Book Review : The Millstone by Margaret Drabble

Previously, I’d never read a book by this author, so I followed my usual practice and found the slimmest volume I could find. I’m glad I did because I didn’t like this book and especially the main character Rosamund Stacey, who is independent and clever.

However, Rosamund’s first sexual experience leaves her pregnant, which the book blurb claims is ironic, although I’d say it shows Rosamund is not so clever after all.

The book shows how Rosamund copes with being a single mother. By this stage of the book, I didn’t really care how she coped – here’s an example of how unfair Rosamund ‘copes’ with a nurse who doesn’t believe it’s a good idea for Rosamund to see her baby in the hospital at that very moment –

“I have spent so much of my life in intelligent, superior effort to understand ignorance that I recognised her look at once.”

I suppose some people would class this as a clever observation, but it’s not really – it’s snooty and condescending. The irony is that the baby, Octavia, does come home from the hospital soon afterwards.