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amyjoy's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. It was all right, I guess. The love affairs were a little weird but not sexy enough to be interesting, and the ending was super abrupt.
sophiemooch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kinglee's review against another edition
2.0
You know when you read the summary of a book and think it should be rather interesting, but then as you start reading you are left utterly disappointed? That's Adore.
Roz and Lil are childhood friends who end up falling in love with each other's sons. It sounds like it should be interesting albeit gross and wrong on every level, right?
The writing throughout this was so dull that I didn't even get to know the characters beyond that they were sleeping with each other's sons. Everything was written so matter of fact that I felt like I was reading a catalog or something rather than a short story. I was left very disappointed for what could have been an interesting short story.
Roz and Lil are childhood friends who end up falling in love with each other's sons. It sounds like it should be interesting albeit gross and wrong on every level, right?
The writing throughout this was so dull that I didn't even get to know the characters beyond that they were sleeping with each other's sons. Everything was written so matter of fact that I felt like I was reading a catalog or something rather than a short story. I was left very disappointed for what could have been an interesting short story.
girlygirlbookworm's review against another edition
1.0
To me this is exactly why I hate novellas. I bought this book from book outlet thinking it was a full length novel. This just felt like a waste of time. I didn't care for any of the characters because I had no chance to really get to know them or feel for their story. The writing style was also very off to me. The beginning the author throws all of these character names at you, which makes it hard to figure out whose who and what their connections are. Unfortunately this was a miss for me.
saraheberry's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amanda1793's review against another edition
3.0
2.75 stars.
This one is a weird one for me. At times hard to follow, and definitely not my favourite topic. However, the story was interesting, albeit odd.
I don't know that I'd recommend this one to everyone, but if your into the "inappropriate relationship" type stories, you may find this one interesting.
This one is a weird one for me. At times hard to follow, and definitely not my favourite topic. However, the story was interesting, albeit odd.
I don't know that I'd recommend this one to everyone, but if your into the "inappropriate relationship" type stories, you may find this one interesting.
chocolatelady1957's review against another edition
5.0
Two women and their two sons end up in convoluted relationships in Doris Lessing's novella of deception and devotion. Read my review of this fascinating story here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2014/10/25/the-mills-of-love/
angelayoung's review
5.0
A long-lasting friendship between two women, which began on their first day at school and which continues because neither wants to move far from the other throughout their lives, causes difficulty for one of their husbands and an unlooked-for closeness, later on, between each woman and her friend's son.
Adore could have been a long novel - its subject-matter justifies length - but its last page is numbered 70. It's Doris Lessing's magical way with metaphor and her bountiful brevity that have made it possible for her to tell this complex story in so few words. For instance, about one of the women and her husband:
Adore could have been a long novel - its subject-matter justifies length - but its last page is numbered 70. It's Doris Lessing's magical way with metaphor and her bountiful brevity that have made it possible for her to tell this complex story in so few words. For instance, about one of the women and her husband:
As they jested - jokes had never been in short supply - they were like those trees whose centre has rotted away, or the bushes spreading from the centre, which disappear as its suburbs spring up.You know exactly who they are. And, near the beginning, a description of the main characters:
At a table evidently well-known to them, they deposited bags and wraps and toys, sleek shining people, as they are who know how to use the sun. They arranged themselves, the women's brown and silky legs ending in negligent sandals, their competent hands temporarily at rest. Women on one side, men on the other, the little girls fidgeting: six fair heads? Surely they were related? Those had to be the mothers of the men; they had to be their sons. The little girls, clamouring for the beach, which was down a rocky path, were told by their grandmothers, and then their fathers, to behave and play nicely. They squatted and made patterns with fingers and little sticks in the dust. Pretty little girls: so they should be with such good-looking progenitors.Of course you want to read on, don't you?