Not Married, Not Bothered: An ABC For Spinsters

Not Married, Not Bothered: An ABC For Spinsters

by Carol Clewlow

HarperCollins, $101

Carol Clewlow, best known for A Woman's Guide to Adultery, has a mission: to rid the word 'spinster' of its sad, lonely, unwanted implications. A side project seems to be to provide an alternative to the chick lit of the Bridget Jones mould. As the British author has pointed out, those books may be about 'liberated' single women, but they're also about the quest to snag the perfect partner. Illuminating the way for solo females is protagonist Riley Gordon, who is inspired by her best friend's decision to get hitched - to herself. So our heroine sets about investigating the lives of other women who have chosen not to couple. The novel's big idea may be laudable, but, as The Independent remarked, Clewlow has produced only 'an intermittently entertaining read'. Negatives include silly chapter headings in alphabetical sequence - such as 'L is for ... that old Lost Love Story'. And there's a bit of brow-beating, if not breast-beating. Still, Clewlow can be applauded for her chatty, sometimes humorous effort. And at least she has dared to be unconventional.