The Cloning of Joanna May [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio Cassette)

by Fay Weldon (Author), Norma West (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Joanna, a beautiful and bored 60-year-old, discovers that her ex-husband cloned one of her eggs 30 years earlier and that the four resulting clones are currently undergoing crises brought on by men. "With characteristic antic energy, Weldon offers another penetrating look at our urges to sex and parenthood, love, power and revenge," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Now in her 60s, attractive Joanna May has lost her husband, ruthless executive Carl, to divorce, and her lover to death, apparently a victim of her husband's hitman. Alone and childless, Joanna tries to regroup and in doing so makes an extraordinary discovery: Carl had four eggs removed from her reproductive system and "cloned" when she was 30. The four resulting women, implanted as embryos in different women, eventually meet up with one another and with Joanna. An odd premise, indeed. Weldon has a deft hand, and although her characters are mostly stiff and unlikable (particularly Carl, who survived a grim childhood), the story moves along briskly. This would not suit the taste of many fiction readers but is not without appeal. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/89.
- Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L., Va.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: ISIS Audio Books; Unabridged edition (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856954870
• ISBN-13: 978-1856954877
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,151,163 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Going to work on a curate's egg, November 21, 2008

By	J. C. Mcknight "Jon McKnight" (Plymouth, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cloning of Joanna May (Paperback)

Fay Weldon is, whether she likes it or not, most famous for writing the advertising slogan "Go to work on an egg".

Having read The Cloning Of Joanna May, I wish Fay had gone to work on her prose instead.

At first it was merely irritating; then the professional editor in me wanted to get hold of it and turn it into something rather more polished and readable.

The plot was original, exciting and interesting. There were some extraordinary observations and insights into the human condition. But her writing style left a lot to be desired.

It wasn't as if Fay was telling the story through the voice of an inarticulate narrator and thereby limited herself. It's just that her sentences and paragraphs could have flowed better, been less jerky, or simply have benefited from more judicious punctuation.

Admittedly Fay Weldon is a famous writer and no-one's heard of me, but that doesn't let her off the hook. However good the plot and her own insights, we readers deserved better than that.

So while it's well worth reading, it's harder going than it needs to be. As Fay's so fond of eggs, it's fitting that this should be a curate's egg of a book: good in parts.

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting 'Chose Your Own Adventure' satire, January 20, 2005

By	diesel_fuel "Invictus" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cloning of Joanna May (Paperback)

I first read 'The Cloning of Joanna May' over a decade ago, and often find myself revisiting it.

Despite many people's criticisms with the book when it first came out - I found it to be an interesting piece on expectations regarding women's identity. Some of the themes are dated (i.e., women's role regarding child-rearing, careers, and age) but there is still a biting edge to the book that resonates.

A criticism is that many of the characters are unlikable - but I think that is Weldon's point. Weldon was showing how arbitrary choices can sometimes drastically alter a life - a point proven in the very distinct pathways each of the clones' life took.

It was a clever way to explore how identity may not be always pre-determined - but at times can be shaped by happenstance.

A good read if you are looking for something that is brief and slightly frothy.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Bizarre, Original Glimpse into the Future?, February 5, 2004

By	james (UK) - See all my reviews

I was surprised by the review below, granting this overlooked masterpiece one star. The characters within the book are brilliantly drawn and startlingly humanistic, and the story unfolds at a gentle but engaging pace. Here we have dazzling insights into the very essence of what makes a person a person (or as Weldon refers to it, the 'I') but there is nothing patronising or overloaded about her conclusions. Rather, the irony of the book is wonderfully funny, with some real laugh out loud moments...all cunningly disguised within insights of amazing originality. I have never read a book like this before. Her prose is to be admired. The differing threads of the clone's lives are a pastiche, a carefully woven tapestry of how one person, one being, given seperate choices (or having those choices predetermined), could be so different from their blueprint. This is illustrated with the use of Tarot within the story, and its interesting asides into the very science of prediction. The central tenet the book proposes is this: if there were four younger 'yous' with radically different circumstances and predicaments, would their basic individuality unite or destroy them? A fascinating look into cloning, but instead of scientific mumbo jumbo, the subject is presented with humour, verve and grace, all wrapped neatly inside an intriguing fiction story. The Times were right to call this book 'a triumph of complex entertainment' upon its release, and I for one, will definately read more of Weldon's work.