Woman Power: Daisy Jones and the Six; The Birdcage; The Witches of Vardø; Amazing Grace Adams

I think there is a deep-seated fear and resentment of female power even in situations where we don’t have much of it, so I make no apologies for grouping these novels that touch on the theme from vastly different angles. The first is a historical novel about misogyny manifest in a fantasy of witchcraft. In the second, three half-sisters are haunted by the harm done when they tried to claim their power in adolescence. In the third, a seemingly powerless and self-loathing woman takes a tortured journey through her city and her mistakes. The final novel contemplates the relative power of the singer with a rock band versus the homemaker wife who stands by her man.

The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Life is harsh on Vardø in 17th century Norway, especially if you're poor and female. Especially if you have opinions of your own. The church, the men and the wealthy will always blame you if things go wrong. Easier to believe you’ve danced with the Devil than that things happen beyond the control. But the women are finding their own power, their own minds. Fascinating historical novel set in the same territory as Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s The Mercies half a century later.

The Birdcage by Eve Chase
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charlie Finch gathers his three daughters at the house in coastal Cornwall where they spent their teenage summers to share some shocking news. But that's overshadowed by the traumatic events of twenty years earlier on the day of the solar eclipse. Beautiful writing and clever plotting, yet I couldn't quite care about the characters as much as I'd hoped.

Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On a scorching hot day in North London, Grace makes a seemingly rash decision. Stuck in a traffic jam, she abandons her car and decides to walk to her sixteen-year-old daughter's birthday party, even though they're estranged. On the way, she encounters obstacles internal and external, along with some random acts of kindness. As she does, she reflects on the background to her failed relatonships with her husband and daughter.

I picked this up because a Guardian review described it as being about revenge. It isn't, but that's fine. That review also claims it falters in its narrative spine. It doesn't, which is even better. (Although there's one cartoonish element in the denouement that I could've done without.) Grace isn't your standard menopausal stereotype and this is a lovely novel about motherhood and the dreadful repercussions of buried trauma.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll. Passion, art and creativity. Envy, narcissism and addiction. Group dynamics and different versions of the truth.
Despite these themes, and it being set in the time of my youth, I found it rather boring initially, although it dug deeper in the second half.

View all my reviews

I wish I’d paid better attention to the lingonberries in The Witches of Vardø, because that’s the fruit that led to the latest flash fiction prompt: a smear of jam. But jam has another meaning in Amazing Grace Adams; can I write a 99-word story that combines the two?

The final straw

Grace glares at the digits on the dashboard, willing them to turn in reverse. As sweat trickles down her spine she regrets not fixing the aircon; she regrets her leisurely breakfast and second slice of toast. She won’t open the windows: blaring horns and thumping pop have already rocketed her pulse.

Checking her make-up in the rear-view mirror, there’s a smear of jam below the collar of her shirt. Dabbing it with the last of her drinking water simply spreads the stain around.

It’s hopeless! Grace kills the engine, gets out, starts walking. Abandons the car to the jam.