Alfred and Èmily by Doris Lessing

Could we change the life of our parents if we wanted? And give them the life they should have had? (in our mind..)
This is the strange thing that Doris Lessing did in this book. Considering that the First World War was a horrible experience for both her parents, she supresses it... no more war... And so, her parents lived another life...This is the first part of her book. And I don't know why, but I found it on the verge of boredom...

And then, in the second part, she remembers her life with her parents in Rhodesia.. And I found it much more interesting!
Or perhaps, it's simply because this part is not purely invented, doesn't look like a Victorian novel,but is real life, and because it is in Rhodesia, and because this time, it's her own memories she tells..

And it made me think that sometimes we would like to change the way we live, or our parents lived, but we can't, and I think it's better that way! The world is perfectible, but it's probably  its imperfection that makes it enjoyable and lively..