Robert M. (songman) reviewed on 8/19/2011 + 2 more book reviews

I had never read anything by this author before so after reading some descriptions of her other writings, I decided to read this book. After all, she had won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007. After reading this book I asked myself Whats all the fuss about this woman and her observations about society? I wondered what made her or others feel she was qualified to say something unique about the human condition?

Clearly, to me anyway, her attitudes stem from her childhood experiences in Persia and Rhodesia as well as living in London later in her life. And what she has written in this book is nothing more than what any of us could write concerning our own observations from our own experiences and stations in life. So what makes her an expert about human behavior that we should heed her suggestions on how to act? As far as I can see, nothing. She seems to me to be an elitist with a grandiose sense of her ability to see things differently than most people. Plus she uses way too many words to say what could have been said in two sentences. Ho Hum.

If the writings in this book were meant to challenge my way of thinking, it worked.but I doubt it worked in the way the author intended it.

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