The Millstone, a Novel by Margaret Drabble (Book Review)

Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, I shall review The Millstone, a novel by author Margaret Drabble. This is not my first novel by her, for I have previously read The Sea Lady by this author. However, when I picked up a copy of Penguin edition of this novel in a second shop last Summer, I was only dimly aware of the connection. It took some travelling down the memory lane (and blog archives) to firmly connect The Millstone with the novel I read and loved in 2005. I did recognize the writing style once I started reading, but it took me a minute to connect the two novels in my head. Who is Margaret Drabble? She's actually Dame Margaret Drabble, an English writer and biographer. As a writer, Dame Margaret Drabble is mostly known for her novels and short stories. Moreover, she is also a literary biographer who published books about a number of English writers and has edited two editions of The Oxford Companion to English Literature. She also published articles about literature, as that is her area of expertise. Born in 1939, Dame Margaret Drabble is still active as a writer and a public person, and her latest work The Great Good Places was published this year (2026).

This novel, however, falls in the category of Drabble's early work. Published in 1965, The Millstone is third published novel by Margaret Drabble, and the first one that won its author an award. It is also the first novel of hers to have a Biblical title. The biblical reference is a bit ambiguous, though.  Does it refer to Matthew and implies that anyone who hurts a child should have a millstone tied around their neck and be drawn in the sea? Or is it about society perceiving a child as a sort of millstone around the neck? What kind of novel is it? Well, as many great works, it is a bit hard to define as it is both plot driven and philosophic kind of novel.  It is not exactly autobiographical, but it draws on author's personal experiences and background. The protagonist of the novel, Rosamund, resembles Margaret a great deal. So, there are definitely major autobiographical influences in this novel. Margaret draws heavily on her personal experiences with motherhood, the society she moved in, and  her education and work in literary studies while telling the story of Rosamund's life. The story of a Rosamund's life is a story of a young woman who decides to have and keep a child against all odds. It is a story about how motherhood emancipates Rosamund's and changes her for the better, making her 'fiercer'. On overall, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. What really stayed with me was reading about the sincere fulfilment and empowerment that motherhood brought to Rosamund. 

The collage is showing two summer outfits and a cover of Margaret Drabble's novel

The novel is set in the sixties in London. It is told in the first person narrative. The narrator is also the protagonist of the novel, that is Rosamund Stacy. Her narrative voice felt sincere and authentic throughout the novel. I feel that a large part of literary strength of this novel comes exactly from the sincerity of Rosamund's voice.  Her characterization is wonderfully done, and she grows as a character and as a woman before our eyes. There is a definite character growth when it comes to Rosamund. In addition, she is very young, so naturally this novel also feel a bit like a growing up story. The portrayal of Rosamund is a nuanced one, we see all the complexity of her character and the decisions she makes. We learn about her family history through her own words and her narrative that always feels deeply intimate and personal. 

'My career has always been marked by a strange mixture of confidence and cowardice: almost, one might say, made by it.' *

Growing up in a middle class but very socialist family,  Rosamund is like everyone shaped by her environment. She feels a sense of guilt for a number of things, despite or maybe exactly because of her liberal socialist upbringing. She feels a sense of debt and guilt even for living in her parents' flat, though it only makes sense as nobody else is. Rosamund lives in this big flat in a fancy neighbourhood that belongs to her chronically abroad parents, and this flat gives the people a wrong impression that she is well off. In reality, Rosamund lives on next to nothing, but is too independent to ask anyone for help. She confesses to have been raised to be a feminist.

'My mother, you know, was a great feminist. She brought me up to be equal. She made there be no questions, no difference. I was equal. I am equal.'*

 Rosamund has a very high opinion of her intellect, and at time I had a feeling that the Rosamund (and the author) considerers herself quite above others in the intellectual sense. However, in some ways it is understandable, and perhaps even true. She is on her way to academical career and she seems to be frank about it. It also makes sense in the context of the novel. Rosamund, the protagonist, of The Millstone is supposed to be an intellectual. Still, sometimes it made me stop and pause. Had it not been for her self-criticism to balance this presumed intellectual superiority, Rosamund wouldn't have been as likeable. Fortunately, there is a fair balance there, and for most part Rosamund is impossible not to sympathize with as she is really wonderfully candid. I wonder if this novel could have been been published today as it is, because some parts of it might be deemed politically incorrect, but that's a subject for another day.  

