up in London in the early 70's:See Stephanie and Layla on their way home from putting up posters reading"A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle", andincidentially bump into Nancy (or rather her boyfriend Brian) who is reallyonly visiting London. However, they part again - at least for the timebeing.

At a rather chaotic gathering in Stephanie's house the sameevening, a publishing firm, Medusa, is founded. Meanwhile, Stephanie'shusband Hamish is upstairs having sex with a not so political correctsister, Daffy. Joining the meeting as well is Zoe with her baby daughterSaffron, and Alice who is some kind of guru for the group. The meeting endswith a lot of pot and naked dancing, during which Zoe's husband Bull comesalong in order to drag Zoe back to the kitchen where she belongs accordingto him. Stephanie rushes out of the front door - still naked - as a resultof Hamish's physical exercises upstairs, leaving behind her boys Rafe andRoland.

From that moment we follow the fate of the group of women(wimmin) during the next 25 years.

This book is extremely successful indescribing the climate of the 70's, Scandinavia not being very differentfrom the UK in that respect. It gives an equally accurate description ofthe yuppies' society of my own time. And does so without condemning eithergeneration. What is more, the book is really hilariously funny. ... Read more

Product Description
Rex is not happy, so he tears up his party invitation and throws it away, and then he stamps in a puddle and makes his little sister cry, thinking it will make him feel better. Then Rex crawls under his bed and falls asleep to dream of strange parties, some of which he has to escape from. ... Read more