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Original poster

Fay Weldon has died.

27 replies

heldinadream · 04/01/2023 17:34

Immense role model for women of my age (67). Fearless writer. Humorous feminist. Utter legend.

I loved her. Her work, her wickedness, her confidence, her chutzpah, her smile. RIP Fay. 💖

OP posts:
Original poster
heldinadream · 04/01/2023 20:15

WhereIsMyRollingPin · 04/01/2023 18:22

Despite being a prolific reader, I have to confess I don't remember reading any of her books. Suggestions would be very welcome.

Honestly I'd say try any of them, she's so easy to read because she's so entertaining and not a hard or worthy writer at all (I'm not denigrating people who are harder to read though). Generally her earlier stuff was more ground-breaking and her later stuff not so much, I read Chalcot Crescent, her last-but-one novel, and wasn't as wowed as I was by earlier stuff, but it was still eminently readable.
I'd probably start somewhere in the first half-dozen. Get a feel for her work.
They are; The Fat Woman's Joke (1967), Down Among the Women (1971), Words of Advice (1974), Little Sisters (1975), Female Friends (1975), and Remember Me (1976).
If you read only one it's probably got to be The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1983).

Have fun!

OP posts:
DontGetEvenGetEverything · 05/01/2023 10:50

KohlaParasaurus · 04/01/2023 17:58

By coincidence, I reread The Lives and Loves of a She Devil yesterday (start to finish, one sitting, I'd forgotten how good it is) and started reading Death of a She Devil today. Absolutely loved her books back when I was a young woman juggling lots of children, a full on career, and ordinary men who had ghastliness lying just beneath the surface. The earlier ones cast light on the experiences of my mother's generation, the later ones were my contemporaries and me.

I hope she's causing an uproar wherever she is.

Oh wonderful sentiment!! I hope so too.

Similarly to pp, Big Women was my first grown up read, mum had got it out of the library when we were on holidays.
Wickedly funny.

Thanks for this thread x

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