Drabble, Margaret. The Millstone

Before reading The Millstone, I spent years wanting to read a Margaret Drabble novel but never got around to it.  She is what you would call a serious writer.  To quote the LA Times, she is “as meticulous as Jane Austen, and as deadly as Evelyn Waugh.”  So I knew The Millstone would be literary and well-written, and it was.  But what came as a surprise to me was how easily readable the novel was and how much I was completely drawn into the main character’s life.  The novel, one of Drabble’s early works, is set in 1960s London.  The narrator is a young woman who has an unplanned pregnancy as a result of a casual love affair.  This isn’t your typical unplanned pregnancy story; the narrator is highly educated, independent, and strong.  She does not weep for her circumstances nor expects anyone to weep for her.  The Millstone was a wonderful read, and I greatly enjoyed the 1960s London setting.  I will most definitely be reading more of Drabble’s novels.  I hope that you give her a go as well…if you have not done so already.  Also--as an aside-- Margaret Drabble is A.S. Byatt’s sister.