Although published simultaneously in the United States and Great Britain, The Golden Notebook did not gain wide readership until the 1970s when feminists embraced the novel for its realistic portrayal of the life of single women trying to raise their children outside the boundaries of tradition. Lessing's "free women" concept, in alignment with most feminist beliefs, helped not only to redefine sexuality issues but also provided literary models of the now famous motto "the personal is political" that so many feminist critics have maintained. Since then, the academic world has recognized the postmodern themes, narrative, and structure of the novel.

Having established herself as a writer interested in politics and recognized and self-defined as an author of realistic fiction, Lessing offers a different approach to novel writing in The Golden Notebook. The novel's structure, themes, and characters support a postmodern view. Not only the characters, but...