68 pages • 2 hours read
Doris LessingThe Golden Notebook
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1962A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
The Golden Notebook follows Anna Wulf, a writer struggling with creative block following the success of her first novel, as she grapples with personal and societal upheavals in 1950s London. She keeps four color-coded notebooks, each dedicated to different aspects of her life, culminating in a unified "golden notebook" that helps her reconcile her fragmented identity and resume writing. The novel includes depictions of suicidal ideation and a suicide attempt.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing receives high praise for its innovative structure and its deep exploration of women's issues, mental health, and political ideologies. Critics laud Lessing's complex narrative and character development. However, some find the novel's experimental form and length challenging. Overall, it's regarded as a thought-provoking classic.
Who Should Read The Golden Notebook?
Readers who enjoy The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing are typically attracted to complex narratives that explore themes like feminism, mental health, and political ideologies. Fans of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway or Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar would appreciate Lessing’s in-depth character studies and fragmented storytelling.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsBook Details
Gender / Feminism
Depression / Suicide
Love / Sexuality
Classic Fiction
Psychological Fiction
British Literature
Post Modernism
Cold War
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Identity: Gender
Identity: Mental Health
Identity: Sexuality