My first encounter
with Margaret Drabble occurred in a British Women Writer’s class at Rowan
University and again in graduate school.
We read a few of her novels as well as several by her sister, A.S.
Byatt. A rift developed between the two
sisters, because of biographical elements in their books. They do not read each other’s novels. Drabble describes the situation as “normal
sibling rivalry,” Byatt says the rift has been exaggerated by gossip. She claims the sisters have always liked each
other (Wikipedia). Drabble has written
19 novels, and Byatt has authored 11 novels, 5 short story collections, and 7
miscellaneous works of non-fiction.
Working through all these books will eat up a lot of my retirement. Drabble has also written a number of short
stories. I never knew she wrote short
fiction until now.
A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman claims to include her complete short
stories. An introduction to the
collection by José Francisco Fernández says, these “are fine examples of
well-made stories: neatly constructed, carefully contextualized, focused,
unified in tone, elegantly climactic, at times tinged with the seriousness of a
moral dilemma” (ix). I loved these
stories, and it is one of those exceedingly rare books that provoked me into a
second reading beginning the moment I finished the first read. Four of the stories are, writes Fernández, “representative
cases of the woman who has to divide her time between her duties at home and
the demands of a job […] a husband and children” (xii).
The later stories,
“The Merry Widow,” “The Dower House at Kellynch: A Somerset Romance,” The Caves
of God,” and “Stepping Westward: A Topographical Tale” all describe woman later
in their lives when they are free of a husband, family, and work. As I said, I loved them all, but these four
were undoubtedly my favorites—a “best of the best” if you will. I also credit these four stories as my
impetus for an immediate rereading.

All of the works of
these two amazing women writers are interesting and powerful stories. I have read a few of the novels by each
woman, and finishing them off will be a large part of my sunset days. If you want to lose yourself in reading of
the lives of these women in the late 20th and early 21st
century, you could not find a better start than Margaret Drabbles A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman. 5
Stars
--Chiron, 8/15/17