Two Women Two Women had been on my wishlist for several years and when I found a cheap copy on sale a few weeks ago I thought it was high time I actually read the damn thing. Although crime-mysteries aren't usually my thing, I've been reading quite a few of them lately, and this one particularly appealled to me as it sounded more like an insight into the lives of women in prison.Aaaaand this is the bit where I tell you if you have this book on your TBR/wishlist because you think that's what it is, well, it isn't. The vast majority of two women, and the part I found most riveting was Sue's life before she was convicted of murdering her own husband.Two Women starts with a prologue which, in hindsight, was probably unnecessary or is perhaps a way to grab the people who are looking for the prison angle when they read the first few pages. The prologue quickly gives way to Sue's childhood, and is where the book becomes far more drama than mystery.Whilst not exactly likable, I found it very easy to feel an incredible amount of sympathy towards Sue. From childhood she was pretty much destined for a life of violence and unhappiness, and for those reasons I really wanted something better to happen to her, but she does evolve over time and through her circumstances to someone who once again is perhaps not very likable, but understandable. There were times when I felt quite frustrated with her for not trying to change what was happening to her, but I could also see why her circumstances meant that she didn't have the bravery or knowledge to be able to move away from her situation.Her devotion towards her children and her need for them to have a better life than she has had is admirable, but again circled me back to the question of why she didn't do more to get herself out of such a horrible cycle.Two Women is violent, ugly and shocking. Sue's whole family perpetuate a life of misery for themselves and each other, and there's very little comraderie between any of them. Their emotions and loyalties swing constantly and in that way the characters are very contradictory - just when I thought I had them figured out, they did something completely different that took me by surprise. Therefore it's a pretty unpredicatable read, and that really had me hooked because I wanted to see what terrible thing happened next or if someone would get bitten in the arse by karma.The part that I actually found most disappointing about this book was, sadly, the prison aspect. After all, that is what had me interested in this book in the first place, but it felt rushed and not very tense. The mystery element didn't shock me, or even surprise me, and this is not a crime-mystery in the traditional sense.I did enjoy Two Women overall, and probably would have liked it more if I'd gone in with lesser or different expectations.
“The past catches up with you, no matter how clever you think you’ve been. The past is the future but you don’t realise that until it rears its ugly head again.”I have actually marked down a sentence from this book. That is always a good sign.Two Women is a very powerful book. Somehow it feels like it has more in it than your usual thriller. First of all, Cole knows what she’s writing about and writes about it in a way that makes you feel like you know intimately what she’s writing about as well, even if you yourself have never met with any situation even remotely similar. I for myself have never been anywhere near East London or the kind of environment where Susan McNamara lives. Looking for an escape from her violent father she falls blindly in love with Barry Dalston and marries him, just to find out Barry is nothing more than a younger version of the dreaded parent. Nevertheless, she stays with him through all his escapades, affairs, beatings and all the trouble, and gives him four children who she loves to bits and for whom she’d do anything. And that she does. She ends up in prison after finally one day Barry goes too far and Susan smashes his head into pieces with a claw hammer. What is going to happen with the children, now both fatherless and motherless? Should Susan really be in prison for getting rid of the husband who had brutalised her and her children for years?The setting is brilliantly portrayed. It is shown for what it is. It is shocking, a picture of danger, violence and abuse, where everyone is selfish and no one is safe. But that is normal, because no one ever knew any different way of life. You read about these people and it sounds far-fetched. Yet somehow, it’s not the book that sounds far-fetched, it is the reality. It’s hard to imagine someone can take this as normality, yet you don’t doubt that that’s how it is.One major issue I have with the book is that the title and the description on the cover do not fit the book at all. You may have noticed that in my short summary, I don’t even mention Susan’s cellmate who, according to the description, is supposed to have a huge impact on Sue’s life. Well, that’s because she’s by far not that important. In fact, Susan doesn’t even get into the prison until page 397. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t make the story as such any worse, it’s actually better than what I expected it to be from the description, but the two just don’t match.Having said that, don’t expect what the book says to expect, but expect an amazing book. It really is very good. Martina Cole is now on my watch-list and I am definitely curious about her other books.
What do You think about Two Women (2000)?
Susan Dalston, the prologue tells us, has murdered her husband, is in prison and is being transferred between prisons pending an appeal against her sentence. This is an appeal that she doesn't intend to go through with, it's just a means of getting closer to her family for a few weeks to make visits easier.As is quite usual with Martina Cole novels, we find out the ending, or near ending, in the prologue and the rest of the novel takes us from an early point, through a desparately hard life to the point where we meet the prologue again.In this case, Susan as a child, is unloved by her mother, disparaged by her gran and abused by her father. On marrying her childhood sweetheart (not giving anything away here as the marriage is mentioned in the prologue) life goes from bad to worse. There are disturbing and black scenes in this novel, to my mind the blackest of Cole's novels that I have read so far. Women reading this book will relate to Susan and will feel for her from start to finish. Men reading this novel will look for the lovable rogue, or the bad son that still looks after his family - but will be disappointed as no such character exists. There are no nice men or partly nice men with any major role in this novel, perhaps a deliberate ploy on Cole's part to make the reader, male or female, relate to Susan and nobody else. Choosing a typical passage is difficult without giving the plot away so, from the prologue we have..........Matilda left the cell and came back with two large mugs of tea. She opened a packet of digestives and placed a few on the bunk beside Susan."Did you really hit your old man......."Susan interrupted her acidly "One hundred and fifty two times with a claw hammer? Yes, I did, I counted the blows, it gave me something to focus on."I don't think I could read two Martina Cole's novels in succession and after "Two Women" had to have a break from reading completely, such was the power of the novel, leaving the reader shocked in most chapters
—Clive Thompson
I really wanted to enjoy this book. It had so many great reviews. Intact all of Martina Coles books do. However she's just not for me. This was the first and last book of hers that I have read. I actually didn't even finish the book. I hate how it would jump to things happening or certain things would be said in the book and I had no idea how the characters got there and I had no idea what was going on. I can read a lot of gruesome stuff but I cannot read child rape. It's just too much for me. I know that there are children being raped everyday and I cannot bring myself to read about it!
—Sarah
At first I felt I wouldn't get into and enjoy the book but I was very wrong. Its brutality is hard to take, I don't think it will be for everyone, and I felt it was a little formulaic at times. However by telling the story and developing the characters in such a way the end was incredible, I struggled to put it down. The story is about so much more than the brutal side of life, which it first appears about. The characters are real, it was about the good that come from depravity, the lengths people will go to to protect their children and friendships. A thoroughly enjoyable read, though the title and blurb may be a little misleading! I will be trying another by Martina Cole.
—Kelly Tennant
