It's only my opinion but I think she made a massive mnistake by not having Sybilla marry Beecham at the end As you say it made no sense even from a feminist point of veiw to martyr herself to misery for no real reason when a happy relationshjip was being handed to her on a plate I felt the ending was like the building excitement of being given a beautifully wrapped present only to find there was no gift inside beautiful novel but massivelty flawed by a misjudged ending
I recall reading the paperback 30 years ago and laughing so deeply about about a kid so ripped on LSD he deleted the universe. He determined that his car headlights were restoring objects to the universe as they illuminated objects. He then drove into a tree the headlights hadn't put back yet.
Thanks for this review! I'm just coming off of Alan Watts' translation of the Theologia Mystica of St Dionysius, and he mentioned this book as one of three to read in order to learn actually *how* to approach contemplative prayer. I'm excited to read this now!
Was not expecting a wild ride of sadness without deliberately writing sadness throughout the book. The lives of characters all wanting something great out of England then reading their outcomes all while thinking of the words said by the strange man in the beginning on the ship!
