The Wall

First published in 1962 in German, I can see how this might be more popular in the 1970's when it was released again, in parallel with the emerging women's rights movement. Set in a limited post-disaster woods/hunting/farming valley away from civilization, a woman is honest about herself in facing the need to survive on her own with a few animals. The self-honesty of the character, plus her hard work and ingenuity made this better in the '70s than upon initial release. Despite some interesting protagonist personal insight, and an interesting writing style, the story was sometimes tedious and bogged down, and I found myself speed-reading through pages of daily regimen in search of action. There's never any explanation of what happened or why to create her situation, but that wasn't important to the author, just the character's development through her situation. Also, in my opinion the ending did not resolve the problem, again because the problem isn't the author's focus, the character development is.

Because there are no chapters. There are no good places to stop reading. In a way, I found this book very interesting. But it was also depressing. The whole book made me feel like every thing was hopeless for this woman. I hated the ending, because I wanted to know what happened, but it didn't have an ending. I was so disappointed not to know what happened and if anything changed. But it just stopping and left me hanging. I wished I had never started reading because of the disappointment. So take your chances if it is worth reading a very good book.

I finished this book with more questions than answers. It was very moving. At first I thought there should be some explanation as to why there was a Wall, but realized it was more about how the woman reacted and persevered.In the Afterward, one psychiatrist said it was a description of a woman who was clinically depressed. I don't think that's right. I felt that she, like all of us, went from joy to sadness throughout her days like all people. She was just human or should I say alive, since her beloved animals went through the same range of emotions.If you love animals, you will love this book and cry over each one of them. I also identified with her feelings about her own children.I highly recommend this novel. I wish I could see the movie.

I can’t seem to figure out why so many are using gender as a main point of focus when describing this novel. The editorial review called it, "ecofeminist". It does take place in a natural setting and the protagonist is a woman, but I wouldn't say the main focus of this book is gender equality or environmental preservation. In my opinion this book is about the effects of apocalyptic isolation on the human psyche while surviving in the wilderness on limited resources. Animal companionship is another major theme. The wilderness usually treats both sexes the same, so do animals, and I can imagine any realist, man or woman, going through the same thought patterns she describes in her report.The Wall seems to be mostly categorized as science fiction. While I don’t necessarily disagree with that classification, I can see how it might mislead the audience’s expectations. The displeased reviewers seem to criticize the lack of sci-fi action. I personally thought that surviving in the wilderness on limited supplies was action enough. Some of the negative reviews also noted the repetition of the chores. I think it was the author’s intent to use repetition in the novel to demonstrate how it might aid in the preservation of one’s sanity in an extreme situation. That being said, I somewhat agree that the book was overly repetitive and that’s why I subtracted a star. Other than that, I thought this book was mesmerizing. I would recommend this book to people who prefer introspection as opposed to a heart pounding plot. I would also recommend this to people who love animals and can deal with the hunting or people that enjoy existential musings.

This is not an action packed adventure. Rather, this is about the mind and thought processes that this woman went through to survive on her own. Ask yourself, how would you handle it if you were the only one left alive? Could you handle being alone? With only yourself and a couple of animals for company. Would you let the acts of survival drag you down, or do you have it in you to get up and get moving every day of your life to work hard because that is what its going to take to stay alive? Many will think they can do it. I think it is much harder than we can imagine. This book probes into one possibility of one woman's struggle for survival, all alone. I really did enjoy the book.

I am almost haunted by this book.The woman in this tale is unlike any, or maybe it is just that she is every woman. She finds herself trapped in a hunting lodge after an unexplainable "wall" has come down around her. She is all alone, except for the animals she cares for. A woman past her prime with kids grown and gone. All she has is memories and new responsibilities. At the core of this story is a woman who knows life must go on. She teaches herself how to stay alive. She suffers great loses and learns things the hard way. She writes her memoir for no one, she writes it all down for us to read and try to make sense of it. She is no hero, she is a survivor. There is no vanity in the woman's story. She takes no credit for her many accomplishments. This is a tale where beauty and the pursuit of the opposite sex is not in the forefront. What a breathe of fresh air that a woman could just have an adventure without other women or a man to distract from the purpose. This book is timeless in that there is no technology to give it away. There is no time stamp on it. I was shocked to find out just how long ago this was written. Don't let the stories age distract you. This woman could live at any time, in any country. I finished this book with a sense of awe. I knew there really wasn't more, but I carry this character with me. She is the woman I hope I would be if I found myself all alone.