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On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan, is the best book I’ve read in a while. It was beautiful and breathtaking and melancholy and almost perfect. (I include the “almost” because it didn’t do my laundry.)
The novella takes place in 1962 on Edward and Florence’s wedding night. While the foregoing sentence is technically true, it actually covers a great deal more than that because of the flash backs. Still, the pivotal moments occur because the virgins have some unspoken issues that they will be forced to deal with on this momentous night. Here is the first line:
They were young, educated, and both virgins on this, their wedding night, and they lived in a time when a conversation about sexual difficulties was plainly impossible.
The plot and character development were done so deftly that I was always in the moment and yet always looking forward to the next point. Perhaps what I liked most was that Edward and Florence were normal people. They had no excessive horrors in their lives or personalities. They were everyman and everywoman with their own set of issues and fears and strengths and weaknesses. This book was ultimately human.
The writing was simple and yet complex in its beauty. I particularly liked this passage:
She watched him coming along the strand, his form at first no more than an indigo stain against the darkening shingle, sometimes appearing motionless, flickering and dissolving at its outlines, and at others suddenly closer, as though moved like a chess piece a few squares toward her.
Ian McEwan was impressively adept at writing both the male and female perspectives realistically. There is no easy answer to the questions before the newlyweds, and McEwan shows how differently they both perceive the same situation. McEwan also portrays their young love very realistically. He describes the two lovers retelling their first meeting, which was “by now enriched by a private mythology.”
Okay, I could go on and on. Just read this book! One note of caution, this book does deal with sex. While I personally thought the subject was treated respectfully and realistically, not voyeuristically, this book may not be for everyone.
On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan (35) * * * * *
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi has been on my TBR list since the movie was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year. It moved up on the list because of the good reviews I’ve read on book blogs. When Dewey announced that latecomers to her Graphic Novel Challenge could join and read half the books, I requested Persepolis from the library.
Persepolis is a memoir in graphic novel form. It takes place in Tehran, Iran from about 1978-1983. It covers the fall of the Shah, the Iranian Revolution, and the Iran/Iraq War from the perspective of a preteen/teen. It’s actually a pretty good history lesson.
This book got to me. The combination of the pictures and the honest reactions were, at times, very effective. It was a fast read, and I was immediately emotionally involved. Also, I felt like the perspective of the narrator was true to her age. In other words, it felt like a 10-14 year-old was actually writing the book and telling us exactly how she felt.
Though I liked this book, I’m pretty sure graphic novels are not going to become main fare in my reading diet. I tend to process the words and the pictures separately. I sometimes became confused and frustrated when the words and/or pictures weren’t clear. For example, the pictures are all drawn in black and white and it was sometimes hard to tell the mother from the daughter. The reckless use of dangling pronouns only added to the problem. I often had to go back and read whole pages to confirm who a pronoun was referring to and sometimes it wasn’t clear after a reread. (Also, a note: the book did have some profanities and dealt rather bluntly with torture.)
Whew. Now that I’m done ranting about pronouns, I will say that this book was well done. It was honest. It was funny. It was touching. The ending almost made me cry. I’ve put Persepolis 2 on reserve at the library.
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi: (55) * * * *
Other reviews:
Since this challenge doesn’t start until July, Trish is having potential participants do the following meme to get to know one another:
1. My favorite classic is Pride and Prejudice. No question.
2. The classic I had the toughest time finishing is Emma. I still haven’t finished it.
3. I would recommend Cannery Row to someone who doesn’t read a lot of classics or who doesn’t generally like classics because it is short and powerful and a good story.
4. To me, a classic book is a book that has withstood the test of time in that it can speak to people of all generations and eras.
5. The type of relationship I have with classics is love/guilt. I love to read them but feel guilty that I don’t read more.
For the challenge, I select Option 1:
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad
Emma, by Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
BONUS: Atonement, by Ian McEwan
