Who's telling the story?

It's no secret that I read books mostly by women authors as I can relate better to the female perspective. And then along comes a male writer who writes a female character very effectively. In Brooklyn, Colm Toibin describes two years in the life of Eilis who leaves Ireland in the Fifties for a better life (or so it seems) in America. The voices in this novel are predominanatly female with the male characters mostly playing minor parts. The three major males are very kind and sympathetic men, making this appear to be a gentle read. It does however raise some important questions about family and loyalty and appreciation of others and can best be described as a thoughtful read. My list of favourite male authors has now increased to three!

Sometimes I also experience difficulty with a female writer who takes on a male perspective but was pleasantly surprised by Lionel Shriver's latest book So much for that. Shriver's narrator ends up caring for three sick people from different generations - some special person. This well developed story has a political and financial theme but it is the way the individuals deal with their problems that moves the story along and makes the male voice quite acceptable!