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The Literaria Letter
call it hysteria —which perhaps it is— I must get right away from everybody and everything.
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call it hysteria —which perhaps it is— I must get right away from everybody and everything.

review of "The Dangerous Age" by Karin Michaëlis.

Nicole Raimondi's avatar
Nicole Raimondi
Aug 14, 2024
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The Literaria Letter
The Literaria Letter
call it hysteria —which perhaps it is— I must get right away from everybody and everything.
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Later on, I shall enjoy writing you a condensed account of all the follies which can be committed by a woman who suddenly finds herself at a mature age complete mistress of her actions.

Girls…this book is *chefs kiss*

An entertaining, humorous, and stimulating read that I found very enjoyable.

What I loved the most are the many insights into the condition of women at that time, or to put it better, what our protagonist thinks about the differences between the two sexes, the expectations imposed on women by society, and mainly the particular condition that affects middle-aged women.

In fact, the protagonist of this novel, Elsie Lindtner, is a middle-aged woman tired of her social life in the city, who decides to leave her husband and retire to a villa on an island.

At first, she is thrilled with this newfound freedom and autonomy. Still, she begins to think and rethink her past life, old lovers, doors that have closed forever, and others that could open until she comes to a revelation that …

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