Review
"As they grow older - when the summer comes and the days lengthen - women become more and more women. Their feminality goes on ripening into the depths of winter. Yet the world compels them to steer a false course. Their youth only counts so long as their complexions remain clear and their figures slim. ... A woman who tries late in life to make good her claim to existence, is regarded with contempt. For her there is neither shelter nor sympathy." At forty-two, approaching that "dangerous age" and determined to eliminate the hypocrisy in her life, Elsie divorces her husband, leaves behind a potential young lover, and retreats to an isolated villa on an island. Through her letters and diary,
The Dangerous Age takes us into Elsie's inner turmoil as she faces herself, solitude, and an increasing desire for physical contact. Although Elsie can be unflichingly blunt, she also can hide (and hide from) the truth, a trait she states is common to all women, "corrupted by society." Her moods and desires constantly shift as she searches for self in the midst of societal expecations and physical changes and as a result, her letters and diary are complicated and contradictory. Does she want to live alone? Or should she see her lover again? Or should she take her husband back? Or? First published in 1910,
The Dangerous Age is still a shockingly forthright and provacative book.
-- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. --
From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Danish
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
