Customer Reviews

The Female of the Species: A Novel (P.S.)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This novel centers around the larger-than-life Gray Kaiser, a queenly anthropologist who is famous for stumbling upon a previously unknown aboriginal culture in the heart of the jungle. What makes her famous is that another white person stumbled upon them first, Charles Corgie, a handsome charlatan who had the tribe believing he was a god. Instead of blowing Corgie's cover, Gray stayed on in the village as his co-goddess and observed the interplay until the bitter end. (This episode is deserving of a book in its own right, and I was disappointed that it was only a few chapters.)

In late middle age, the eternally youthful Gray is firmly established in the university system, queen of all she surveys, worshipped as a goddess by her assistant, Erroll. Then Raphael Sarasota enters the picture. Through this young man who looks so much like Corgie, Gray is able to unleash her sexual fantasies and finally finds that she actually needs another human being. A large part of the narrative is made up of Erroll's clever fantasies about Gray and Raphael. Raphael uses and discards Gray, who is painfully oblivious despite everyone's warnings. Ms. Shriver again masterfully describes the inner workings of a difficult, perhaps even unlikable, character. For another fabulously written character study, read WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN.

A woman discovers love and the subsequent loss for the first time in her life, a heart-wrenching journey. I can't wait to read more of Ms. Shriver's work.

I read this book when it first came out and I loved it. I lent my copy to a friend, and for years it remained absent from my bookshelf. I came across it again in a second-hand shop and bought it to reread. It is as good the second time around. The characters are so real, and you can easily imagine how each one came to the exact point in their lives where paths cross in the story. I can't believe this book hasn't gotten more attention over the years. A classic in my library. Don't miss it!

Lionel Shriver's first published book (that I know of and I've been looking) that is not as tightly written as her later "The Bleeding Heart", about an older woman with power falling in love with a younger man and the reaction of her longtime assistant, friend, admirer, Errol. Explores the subtle power play in personal relationships. As with all her books the characters are well developed, the prose tight and flowing. Definitely worth reading

This book, Schriever's first published book, is an interesting example of a relatively young person trying to capture the feelings of a once beautiful woman who is trying to assess her attractiveness to men as she ages. While the book is interesting, as a more mature woman, L believe Schreiver's assumptions about the feelings of older women, men and sex are way off base. However, is was very interesting to see, having read mnost of Schreiver's recent writings, how wonderfully she has matured as an author.

One of my favorite books is "We Need to Talk About Kevin." I bought this book based on the author. I can't believe it is written by the same person. Where in Kevin, the sentences were so beautifully structured and haunting, the sentences in this book seems to be written by a teenager. The book does not flow and I am completely bored. I can't even finish it. I am very disappointed.

Female of the Species is the second book I have read of Ms. Shriver. I read We Need to Talk about Kevin first. I have told a lot of people about that book. Species is another I will talk about. I felt that Gray was in for a whirl but I did not know how until it creep upon me. Fifty-nine and for the first time find love. No, I do not think it was love. I think it was the idea of what was brought into her life at this particular time in her life. I so did not wish it was Errol because they are to close yet do not understand each other fully. But Raphael? Who knew. Now on to A Perfectly Good Family.

I have read many of her books, but was not impressed at all with this one. It starts off in typical Shriver fashion, but peters off within three chapters. Too wordy, too little introspection, in a word, boring. You don't really get to know the characters, they seem to be shoved at you as opposed to actually learning their personalities/figure out whether or not you like or dislike them. I have read many of her stories, all great page turners,and only managed to get through this book painfully so. However, I am looking forward to her usual, finer reads.

Lianol Shriver pulls no punches. She may leave you begging for mercy, but she makes you come back for more. I hope she keeps writing for the rest of my life.

This book is very different but a very intriguing one. I enjoyed it a lot.