Another act of literary terrorism from British satirist and
live-wire Weldon (The Cloning of Joanna May, 1989, etc.), only this
time far more wide-ranging and rabidly polemic than even before.
Weldon's subject now is Eleanor Darcy, the high priestess of
Darcian Monetarism, a utopian ideology aimed at saving shabby old
Thatcherian England from the ills of inflation by phasing out money
altogether. The theory, ostensibly the brainchild of Eleanor's
second husband (now in prison because of the chaos that ensued when
the economic strategy was implemented for one morning only), really
came from Eleanor herself, known in the press as Rasputin's Bride.
And Eleanor, being interviewed in this novel by two journalists -
trim Valerie, writing for the women's rag Aura, and Hugo, of the
higher-toned Independent - has thoughts of a world of topics
besides money: namechanging, a practice that will be encouraged in
Darcy's utopia ("My advice to everyone is to change their names at
once if they're the least unhappy with their lives"); sex, the
source of all good in the world; Marxism and Catholicism, both
palliatives; elocution and miscegenation, two waves of the future,
and much more. Piecing together hints from the evasive Eleanor,
Valerie concocts a personal biography for her magazine's readers,
revealing that Eleanor, born with a caul and originally named
Apricot (after the shade of her mother's nightie), is a bigamist,
social-climber, and witch who wrecked the lives of the men who
loved her. Hugo concentrates on the theoretical, and on Valerie,
who becomes his mistress. During the time they're in contact with
Eleanor, the two of them leave their spouses and children and shack
up together in a Holiday Inn. Once their pieces are finished,
though, the affair collapses - presumably a romantic utopia, given
too little time. Nonetheless, Eleanor has changed their lives, and
will change others, since Hugo starts a religion dedicated to her.
An ideological mine-field, with Weldon-as-Eleanor birthing a wild
idea a minute. Still, some shrapnel hits home, for what Weldon
seems to be saying is that desperate, possibly lunatic measures are
called for if we're to transform a desperately sick world. (Kirkus
Reviews)
A provocative view of modern society weaved into a tale of
explosive love and, perhaps, even, black magic. Scandalous Eleanor
Darcy, wild young wife of a world-famous economist, sketches her
vision of Utopia to two journalists, Hugo Vansitart and Valarie
Jones. In glorious detail, she describes an earthly paradise of
peace, love and technological progress where sex is plentiful and
money does not exist. Such is Eleanor's charisma that, to their own
astonishment, Hugo and Valerie abandon their families and set up
home together om a Holiday Inn.
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