The Mock Turtle

I read it ages ago but would like to say I'm still really upset by the ending and I too don't see any other interpretation.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed it. It's set very nearby to where I live.

I’ve just finished it and enjoyed it so much - such lovely writing.

Howard definitely dies because otherwise we would have heard about Jean’s eternal happiness. I’m most concerned about Margaret though - Gretchen doesn’t seem equipped to deal with Margaret’s upcoming mental illness, so I’d like to think that Aunty Jean will be able to help a lot.

In my head, Martha is Frances de la Tour in Rising Damp.

It is lovely writing, isn't it? I keep a little journal of the books I've read and whether I liked/disliked them and it was really hard for me to describe Small Pleasures because I loved it but the ending wasn't what I wanted. But does that make it a bad book?

I'd almost forgotten about Margaret and the voices she heard.

I don’t think an unsatisfactory ending makes a book bad; the ending belongs to the author not the reader. I mean, it’s nice when things are tidy and aligned with our expectations but I also quite like being challenged by the route a good author takes. It’s a bit like bonus content to me if I don’t just close the book and move on.

All of the above is only true if the writing is good though. Shitty writing always taints the plot and I have no time for it.

The thing that upset me was that the ending as I think it has to be interpreted meant that all her hope etc had come to nothing, which made the story seem a bit pointless and depressing.

Edith Bacon wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 11:22 am It’s a bit like bonus content to me if I don’t just close the book and move on.

I like that as a concept.

Oh purp, now I'm sad again.

Sorry

I like an unsatisfactory ending, or one that ends with some story left untold.

I don’t think it necessarily means it all came to nothing for Jean, it opened up her world and while she’d have been sad, she also had choices she’d not really thought about before.

She kills her ma off, in my opinion.

Pippedydeadeye wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:52 pm I like an unsatisfactory ending, or one that ends with some story left untold.

I don’t think it necessarily means it all came to nothing for Jean, it opened up her world and while she’d have been sad, she also had choices she’d not really thought about before.

It reminded me of Vilette. Not just the ending of the novel, but Jean's character and the nature of the relationships. Neither book would have the same impact if you tied them up with romantic happily-ever-afters.

I just finished this and I'm a bit sad now. I like the idea of Jean, Gretchen and Margaret having a life together though. All in all, I feel slightly dissatisfied and a bit cheated.