Walking in the Shade

Walking in the Shade is the second volume of Doris Lessing's autobiography, covering the years 1949 to 1962. The book follows her life after arriving in London from Southern Rhodesia as a young woman with a manuscript and her young son. During this period, Lessing becomes involved in Communist politics and establishes herself as a writer in postwar London's literary scene. She navigates relationships, writes several novels including The Golden Notebook, and witnesses key historical moments of the Cold War era. Through precise observations and frank accounts, Lessing documents her gradual disillusionment with Communism alongside her development as an author. Her perspective as both insider and outsider in British society adds depth to her account of this transformative period. The memoir serves as both historical record and personal testament, exploring tensions between political idealism and reality, artistic freedom and commitment, public and private life. Its examination of a writer's evolution parallel to major social changes creates a work that transcends standard autobiography.

Readers appreciate Lessing's detailed account of post-war Britain, her political activism, and social movements of the 1950s-60s. Several reviews note her unflinching honesty about her Communist Party involvement and eventual disillusionment. Multiple readers highlight her observations of changing gender roles and creative life in London. Common criticisms mention the memoir's length and occasional meandering narrative. Some readers found the political discussions too dense or detailed. A few noted difficulty connecting with Lessing's emotional distance in describing personal relationships. "Her clear-eyed view of herself and others makes this compelling," writes one Goodreads reviewer, while another states "the political minutiae became tedious." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (447 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (28 ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (89 ratings) The memoir resonates most with readers interested in 20th century British politics and social movements, while those seeking more personal revelations express disappointment.

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📚 "Walking in the Shade" is the second volume of Doris Lessing's autobiography, covering the years 1949-1962, when she was heavily involved with communist politics 🏆 Doris Lessing became the oldest person to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature at age 88 in 2007, five years after publishing this memoir 🌍 The book details Lessing's controversial decision to leave her two children in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to pursue her writing career in London ✍️ During the period covered in this memoir, Lessing published her breakthrough novel "The Golden Notebook" (1962), which became a feminist classic despite her own resistance to that label 🔍 The British intelligence agency MI5 monitored Lessing for over 20 years during the time period covered in this book, suspicious of her communist activities - a fact she only discovered decades later when the files were declassified