The second book in the Nobel Prize for Literature winner's 'Children of Violence' series tracing the life of Martha Quest from her childhood in colonial Africa to old age in post-nuclear Britain.

'A Proper Marriage' sees twenty-something Martha beginning to realise that her marriage has been a terrible mistake. Already the first passionate flush of matrimony has begun to fade; sensuality has become dulled by habit, blissful motherhood now seems no more than a tiresome chore. Caught up in a maelstrom of a world war she can no longer ignore, Martha's political consciousness begins to dawn, and, seizing independence for the first time, she chooses to make her life her own.

About the Author

Doris Lessing is one of the most important writers of the twentieth century and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature 2007. Her first novel, 'The Grass is Singing', was published in 1950. Among her other celebrated novels are 'The Golden Notebook', 'The Fifth Child' and 'Memoirs of a Survivor'. She has also published two volumes of her autobiography, 'Under my Skin' and 'Walking in the Shade'. Doris Lessing died on 17 November 2013 at the age of 94.

Reviews

'I read the "Children of Violence" novels and began to understand how a person could write about the problems of the world in a compelling and beautiful way. And it seemed to me that was the most important thing I could ever do.' Barbara Kingsolver

'Few writers spring such surprises as Doris Lessing. She trusts her own feelings absolutely, and has the rare power of putting feelings straight onto the page, more directly perhaps than any other writer, so directly that the effect is sometimes like a physical blow.' Independent

'A writer of real importance, Doris Lessing knows where to start and where to stop, knowledge which most writers take a lifetime to acquire.' Spectator

'The "Children of Violence" series gives an astounding compression of a total, coherent vision, as if Doris Lessing knew all along where it would end.' The Times

Book Information
ISBN 9780586089996
Author Doris Lessing
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Flamingo
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 299g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 28mm