Rosamund reveals herself through long meditations. She askes many questions, and questions both herself and the society. The protagonist can be quite self-conscious when it comes to her private life. "Luck in work, unlucky in  love" is a line that seems to define much of this novel. At times, Rosamund sense of humour is quite self-deprecating. I found this mix of intellectual superiority and self-deprecating humour quite interesting. When Rosamund reveals her naivety, she often reveals her vulnerability. Rosamund narrative voice feels wonderfully candid and authentic, and it is easy to feel for her. I think it is her voice that drew me in, and what kept me interested until the end. Had this novel been told in third person, it would have been completely different novel. The first person narrative really works for this one. 

*All quotes quoted from The Millstone novel

I love vintage editions! Do you? The photograph is showing a vintage edition of The Millstone with my painting in the background.

There are a lot of similarities between Rosamund and the author Margaret Drabble, but Rosamund also feels like her own person, with her own distinct voice. I feel it is more a case of 'write what you know'. Drabble did well using her own experiences in her writing to make it sound more authentic. The intellectual circles Drabble moved were probably very similar to those Rosamund moves in, but as a reader you do not get the feeling that Drabble is retelling her own life, at least I did not. I felt like she was using her own experiences to make Rosamund's narrative feel more authentic and personal. 

 Rosamund Stacey at the start of this novel, is a young woman, writing her Cambridge thesis on early English poetry. This is something that she shares with the author, and Drabble used her own knowledge to make remarks about Rosamund's work. Her work is important in the context of the novel, as it is something Rosamund is proud of- and there is a sense of pride in working on something intellectual and artist. So, Rosamund writes her thesis, moves in intellectual circles, socializes like one would expect a young woman to socialize. Occasionally she feels guilty for living alone in the fancy and quite spacious flat of her parents,  but she also has friend over, so it is not like she is  a hermit or anything. She has got to be frugal though, and she does not quite know how to disclose that information since everyone assumes she has sufficient means, living in a flat that is basically a status symbol on its own. Maybe this also worries her, because her parents installed this importance of socialism and independence in her, her parents who are away on a philanthropic mission and will remain chronically abroad for all of the novel.

All of this is relevant for the novel and the plot, because it reveals how Rosamund is in habit of letting people assume things. It also reveals a lot about her personality, background and character. She was raised to be fiercely independent but perhaps also not to explain herself to anyone, even when that would actually make her  life easier. Rosamund seems to have her head filled with Socialist and Fabian ideals. She is all for equality, but she also sees that it does not always work out as she or her parents planned. She recalls an event when a servant stole their silverware when they were very determined not to judge her for her working class background. So, she is socialist on principle, but also reports things as she sees them. Rosamund describes her parents as loving, but they also never seem there, so I was not sure what to think about that. Likewise, her education and upbringing is a liberal one, but she is a virgin. Rosamund is very embarrassed about the fact that she is a virgin at the beginning of this novel.  It is almost as she feels that in doing so she is a traitor to her education, because to be a virgin is to be a prude or something worse. I found this Rosamund's embarrassment to be an interesting commentary on the sexual liberation movements of the sixties, the so called sexual revolution. It is questionable how much good this revolution did to women. Perhaps it  just put another pressure on them, the pressure of doing something they did not want to do. Every political and social movement tries to install its own principles, sometimes more and sometimes less founded on the past ones. The political movements and revolutions that present themselves as liberating often end up in confusion and chaos, and in more extreme cases- in bloodshed and civil wars. Sometimes these social or political movements and revolutions do bring a sense of freshness and reexamining of the fact, but often there is also a price to pay.

Every social movement brings a pressure to conform. To be considered normal, one is not supposed to be what Rosamund is- a virgin. Her virginity is (at least she seems to feel so) somewhat abnormal and in contrast with the time she lives in- the sixties. I'm not sure exactly what year this novel is supposed to be set in, perhaps a bit before the sexual revolution really took place, but at some point in the sixties where changes are starting to happen for sure. Rosamund practically starts the novel by confessing to us how she ended up being a virgin. She tells us about a steady boyfriend she had, a wonderful fellow that she supposedly loved and that loved her, but nothing came out of it, even if they did check in a hotel together once. It was almost an act of rebellion, checking into the hotel together, because at that time it was not legal for unmarried couples to check in together. Rosamund tells us how she made the mistake of signing her real last name and how the receptionist was cross at having to correct it by giving her another paper. The whole episode seems to have left a bitter taste in Rosamund's mind. One could say that she is overthinking things a lot in this novel, but I think that is the beauty of this novel. Rosamund's meditations, recollections, overthinking and questions- it all felt beautifully vulnerable, real, personal and human. 

