The Golden Notebook by Doris May Lessing
The novel centers around a woman named Anna Wulf, a writer who keeps four notebooks, each representing a different aspect of her life: her experiences in Africa, her current life in London, a novel she is writing, and her personal experiences. As Anna's mental state deteriorates, she attempts to unify her fragmented self in a fifth notebook, the golden notebook. The novel explores themes of mental breakdown, communism, the changing role of women, and the fear of nuclear war.
The 61st greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1962
- Nationality
- British
- Length
- Long
- Pages
- 576-640
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.0)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Das Goldene Notizbuch
- El Cuaderno Dorado
- Il Taccuino D'oro
- O Caderno Dourado
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This book is on the following 46 lists:
- 6th on The Ideal Library (Book)
- 24th on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
- 29th on Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century (themodernnovel.com)
- 39th on The 50 best books of the past 100 years (The Times)
- 45th on The 100 Best Novels Of All Time In English (The Guardian)
- 59th on 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Larry McCaffery)
- 61st on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 64th on The 100 Stories that Shaped the World (BBC)
- 75th on The 100 Best Books from 1900 to the Present (Yedioth Ahronoth)
- 76th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 89th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 91st on Edmonton's Top 100 (Edmonton Journal)
- 96th on 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors (Good Housekeeping)
- 103rd on Books Of The Century (Library Journal)
- 139th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Best Novels Written in English (The Guardian)
- 100 Books, 100 Companions (Zeit Online)
- 100 Great 20th Century English-language Works of Fiction by Women (Feminista!)
- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century (Boston Public Library)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 40 Essential Feminist Books to Read for Women's History Month (Harpers Bazaar)
- 40 Most Important Books, 1927-2001 (World Literature Today)
- 501 Must-Read Books (LibraryThing)
- 50 Essential Reads by Contemporary Authors (Orange Prize for Fiction)
- 50 Most Influential Books by Women (The Guardian)
- 75 Books by Women Whose Words Have Changed the World (Women's National Book Association)
- 75 Books Every Woman Should Read (Jezebel)
- 87 Books Written by Women That Are So Good, You Won't Be Able to Put Them Down (Pop Sugar)
- A Century of World Literature 1925 - 2025 (Der Spiegel)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Nancy Pearl's 100 Good Reads, Decade by Decade (Book Lust (Book))
- Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English since 1939 (Anthony Burges (Book))
- The 100 Novels That Have Most Enthralled "Le Monde" Since 1944 (Le Monde)
- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (The Modern Library (Book))
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities (XLSemanal and Zenda)
- #ThisBook (#ThisBook)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)
- Zeit Literaturkanon (https://www.librarything.com/award/335/ZEIT-Literaturkanon)