Weldon, Fay - She May Not Leave


Title: She May Not Leave
Author: Fay Weldon

Genre: Fiction (Contemporary)

Love/Hate?: Love!
Rating: 5/5
Did you finish?: Yes -- I couldn't stop myself.

One-sentence summary: An exploration of partnership and parenthood when an unmarried couple hire an au pair.

Why did you get this book?: After the horror of Puffball, I was curious for another Weldon!

Do you like the cover?: Yes, very clever.

First line from book:

Review: I know other readers disliked the book for it's unlikeable characters but I rather found Hatty, Martyn, and 'Agnes' realistic. I know couples like them, and au pairs like Agnieszka, and even though I suspected some of the plot twists, the final conclusion had me shocked and a little shaken (in a good way!). The device of the great-grandmother as narrator is lovely, as she provides some parallels to the main triad, ruminations on the nature of relationships, parenthood, and partnership. A very...more I know other readers disliked the book for it's unlikeable characters but I rather found Hatty, Martyn, and 'Agnes' realistic. I know couples like them, and au pairs like Agnieszka, and even though I suspected some of the plot twists, the final conclusion had me shocked and a little shaken (in a good way!). The device of the great-grandmother as narrator is lovely, as she provides some parallels to the main triad, ruminations on the nature of relationships, parenthood, and partnership. A very dark, twisted novel!

Tropes?: Predatory nanny, husbands cheating. Men are rats.

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