'One could find endless reasons for our abstinence—fear, virtue, ignorance, perversion—but the fact remains that the Hamish pattern was to be endlessly repeated, and with increasing velocity and lack of depth....' The Millstone

"It was here that I made my mistake"...Rosamund recounts her hotel experience of signing the register with her own name in The Millstone

Anyhow as the novel starts, Rosamund is now a student working on her thesis, moving in the young intellectual and artistic London circles, and she has no intention of anyone knowing she is a virgin, so she fakes dating two men at the same time. I found this whole scheme of hers odd, but it seems to make her happy, and who are we do judge? It is odd, though. So, basically there are two guys that hate one another. She goes on dates with both, but is only friends with both of them. They do not mind taking her out because they think she is with the other fellow. So, they are taking her out out of the pleasure of her company? Perhaps also because they hate the other guy. Both guys are a bit odd, but in different ways. If fact, they could not be more different one from another. 

Why is Rosamund so eager to continue this scheme? How did she come up with it in the first place? What is she trying to prove? Is it just her way of socializing and fitting in? Rosamund likes her work, or what is to become her real work soon enough, that much is clear. I guess she also wants to belong. To be a liberal literary historian with strong Socialist/Fabian views who moves in intellectual circles, I guess she feels she shouldn't be a virgin. Rosamund is clearly afraid of being labelled as a prude, old-fashioned or what not. Therefore, the elaborate scheme is worked out. I do not think it is just for show. I think Rosamund enjoys going out with these two men, being taken out, having dinners or drinks and having the attention.  Rosamund has her small circle of friends, and perhaps a part of her enjoys being thought of as an extravagant young lady who is dating two men at the same time. I think Rosamund also enjoys the freedom. Nobody is pressing her with questions about her love life, because it would be insensitive. You do not ask a young lady who is seeing two men about who is she seeing, do you? At least not if you do not want to see ridiculous. So, Rosamund seems to have created a bit of freedom for herself. Freedom from romantic attachment and being questioned on it. At the same time, Rosamund questions whether something is wrong with her for not desiring sexual liberation for herself. 

“I had the additional disadvantage of being unable to approve my own conduct; being a child of the age, I knew how wrong and how misguided it was. I walked around with a scarlet letter embroidered upon my bosom, visible enough in the end, but the A stood for Abstinence, not for Adultery.”

This goes to show how societal pressure always exists, in one form or another.  It is something to keep in mind when making choices for ourself. Our individual happiness rests always on individual choices because those are the choices that matter. Not saying we should not be a part of society, but we have to be observant of how societal pressure can influence decisions that are meant to be personal. Rosamund seems to be happy with her scheme. It's almost like she managed to hack the young society around her. However, there is a sense of uneasiness she must feel for having to work out such a scheme just to have some peace. Does Rosamund also seems a sense of guilt at leading these men on or taking away their time? Possibly. Rosamund feels guilty a lot, proving that you do not need to be religious to feel guilty. 

'It struck me that I felt nothing in common with any of these people, that I disliked the look of them, that I felt a stranger and a foreigner there, and yet I was one of them.' The Millstone, a novel by Margaret Drabble

Rosamund does not seem romantic and all, but there is someone she feels attracted to, and it's a certain George. Something about him feels different, and she feels attracted to him. If I remember well, Rosamund later muses that perhaps she was attracted to him because she thought he was gay. This might seem like a contradiction in terms, because why would that be desirable? However, it kind of makes sense in the context of a woman who is pretending to date two men. Maybe Rosamund just isn't ready for a relationship, maybe she cannot even comprehend what that means, maybe she is just looking for herself. She is very young, and maybe she does not have a sense of who she is. Alternately, perhaps she does know, and that is why she wants to be on her own. Rosamund might just want to live her own life. Imagine how confusing this time must have been for women! They were told they should have it all, but it was still uncommon to move out of the ordinary. Maybe they were felt like whatever they did, they would be judged. Maybe they felt they could never be progressive or traditional enough. 

