I first began reading Byatt's Potter quartet almost ten years ago for a final year English seminar for my undergraduate degree. We studied the third of the series, Babel Tower, and having started at the third, with the fourth not yet released, I decided to read the books in reverse order. And so it passed that I read Babel Tower, Still Life then Virgin in the Garden before eventually coming to the final instalment, The Whistling Woman.

Byatt is undoubtedly amongst my favourites of contemporary authors. The texture of her books is simply magnificent, the many layers, the references and symbolism that I know I do not even yet understand the full breadth thereof, but will enjoy discovering when reading her books again in the years to come.

In examining the changing times of the 1960s, Byatt succeeds in providing a critical account of the changes wrought to the world by contemporary processes of globalisation; what we are experiencing now, Byatt seems to say, is nothing new. The difficulties in the university were, for this university worker, utterly chilling - although it did make me yearn for the days when students did actually care about, well, anything.

The Whistling Woman was an odd finale to the quartet, both satisfying and unsatisfying. I have never understood, however, why people in the novels dislike Frederica so much. I've always quite liked her and will miss her very much. ( )

In this, the final book in the 'Frederica Potter' quartet of novels, Frederica is almost a peripheral character. The core character around whom the novel revolves, one way or another, is the charismatic Josh Lamb, whose transition from mental hospital patient to leader of a Manichean religious cult is seamless and credible. The action of the novel takes place between 1968 and 1970, a time of turmoil as young people (particularly students) begin to question authority, and everything from scentific breakthroughs to the possibilities provided by television seem both exciting and frightening.

The book begins with a fairy story about 'the Whistlers', who were women who wanted a greater degree of physical freedom than they were permitted. Secretly, they fly, but they are seen and betrayed, and kicked out of their valley. Birds - literally and metaphorically - fly and flap throughout the novel. They are present even in the names of some of the characters - Elvet Gander, Luk Lysgaard-Peacock. I must admit to finding the weighted names of Byatt's characters annoying.

Although there are many characters and sub-plots in this novel (Frederica and her love-life and telly career, Luk and Jacqueline the snail-hunters, Lucy and her husband Gunner, Gerald Wijnnobel's 'body and mind' conference, the anti-university), all of which are to some extent related, it is the religious community that is perhaps the most interesting feature of the novel. Josh Lamb is the quintessential charismatic leader. Although we learn something of his history, he remains an enigmatic figure. Is he fundamentally a force for good, or for evil? Strict Manichaeism, as presented in this novel, is life-negating - fasting is encouraged, sex and procreation are frowned upon.

Much of the science in this novel went right over my head, and I did find myself skipping sections - there aren't that many - dealing with Jacqueline's work on snail brains. While every part of this novel is ultimately relevant, it's sometimes hard to see why certain bits are relevant. It's not a tidy novel - not everything quite adds up - but for me it's probably the most rewarding book in the quartet. Byatt seems to be interested in absolutely everything, and expects her readers to keep up with her. [April 2006] ( )

It's the fourth book in the family saga, this is one of the things the series is.
In book 1- Virgin inthe Garden, we meet Frederica Potter and then follow her and her family through the years. The first book is solidly rooted in this idea, but by book three, and then definitely in book four, we wander into much less structured novel, something that Frederica herself would undoubtedly call "laminations". There are bits and pieces of different writing forms: poems, letters, newspaper articles, novels inside novels, fragments of religious texts, philosophy pieces
all united by the theme of the changing life of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but much less focused on one main character. It all beautifully comes together though. ( )