ilse0778's review against another edition
3.0
(Only had chance to read The Gentleman from San Francisco): 3/5 stars
I loved the wistful atmosphere Bunin created on the voyage towards Europe, the arrival of the family in Capri and everyone’s response to that. What I struggled to understand was the sudden death of the Gentleman and the complete 180 in behaviour of the staff and people from Capri.
I liked the touch at the end, of the Gentleman journeying back in a dark coffin while life goes on as it did on the voyage to Europe, but that unexplained death, lack of attention to the daughter and wife’s grief at the death of the Gentleman, and the weird behaviour of Capri’s people after the event just made the story feel weird and not make sense anymore, which was a pity. This is a story that could’ve done with some more pages
I loved the wistful atmosphere Bunin created on the voyage towards Europe, the arrival of the family in Capri and everyone’s response to that. What I struggled to understand was the sudden death of the Gentleman and the complete 180 in behaviour of the staff and people from Capri.
I liked the touch at the end, of the Gentleman journeying back in a dark coffin while life goes on as it did on the voyage to Europe, but that unexplained death, lack of attention to the daughter and wife’s grief at the death of the Gentleman, and the weird behaviour of Capri’s people after the event just made the story feel weird and not make sense anymore, which was a pity. This is a story that could’ve done with some more pages
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