Love Children Revisited

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August 24, 2012 by Vicki

Today, we have a guest post by Kate, my mom, who has frequently commented on this blog. She and I had some discussions on Marilyn French’s The Love Children and I thought you would be interested in her point of view.

My daughter Viicki asked me to read Marilyn French’s THE LOVE CHILDREN . I have never blogged before but Vicki asked me to write a blog re this book as she and I had a wonderful discussion about it. She thought her readers might appreciate hearing my view. So here goes. I hope you enjoy. I have read most of Ms. French’s work and have enjoyed and been intrigued by all but one of her novels. My first experience was The Woman’s Room. I have always said that books come into your hands when you need them, you do not find them, they find you. The Women’s Room was exactly what I needed when I first read it 30+ years ago. Love Children was what I needed right now. As a mature, single woman, it can be difficult to figure out your place in the world and in relation to your family, friends and workplace. The ideals that I grew up with and have clung to until recently just do not work anymore. Reading Love Children helped me to understand why. I grew up in a ‘bubble’. In my home, we were removed from the strum und drang that was integral to the ’60s. Of course, I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King being assasinated. But I am ashamed to say it had little impact. We knew about ‘draft dodgers’ and ‘hippies’ and ‘flower power’, but it could have been happening on the Moon for the difference it made to my life. I now understand how all of these events caused a seismic shift in our societies, American and Canadian. I now understand that Vietnam had long reaching, devastating affects on societal mores, religion, the family. The Feminist Revolution carved out a completely different way of thinking and being as a woman, a mother and a wife. I could not have lived my mother’s life but find it very difficult to fit in this new mode of being. The hero in Love Children lived a life that was drastically affected by these events. Even in High School, she and her group of friends were very aware and very vocal in reaction to the events of the time. She lived her life using her own feelings and thoughts. She worked very hard physically, mentally and psychically and maintained a soulful existence. She always questioned why, why others would react in a certain way, why she felt the way she did. She would think not just react. Being on a spiritual journey myself, I found Love Children a very powerful and useful tool in my quest. My only negative reaction was to the ending. But I will say no more so that you must read the book.