Where does Rosamund meets George, this BBC newsreader whom she suddenly wants to take home? As you would expect, they meet in a pub. If I remember well, they are a part of a larger friend group or social circle, or at any rate they know of one another. Still, when Rosamund formally meets George, there is definite connection. Rosamund believes he is gay, but as explain earlier, she does not mind this. They talk, seem to hit it off, and before you know it, she invites him over to her place where they make love. Now, this whole episode was odd but also fascinating and for a matter of reasons. Why is Rosamund so eager to have him over? Is it  truly attraction? Or is she just looking for some human contact? Does she just want to get rid of her virgin status? Is it love? Is it romantic? What does George feel? 

"Which proves that deception is indeed a tangled web. And I had no one but myself to blame."

I must admit that I read this part with great curiosity, and I found it both tender and sad. Here you have two people who basically know nothing one about another sharing something very intimate. George is very polite, and the whole thing seemed cold. Rosamund herself does not seem to enjoy the act herself, and how could she? It is her first time, with someone she does not know well.  Still, she has feelings for him, she developed them or so it seems. She is also happy about it all. However, she never let it show. Let us know forget, she is putting on an act. Rosamund lets George assume that she is this progressive young lady dating two men at the same time. So, you could see how George naturally assumes that she only wants a one night stand with him. Rosamund actually wants to see George again and longs for him. However, she does not know how to communicate this to him. He remains an enigma for us readers. Is he gay, bisexual or straight? Does he care about her? What does he want? Mind you, this BBC George fellow believes Rosamund has two boyfriends, so he sees no need to linger. Rosamund discloses neither the fact that this is  her first time nor her feelings for George. What her feelings are, remains a bit uncertain, although there is definite longing. Is she too embarrassed and shy to tell him she wants to see him again? Has she developed feelings or started to fall  in love with him? At times it feels so, but I was never certain. Is it her fear of relationship that is keeping her back? Her socialist views? Whatever might be the case,  George leaves her flat. He practically disappears from her life, and Rosamund does long for him. The feelings for him that have formed will not disappear so easily. Still, when he leaves the flat, Rosamund does not stop him. He mistakes her silence for coldness. 

“And even then, even at that moment, I did not have the courage to ask him where he lived, or to ask him what his phone number was, for it would have seemed an intrusion, an assumption that I had a right to know, that a future existed where it would be of use to know. I see, oh yes I see that my diffidence, my desire not to offend looks like enough to coldness, looks like enough to indifference, and perhaps I mean it to, but this is not what it feels like in my head. But I cannot get out and say, Where do you live, give me your number, ring me, can I ring you? In case I am not wanted. In case I am tedious. So I let him go, without a word about any other meeting, though he was the one thing I wanted to keep...”

Rosamund obviously longs for George, but I was never sure exactly what it is that she longed for. What is it that she was afraid of? What was it that kept her away? Why couldn't she have told him the truth? Was her fear of rejection so strong or was it something else? Her desire for independence? 

“I look back now with some anguish to each touch and glance, to every changing conjunction of limbs and heads and hands. I have lived it over every day for so long now that I am in danger of forgetting the true shape of how it was, because each time I go over it I wish that I had given a little more here or there, or at the very least said what was in my heart, so that he could have known how much it meant to me. But I was incapable, even when happy, of exposing myself thus far.”

Maybe with time she would stop thinking about George, but something happens. During their first and only night spent together, Rosamund finds herself pregnant. Obviously, this comes off as a great shock to her. She can, however, appreciate the irony of it all. Getting pregnant on her first night with someone. Developing feelings she never thought she will and so suddenly. Being left with just a BBC voice on radio to listen to occasionally. 

What is she so afraid of? The connection or the lack of connection? I think there are some questions we can all ask ourselves. Is he afraid he will not believe her? Is he afraid he will hate her? That he will not believe her? That he will assume it is someone's else child? Or that he will marry her out of sense of duty?  Is she afraid of being trapped in a loveless marriage? Or sharing a life with someone she does not know well? Of making the final decision before even knowing the person. Is she obliged to tell him? It is his child as much as hers. She really has no doubts that he is the father. So, should Rosamund tell him? She longs for him, but she is reluctant to get in touch with him. As time moves on, it does not seem right to her. I'm not sure how I thought about this, but that is Rosamund's reasoning. She decides not to tell him and that's that. I feel like this is where the novel really starts, because from now on it is all about Rosamund and the baby.  A large part of this novel is all about how motherhood feels like, and I absolutely loved how it was described.

“I did not realize the dreadful facts of life. I did not know that a pattern forms before we are aware of it, and that what we think we make becomes a rigid prison making us.”

