Eleanor Darcy, a woman of marginal genealogy and looks that play better
than they should, is married to the economist to whom the Prime Minister
listens. Determined to rip apart the old order and start fresh, Eleanor
becomes the serpent - or angel - who whispers utopian visions in Julian
Darcy's ear. With the husband in jail for imperiling the financial
structure of the nation, Eleanor grants exclusive interviews to two
journalists, Hugo Vansitart and Valerie Jones. Though they seem more
preoccupied with each other than with their elusive subject, their goal
is the same: to capture the essence of Eleanor Darcy. Hugo is looking
for truth and pragmatism in Eleanor's vision: Valerie is in quest of the
woman's struggle.
From their diverse portraits, Eleanor Darcy emerges, and so does her
remarkable vision - complete with shockingly sensible ideas about
child-rearing, abortion, education, integration, fundamentalism,
economics - and, of course, a new twist on that old story of the sexes.
Fay Weldon has once again skewered the conventions of modern society
with wit and wisdom, shining her flashlight on the threadbare morals of
modern life.
