Bodies of Light by Sarah Moss

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

Anyone read/reading it?

It took a while for me to get into it, but I'm about halfway through now and completely absorbed (nearly missed my stop this morning.) The political and social stuff is very interesting but the relationship between Ally and her mother is what i find especially gripping.

I read it a couple of months back and mostly loved it, especially the style. I was gripped by the opening chapters describing Elizabeth's reaction to her wedding and Ally's birth. My one criticism is that the parents fade out towards the end of the book as it becomes all about Ally and her medical career.

Have you read Night Waking by the same author? It is set today but refers to May's story too. Similar themes - women finding fulfilment through work, trying to juggle work and motherhood - I didn't find it nearly as satisfying as Bodies though.

Yes, I read Night Waking and also Cold Earth, and liked them, but not nearly as much as this one, which I think is much more satisfying, more rounded somehow. She has a very understated style of writing that's lovely to read, and has made me think about my relationship with my mother, with my daughters, and about how the standards women set for themselves and other women are sometimes less than kind.