This introductory part of the novel was interesting. I could relate to it all, Rosamund being a young woman in search of her identity, and she is a fascinating lass with her overthinking and her honesty. However, I feel it is really with it is with the pregnancy that this novel truly begins. It feels like that- a story about a woman and her baby. Rosamund and Octavia. This is what novel is ultimately about. The young woman and the motherhood she choses.  The obvious question is what to do about it.  Rosamund herself asks herself that question many times. 

Initially, she decides to buy a bottle of gin she cannot afford and drink in all in hopes of having an abortion. She read somewhere that you could have an abortion that way, by drinking a bottle of gin and having a hot bath. It seems far-fetched but not knowing what to do, Rosamund decides to give it a go.  However, after buying the gin in question, Rosamund runs into friends of her, who practically invite themselves to help her with the gin,  and the two of them come to her flat. They have a little party of sorts, Rosamund gets happy and drunk. She explains she always feels happy when she drinks, and after a nice enough drunk evening, Rosamund abandons her abortion plan. She has to make decisions then and there. She does, and some of these decisions center on whom to tell and why. 

What Rosamund does decide is not to to tell either George or her parents. She has to tell someone, though. I mean with time everyone will know, but there is a question of whom to tell first. So, Rosamund tells her friends. They don't mind or so it seems. They are all very modern, or think themselves so. One of her friends moves in, and despite small disputes from time to time, they seem to get along well for most part. Rosamund's friend can occasionally help with babysitting and the flat is more than enough for two people. But I'm getting a bit ahead of the plot. 

Location: Split / Outfit: green blazer (vintage), red bag, pink dotted dress & pink sneakers

I forgot all about Rosamund siblings. While her parents are on a humanitarian mission in Africa, her siblings are here, so something has to be said. She has a brother and a sister, and both are married. Rosamund writes to her sister Beatrice, but receives a really unfriendly and unkind letter back. This is the first blow that Rosamund receives, and all the worse because she expected support from her sister who has children herself. Beatrice urges Rosamund to have an abortion or to give the baby away, implying that she will ruin her life is she keeps it. Rosamund plans to do no such thing. She does not even bother telling her brother. She is not close with her brother and his wife. Rosamund will (if I remember correctly) run into her brother's wife in the supermarket, and the wife will be outraged by her pregnancy. Rosamund will not care at all at this point.

Rosamund organizes her life so she can work on the thesis and give private English lessons while she is pregnant. She thinks of cancelling her tutoring lessons, but feels too guilty to do so. 

'I began to worry myself to death about these four dependants. My instinct was to tell them all I was ill and unable to continue the course, but I felt some guilt about doing this midway to the exams.'

Her students don't realize right away, and when one of them does, he does not seem to care, and Rosamund is relieved or so it seems.  Her friends also don't mind. I already mentioned that one of them, Lydia (who is a writer) moves in at some point, and it makes sense for both of them as it helps the friend in question with the rent, and the additional help really comes in handy when Rosamund has her baby. Naturally, the two pretend lovers have got to go. Rosamund has no time to pretend she is seeing two men, or to see two men, as friends or whatever. Rosamund works on her thesis, gives lessons and lives her life. She is already starting to see the world differently. A whole new reality opens to her, as a mother to be. 

Rosamund seems to enjoy her work as much as she always did, and after initial doubts, welcomes the idea of motherhood. As a readers, you can feel her sincere happiness and joy. The choices she made are not simple ones, but she moves forward without doubts. The society she lives in does not take kind to unmarried mothers. However, Rosamund pushes forward. 

'What do you want? I said they'd just called my name out, what should I do? Go see the midwife, said the nurse. Where? I said, almost sharply, for I could see no possible reason why I or anyone else should be expected to know by instinct where midwives were.'*

Once her baby Octavia is born, Rosamund seems to gain almost superhuman strength. Of course, there are many challenges. Single parent parenthood is difficult even with a supporting society. The society of that time could hardly understand the concept. Rosamund learns how hard it is when she has to take the child to the doctors. Still, Rosamund is very grateful for a lot of things. For the flat, for her friend Lydia, for everything good in her life. That is something I noticed, and I think it makes a lot of difference in her situation. Rosamund does not sees herself as a victim. Instead, she embraces motherhood and all the joy it can bring. She describes both herself and others with honestly, noting down flaws, but there is no bitterness or resentment. I really like how she was as a protagonist, just sharing her experience, and not pushing her views on anybody. 

