And this morning I finished (re)reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams.
Not a lot to say, because what is there to say?
Well, except that, being more familiar with the TV version, seeing the concluding conversation (since this book and the TV show end at the same place in the story) expanded to add a couple of the Golgafrinchan girls was...disquieting. The conversation being between the two of them was appropriate to the focus throughout the story on their friendship (let us not forget that it was Arthur and Arthur alone who Ford took the risk of saving from the doomed Earth!) and the simplicity of the exchange gave a nice tone to the ending.
For that matter, the entire notion that Ford and Arthur would decide to hook up with Golgafrinchan girls despite their disgust with the entire Golgafrinchan race is troubling. It implies that having zero regard for their partners is their standard position. I'm sure that wasn't the intent, but that's how it comes off, regardless of intent.
But it was written in the 1980s. What can ya do? 😭😭
(This is, of course, one of the reasons I don't plan to reread So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, because a hetero romance is a fairly big part of that one. Though as I recall Arthur does at least treat her as more or less an equal, a proper partner, not just a...)
Anyway.
Onwards!
Original language: English
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