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Original poster

I have come to the conclusion that I don't like quite a lot of female writers

109 replies

OrmIrian · 24/01/2009 21:45

Nicole Krauss - History of love. Yaaaaaawnn!
Someobody Niffeneagger? 'Time Travellers Wife' made me so cross I wanted to burn the f*ing book!
Even struggled with Zadie Smith.

OK I've had too much soave and I can't think of any more examples but I have come to the conclusion that I don't want endless analysis of emotions, angsting over love affairs. I want interest, something actually happening, description, intellectual analysis. Not who fed who and who didn't and what is the emotional mess that results. If someone behaves badly and irrationally, I want to kow why*, not just put it down to past traumas and say 'of that's OK then'.

Does that make me a bad sister? Or just a man manque?

I love Terry Prathcett. I suspect that indicates serious emotional embolism. But wtf.

OP posts:
shubiedoo · 26/01/2009 01:17

Alice Munro is very good too. And Anne Tyler.

thumbwitch · 26/01/2009 00:49

OrmIrian - haven't read the whole thread but am with you on those you listed first, especially Kate Mosse's Labyrinth. I was going along quite well with it until the dozy bint of a heroine LEFT HER BLOODY BAG BEHIND IN THE ENEMY'S HOUSE- then it all went "oh fgs, what a totally contrived plot point, what a load of shite bollox" and struggled to finish it.

Mind you, I didn't mind Time Traveller's Wife that much and I LOVE Terry Pratchett.

I don't generally read bestsellers.

IorekByrnison · 26/01/2009 00:25

I loved Fludd.

Also love Angela Carter, Fay Weldon (can never understand why she is so badly underrated by just about everyone), Ali Smith, and lots of others I can't think of just now.

Could never get on with Anita Brookner though. Her heroines always seem to want a good shaking.

Marina · 25/01/2009 23:37

Eight Months on Ghazzah Street and An Experiment in Love are two of my favourite Hilary Mantel novels. Fludd was the one I struggled with. Giving Up the Ghost is brilliant, even better than Bad Blood imo
Second recommendations for Helen Simpson and Sarah Waters.
You could try some of the vintage fiction from Persephone Press. Elizabeth Berridge's Tell it to a stranger, for example?

Bink · 25/01/2009 22:49

ggirl, that map is marvellous (if a bit bonkers ... why do all the names sort of shimmer about - is it to keep you interested)?

I tried Shakespeare. It gave me a single authorly-soulmate, which was Jane Austen

EachPeachPearMum · 25/01/2009 22:42

Hilary Mantel- can't go wrong with her.
Try Clare Morrall
Anita Diamant- Last Days of Dogtown
Catherine O'Flynn- What was Lost
Carolyn Parkhurst- Lorelei's Secret

KingRolo · 25/01/2009 21:08

It's funny - some writers have lots of names appearing around them while others just have names around the edges of the screen.

Louis Sacher looks quite lonely while Zadie Smith is Miss Popularity.

nkf · 25/01/2009 20:56

That was weird. I tried it and got a whole host of unlikely writers. I wonder how they work it out.

KingRolo · 25/01/2009 20:49

OrmIrian, if you are still here, hadn't read the whole thread so sorry about that . If you want to give Walters a go I'd second Affinity and also The Night Watch - two of the best novels of recent years. I also like Margaret Forster - recently read 'Diary of an Ordinary Woman', a fictional diary spanning the C20th, very interesting and incredibly well researched.

ggirl - love the literature map, really useful!

SoMuchToBitsOfHaggis · 25/01/2009 20:14

Ok then OrmIrian - obviously we both like UK (goes without saying). I would also agree with the people who have recommended Rose Tremain. I've read a lot of her stuff and all brilliant. I also like Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Jane Howard, also Margaret Attwood and Iris Murdoch (so far, haven't read many of hers yet).

I've only read one of Sarah Waters - Affinity, which I enjoyed, and I have been given Fingersmith so will be reading it soon. Also read a book by Ann Patchett (Bel Canto) last summer, which I enjoyed.

Hope this all helps. By the way, which is your favourite UK Le Guin book?

brimfull · 25/01/2009 19:56

try the literature map

put your author in and similar types come up the most similar closest to the middle

my fav author is margaret forster,also anne fine

nkf · 25/01/2009 19:45

You are reading too many reading group books. There are lots of terrific women writers out there.

Original poster
OrmIrian · 25/01/2009 19:41

I find Anita Brookner a bit meh.

OP posts:
Original poster
OrmIrian · 25/01/2009 19:40

kingrolo - I suspect you haven't read the thread

I like Carter, Atwood, I had briefly forgotten Walters. And I did narrow my complaint down to 'recent' female writers. But I will give all those other authors a go. Thanks for the suggestion.

OP posts:
KingRolo · 25/01/2009 18:03

Please, investigate the following and come back and say you don't like novels written by women. And why does your dh buy your books for you?? Get out there and buy your own!

Margaret Atwood
Angela Carter
Pat Barker
Sarah Waters
Liz Jensen
Kate Atkinson
Anita Brookner
Ali Smith

BonsoirAnna · 25/01/2009 14:08

Oh and I'm quite partial to books on housework (especially cooking) and childcare

BonsoirAnna · 25/01/2009 14:07

I can barely stand fiction these days. I like biography, history, sociology, art & architecture.

Habbibu · 25/01/2009 14:00

Second Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - brilliant. Have just read and quite enjoyed Life Mask by Emma Donoghue

dittany · 25/01/2009 13:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
OrmIrian · 25/01/2009 08:57

I love Atwood - especially Cats Eyes. Have read all of Lessing many times. Like AS Byatt. And Iris Murdoch. And Edith Wharton. Brontes and Austen ditto. During the 80s I read almost entirely female literature - Virago press mostly - and some if was trash TBH, but most of it was good. But it seems to me that so much of recent female writing seems very tame now in comparison.

But I shall investigate the new names on this thread. Thankyou.

OP posts:
jack99 · 24/01/2009 23:33

Mine include:

isabelle Allende - House of the spirits, Ines of my soul. Also City of the Beasts (didn't even realise at the time of reading it was a children's book, my 9yo DD has also read this and loves it)

Doris Lessing - Mara and Dann. Some of hers are hard going though - gave up on The Golden Notebook, life is just too short!

Jux · 24/01/2009 23:28

Mmmm, I'm not at all sure I knew what was happening at any point, Brokenrecord! I liked the detail, but there wasn't really one character in it I liked, except the mad girl who broke her leg.

Just finished Night Watch by Sarah Waters. That was really really good (unequivocally so)

FlossieT · 24/01/2009 23:27

I love Nicola Barker. Apart from Clear which I found irritating. I thought Darkmans was genius, and I really really enjoyed Behindlings. You've finally reminded me to dig out Granta 83 to find out which of her novels they took an extract from when they put her in the 'Best of Young British...' as I thought it was brill and wanted to read the whole thing.

To the OP, I think as others have said you must just be reading the wrong women... not difficult though with the glut of chicklit on the tables, some of it even sneakily disguised as literary fiction sometimes. But hurrah! MN to the rescue.

policywonk · 24/01/2009 23:23

Sibh, that must be a hard cross to bear in your profession I don't like Atwood's sci-fi bits but I do like her examinations of relationships between women.

brokenrecord · 24/01/2009 23:22

I just read it too Jux. I think I liked it - I certainly liked bits of it, but I know what you mean. I'm never happy when a book leads me to believe there'll be some kind of proper conclusion to all the plot twists it's led you round, and the ending was a total copout IMO.