Location Split city / Maxi dress (preloved), red bag & Nike sneakers

Rosamund is a young woman, and she is struggling to navigate the world around her. Sometimes her candidness makes her seem less than emphatic, but there is honesty in this as well. Rosamund is often very fair in her meditations, or least that is how I viewed it. Rosamund never seem to blame anyone or anything for anyone or anything, but she observes a lot. She admits to never noticing babies or pregnant woman before she ever got pregnant herself. She admits to not caring for any of it.  Sometimes the novel feels like a long series of the comments of most sincere nature. Some of her comments can come off as a bit xenophobic at times, like when she is surprised when one of her foreign student does well academically, but I think they are just a consequence of her being where she is in her life. 

She also does not hide the fact that she feels intellectually superior to others. It is just a part of who she is or who she feels she is.

'I was in such a strong position by nature that were a situation to arise in which there were any choice to make between me and another, I would win, through the evident superiority of my mind.' 

Octavia is born and this is described in detail. When she is taken to the hospital, Rosamund is aware she is treated differently because she is taken from an expensive flat. There is also a class question. She may be at disadvantage as an unmarried woman, but she is at an advantage as someone who is middle class. Her stay in the hospital is also elaborately written on.

'It was a good time of year for flowers, and daffodils, tulips, roses, azaleas and Lord knows what appeared in vast profusion: I began to grow quite embarrassed, finally, thinking that such excess might annoy the nurse who kept bringing them in to me, or the other less gifted mothers.'

The novel does not end with Octavia's birth, though. One has a feeling it is where it starts. One has a feeling that being a mother gives Rosamund wings, sorts of speak. I found it really refreshing how positive the novel spoke of motherhood and parenthood. It is not an idolized view, Rosamund does face challenges, but she is sincerely happy to be a mother and she never regrets her choice. I had to admire at how fiercely Rosamund loves her daughter, even while I questioned her choices.

I had some questions, I have to admit. For example, why does she not tell George? Does not George have the right the now? Does not Octavia has the right to know her father? Her parental's grandparents? Her family? Who gives Rosamund's the right to keep her all to herself? However, as a reader, I also knew I have to wait for the writer to give me the answers. After all, the novel is hardly over at this point, it practically only begins....

As soon as Rosamund seems to navigate her work and motherhood, an unexpected problem occurs. Her daughter is diagnosed with a heart problem....Rosamund is heart-broken but must remain strong. There are still things to be said and done before this short novel is over, but I won't reveal all of the plot. Let us leave some question open. Does the baby Octavia survive? Does Rosamund tell her parents? Does she regret her decision of having the baby? Does she manages to keep her life? Do her parents eventually find out? What happens with her career? Her work? Does she meet George? Some of these questions will be answered only towards the end of the novel. As I said, it is not a long novel, so you don't have to wait for answers for long. 

The Millstone is well balanced and well paced piece of writing. I can see why this novel won the award it did. I read it last Summer and it really stayed with me. The personal first person narrative really draws the reader in, and you feel like you're reading a diary of Rosamund's soul. As a reader, you get a good sense of who Rosamund is, where she comes from and how she develops as a young woman. It is hard not to love a novel when you feel like you have looked into the soul of its protagonist. There is a sense of vulnerability in this novel that really enriches its narrative. All in all, I feel that I can really recommend this novel. It is a wonderfully descriptive, personal and philosophical view into motherhood and maturing.  Highly recommended!

Are you looking for more book reviews? Besides The Sea Lady, another novel by this author, I have a few more recommendations. If you enjoy philosophical writing, you might also like Big Girls Don't Cry by Fay Weldon, that focuses on a group of women navigating their lives in the sixties and The Sandcastle by Dame Irish Murdoch that focuses on marriage and human relationships.  The love stores in all of the above mentioned novels are not a conventional ones (if there is a happy love story at all), so maybe you'd appreciate My unconventionally romantic  reading guide?  I would also recommend Lady Chatterley's Lover because it focuses on class, and examines social expectations of the time. The End of the Affair could also be a great read that examines love in the context of society and religion. Another recommendation that comes to mind would be The English Patient, that questions love and survivor. Finally, if you want to read something deeply personal, I'd recommend Our Kate, a memoir or rather an autobiographical novel by Dame Catherine Cookson. 

Location: Jelsa, island Hvar
Sustainable fashion files: ruffled blouse, denim skirt and sneakers

As always, thank you for reading and visiting!