Monday 1 June 2009

On Chesil Beach by Ian MacEwan

This is a beautifully-written book, but rarely can a wedding night have gone so wrong since Tess Durbeyfield married Angel Clare. Writers of misery memoirs would do well to study how MacEwan handles the possibility of abuse in the background. It's delicate and ambiguous, but it's there and it informs the rest of the novel. There have been conflicting opinions about the book but I think it is worth reading for the quality of the writing and the evocative prose.

Day 235; Book 226

3 comments:

  1. Very good book Anne, yes it does receive mixed reviews,

    one to recommed, The Book Thief, just sent it to my Mum's for reading so I can't remember the Authors second name its Marcus........
    set in the 2nd world war. Be prepared though, its a bit of a tear jerker.

    Ally

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  2. I have been meaning to read this for an age now - I must visit the library soon. I too have heard conflicting reports.

    Someone told me I MUST read Saturday by Ian MacE too - have you read it?

    Hope you are doing well - looking forward to more book reviews!

    Lis

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  3. Thanks for the tip Ally. I'll make sure I'm feeling brave before I read that one.

    I haven't read Saturday either, Lis, so that's another one to look out for.

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