The Spa Decameron [Kindle Edition]

the Spa De Cameron is a droll, whip-smart novel with the exciting and shocking twisry turn in plot that we've all come to expect from this iconic author. i read it in four delightful hours and i felt better about all my women friends afterward, less judgmental and more as if we're all in the "spa" of life together. i was unsurprised by my affinity for this books -- fay weldon never makes a false move. she is always immaculate, witty, warm and incisive. i adore all of her books with a white hot passion; this book is no exception. ms weldon nevertrivializes her characters, male or female. they are always flesh, blood, and spirit. if you haven't read REMEMBER ME, PUFFBALL, AUTO DA FAY or MANTRAPPED, i envy you the discovery. she makes me feel glad to be a woman and unashamed to have loved men. because men are just people, as she is fond of pointing out.

A novel displaying the tact and discretion of the worst kind of chick-lit, while also telling a number of spicy and, in some cases, extremely effective stories, Fay Weldon's offering is a whole curate's breakfast. A smorgasbord of women have decamped from their families over Christmas to spend £5,000 a head to be pampered and cosseted in a remote Spa Hotel. They don't get their moneys-worth when staff remain unpaid and inclement weather cuts them off from the outside world and leaves them having to shift for themselves for much of the time. They take to sitting in the Jacuzzi, telling each other their life stories. Some are frankly risible - The Manicurist's Tale of the Sheikh, the Judge's tale of a sex-change, the Trophy Wife's tale of five marriages and a burning yacht, and the worst of all was The Weather Girl's Tale of deadly deceit that ruined a man's life and caused his suicide. Others, particularly the Vicar's Ex-Wife's Tale of a marriage haunted by a poltergeist compounded from the souls of dead children, while containing little of a realistic bent are oddly haunting and somehow entirely credible. When she hits her stride right from the beginning of a story, Weldon's talents can both shock and delight. Some tales are downright sad and wicked, such as the Stepmother's Tale, others have a thread of wishful poignancy, such as the Company Director's Tale about life-long sibling rivalry ending happily and solved by an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

There is much to dislike about this strange vision of women who are either victims or psychopaths, with very little in between. It is a mirror image of the way some genres, such as certain kinds of crime novels, depict men as those who act brutally in the cause of a greater good. I did not like this view of women and found it misogynistic in various ways. On the other hand, some of the stories displayed forgiving qualities of wit and acuity. Weldon is a one-off - often trashy and careless, but also sometimes very astute. This book felt much too long - some of the stories might have been cut to make a lighter and more entertaining read.

I have been reading Fay Weldon since I was a young girl, and very much enjoyed this latest installment. Its a series of life stories from a varied group of women staying at a spa over Christmas. Many of the stories herein resounded with me personally. Having read all of her books, its interesting to see both how I have matured, and how she has since her books from the 60s/70s. Whilst she is always a realist, there was also alot of warmth in this book.

Wise, thought provoking and overall very entertaining.