Learwife

DNF after 25%. This was just a diarrhea of words vomited up on a page. I found it utterly impenetrable. The whole thing meanders pointlessly without a real semblance of purpose. I get the concept - a retelling of a classic from the viewpoint of an absent (female) character. But this does not really do that. It's setting after the end of the a pretty apocalyptic play means it doesn't really have any retelling to do and what plot it could have generated it doesn't even attempt instead favouring an overly flowery style that screams pretentiousness without even attempting to explore the potential ideas it promises. The stuff it does add feel contrived. A first husband (named Michael of all things)? Banishment to an abbey without any real explanation as to why?

The antithesis of what I want in a book. I'm sure there are people who love this type of meandering explorations of descriptive prose, but i am not one. I just can't get behind the lack of purpose behind it, the lack of plot.

I found this a difficult one to rate as it's such a deeply introspective novel. Told totally in the voice of Lear's pretty much unnamed wife as she reminisces about her marriages and her family. As this is set in the convent where she has been banished to, there is not a great deal of plot even though this is set during a plague.
Overall, I thought it was a good idea and it did help illuminate the characters somewhat, particularly why Cordelia is so different to her sisters. However, it's not an easy read and I found myself forcing myself to finish it at times. I think what made it difficult was jumping around in time periods in a stream of consciousness way which suited the character, but not necessarily the reader. In short, I think I admired the writing rather than loved it as a book.