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- CommentAuthoradmin
- CommentTimeDec 3rd 2008
This thread is for discussions about Page 290 of the online edition of The Golden Notebook, and the readers' comments. Please show a courteous regard for the presence of other voices in the discussion. We reserve the right to edit or delete comments that do not adhere to this standard.
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- CommentAuthorKirsten
- CommentTimeDec 3rd 2008
Naomi, what brilliant comments! I marked this section too, for how relevant it feels - I especially like the way Anna chronicles her switch between a deep happiness (derived from cooking smells) and that cold feeling of guilt and nerves. She says she fights with dissatisfaction, and the way that she describes her thoughts as they degenerate into guilt and unhappiness still seems resonant and modern. I suppose we juggle expectation and emotion as much now as ever. -
- CommentAuthorNaomi Alderman
- CommentTimeDec 3rd 2008
Why thank you Kirsten! And yes, I wondered why she was so unwilling to accept that the simple, solitary creativity of cooking had given her happiness. I know she *says* that she thinks she's only happy because she's remembering other happy times with Michael but I wonder... it's the only time in her day that she's alone (apart from the OCD-like washing at the office), it's the only time she's doing something at least partly for herself - because she'll eat the food too. But I think that's another very common source of guilt for women: not wanting to do anything for ourselves, feeling that time spent alone, being creative, is time taken away from those who rely on us.
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About
The Golden Notebook is a collaboration between if:book London and Apt.
Principal funding by Arts Council England.
HarperCollins, the publisher of The Golden Notebook, digitized the book for us and generously gave permission to reproduce it here in its entirety at no cost.
Additional support from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and New York University