I had an interesting chat with my mother about Anita Brookner’s books. My mother has read just about everything written by Brookner, and she, like me, loves her work (some novels more than others, of course). So when I found Brookner's book, Dolly, at the library I called Mum to ask what she thought of it. To my surprise, she hadn't read it yet, but as soon as I hung up the phone, I knew she would be on the hunt to get it.
Anyway, I’ve just finished Dolly and I enjoyed it very much. To me, it’s quintessential Brookner: very character driven and full of delicious psychological detail about women’s lives and female identity. Can’t say that it’s my favorite Brookner novel, but it is a good book and worth reading.
Interesting note: When I was preparing to write this blog, I found that Dolly had been previously published under the title of A Family Romance. (So you see, Mum, you may have read it after all). While Dolly is admittedly a superior title for this particular novel, I find it annoying when authors change the titles of their books. More than once I have purchased a book only to find that I had read it under a different guise. However, a friend of mine who is a writer did this very thing recently because his original title, he said, conveyed a very different image of his novel.
I suppose I must concede. After all, it is an author's right. Far be it from me to ever criticize anyone for changing a name (smile).
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