On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
'WONDERFUL... EXQUISITE... DEVASTATING' reads the cover. I'd change that to 'WONDERFULLY STILTED... EXQUISITELY REPRESSED... DEVASTATINGLY STUPID'.
Not the author, of course. He is, as always, master of the internal lives of characters. Ian McEwan's writing is best upon first encounter. His writing is gorgeous, painful, sensuous and breathtaking. I've always thought of him as rather Woolfian.
His incisive style, however, is not improved with the addition of PLOT. On the contrary, the plot ruins the book.
I'm left wondering if the characters really were products of their time, or if they were just supremely stupid specimens.
On the bright side, we can add it to the pile of persuasive arguments for why two virgins should never marry.
View all my reviews >>
As I am saving myself for marriage, I am mortally offended that you would even CONSIDER arguing why two virgins shouldn't marry!
ReplyDelete:)
I'm such a jokester.
N
Read this book and find out!! Or I could send you my mildly pornographic cartoon version of this book review.
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty rubbish for a McEwan wasn't it?
ReplyDelete