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dbluminberg's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. Set in London in the late 60’s, Phyllis, a married mother of two adolescent children, finds herself in love with a younger, freer, more radical man and uproots her life to be with him and discover who she is and who she wants to be. Several interesting twists and turns and surprisingly, most characters end up relatively happy in the end.
copenhagen_reader's review against another edition
4.0
Brilliant novel. Transports the reader. Language is excellent, the characters are interesting, the plot surprising and moving. Excellent!
lilyhanks21_'s review against another edition
2.5
this is the wintertime equivalent to a beach read- slightly more complex but in a pretentious way rather than the sophisticated way it thinks it is... any compulsion i felt towards the characters was minimized by the incredulity of each storyline- i did appreciate the way time moved in this story
labeet's review against another edition
4.0
On the surface, it is a simple little book about a woman's striving to liberate herself in England in the 1960's. But it's much more than that. Beautifully written and executed we follow the members of a conventional family that turns out to be not quite as conventional as they themselves or their surroundings thought.
Phyl is the lead character, a charming, beautiful woman who keeps her house in order and her children in check. Until suddenly one day when she's tempted to commit a small transgression. Which snowballs, of course.
So much literature warns us not to lie or keep secrets within the family. Yet, all the time we hear about families doing just that. This book also warns us: had somebody, early on, told the truth, all would have been different. Also, trust, once broken, is hard, perhaps even impossible, to restore.
As I said, beautifully written with a great knack for the elegant details that make a story stand out. Excellently narrated by Abigail Thaw.
Phyl is the lead character, a charming, beautiful woman who keeps her house in order and her children in check. Until suddenly one day when she's tempted to commit a small transgression. Which snowballs, of course.
So much literature warns us not to lie or keep secrets within the family. Yet, all the time we hear about families doing just that. This book also warns us: had somebody, early on, told the truth, all would have been different. Also, trust, once broken, is hard, perhaps even impossible, to restore.
As I said, beautifully written with a great knack for the elegant details that make a story stand out. Excellently narrated by Abigail Thaw.
claire_fuller_writer's review against another edition
3.0
There are novels by Tessa Hadley which have made my top ten books of the year, but sadly I don't think this is going to be one of them. The writing, as ever, is wonderful. Hadley has such a wonderful way of putting me right in the location she's writing about. The novel starts with the sound of children playing outside on a warm evening, and I was right there. But the story and its characters and their little bit of intrigue didn't scoop me up and sustain me. In 1967 a middle class woman with two children and a respectable husband embarks on an affair that turns her life and those of her family upside down. Maybe it didn't explore anything new - it felt like I had read this before, even though of course every situation is different for each new character.
flightyrachel's review against another edition
sad
4.25
A sad little story about a woman who thinks she is redefining herself, whilst remaining defined by her relationships with men. It has an appropriately dated air, and reminded me of those 70s books I read at university, The Women's Room, I think one was called. Books that imply immancipation is achieved by lots of sex with unsuitable partners and ignoring parental responsibility. This is much better written than those!
The sense of time and place is brilliantly done, I could picture each setting so clearly! I loved this about the book and it hooked me in right from the start. The clothing and decor is also described so well!
Phyllis is a pretty awful person really, or at least an extremely selfish one, but the author does an excellent job in not making her hateful, and actually sympathetic, if you don't think too hard about her actions. Ultimately I cheered for Barbara, the one female character who didn't base her entire personality on whichever man she was shagging at the time! But I found I cared for all the characters and I really missed them and wanted to know how life turned out for them.
The sense of time and place is brilliantly done, I could picture each setting so clearly! I loved this about the book and it hooked me in right from the start. The clothing and decor is also described so well!
Phyllis is a pretty awful person really, or at least an extremely selfish one, but the author does an excellent job in not making her hateful, and actually sympathetic, if you don't think too hard about her actions. Ultimately I cheered for Barbara, the one female character who didn't base her entire personality on whichever man she was shagging at the time! But I found I cared for all the characters and I really missed them and wanted to know how life turned out for them.
eringlennie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25