A Free Woman (by Libby Purves)

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I’m so glad I decided to re-read my Libby Purves novels. I am thoroughly enjoying them. It’s such a long time since I first read most of them that it’s almost like having new books to read - with the advantage that I know in advance that I am going to enjoy them.

I have just finished ‘A Free Woman’, which I read in 2003. I did not recall anything about any of the characters or the storyline when I started. It’s about two adult sisters, Sarah and Maggie, who are in their thirties. Sarah is a contented, domesticated mother of three. She works part time at the local vets, but is happiest at home, cooking and looking after the house and children.

Sarah is happily married to Leo, and they have three children. Samantha is fifteen, and has been rather moody recently. But Sarah is broad-minded and encouraging, and tries to keep communication lines open. She doesn’t approve at all of Samantha’s boyfriend Duane, but is trying to make the best of things and has even invited him to meals a couple of times. Jamie is her middle child; he’s twelve, and going through an awkward stage. We don’t actually get to know Jamie very well, but he’s a nice enough child. Teddy, the youngest, is still affectionate and tends to speak out whatever is on his mind.

Into this happy domestication arrives Maggie, after travelling around the world, and spending some time working as an assistant cook on a yacht. She loves the sea, and hates the thought of putting down roots. But every so often she reappears for a short period; she’s very fond of her relatives, and they like her stories and sense of adventure, despite finding her a bit bizarre at times. Maggie is planning a trip to China, and discovers that she can take an intensive course in Chinese language at a local college. So her visit extends.

Then she discovers something that has the potential to change her life forever. And there are hints that she has dark secrets from her past, which are forcing themselves into her conscious mind. By the time she reveals what exactly happened, in a shocking shouting match at the end of a chapter, it had become obvious what had happened in the past. I assume the author intended the readers to pick up on this before Maggie lets it out; it’s cleverly done.

The latter part of the book then sees the family divided, fragmented by various events. We see the potential for disaster as communication grows more difficult, and Sarah becomes intransigent. Maggie is convinced that she should throw off the shackles of family life; she makes plans for her future, determined to remain free….

It’s an excellent book. The writing is fast-paced, the characters are three-dimensional and all so believable. The worries of teenage life are as important to Samantha as more ‘adult’ concerns in her mother and aunt; family life is well portrayed, with its often precarious balance of different people trying to live together. Some significant controversial issues are discussed, but since opinions are clearly those of the characters, it would be possible to read the book while disagreeing with what the characters believe and do.

I did not see the eventual resolution of the book coming; that, too, is cleverly done, throwing more confusion into Sarah’s life, yet somehow helping her to see more clearly. It ends a tad too abruptly for my taste; the conclusion is hopeful and positive, but I’d have liked to see one or two ends tied up a little more satisfactorily. But perhaps that would have dragged. Ending where it does leaves the direction clear, but the details up to the reader.

By the time I was half-way through this book I could hardly put it down. I would recommend ‘A Free Woman’ highly to anyone who likes women’s fiction with some important issues raised.

I hope it won’t be as long as sixteen years before I next re-read this book.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews