Thinking about four short novels

The Grandmothers: Four Short Novels ~ by Doris Lessing, 2003, fiction, 336 pages

1. The Grandmothers ~ Two friends fall in love with each other's teenage sons, and these passions last for years, until the women end them, vowing a respectable old age.
2. Victoria and the Staveneys ~ A young woman gives birth to a child of mixed race and struggles with feelings of estrangement as her daughter gets drawn into a world of white privilege.
3. The Reason for It ~ This story traces the birth, faltering, and decline of an ancient culture, with enlightening modern resonances.
4. A Love Child ~ This one features a World War II soldier who believes he has fathered a love child during a fleeting wartime romance and cannot be convinced otherwise.

I decided to check this book out of our Crown Center library, when it's available.