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A review by sloatsj
Heat Wave by Penelope Lively
4.0
Penelope Lively drifted on and off my to-read list for awhile. So glad I picked this up. Great voice, sympathetic protagonist and an ominous atmosphere, helped by the heaviness of hot weather.
The story centers on a woman in her 50s who lives next door to her daughter and her daughter's dashing husband, and their child. Aspects of the daughter's relationship remind her of her own failed marriage to a beloved but untrue star academic.
The action is not dramatic but has serious pull, like increasing humidity before a storm (cliché, sorry, but so it is). Most of the book's interest lies in the behavioral cues between characters, and the protagonist's musings on how she got to where she is in her life. The war of the sexes was brought off wonderfully. I was surprised, and satisfied, by the ending.
The story centers on a woman in her 50s who lives next door to her daughter and her daughter's dashing husband, and their child. Aspects of the daughter's relationship remind her of her own failed marriage to a beloved but untrue star academic.
The action is not dramatic but has serious pull, like increasing humidity before a storm (cliché, sorry, but so it is). Most of the book's interest lies in the behavioral cues between characters, and the protagonist's musings on how she got to where she is in her life. The war of the sexes was brought off wonderfully. I was surprised, and satisfied, by the ending.