book data
351 ratings, 3.69 average rating, 48 reviews
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published
November 1976
(first published 1975)
by Picador
binding
Paperback, 128 pages
isbn
0330248308
(isbn13: 9780330248303)
description
Ian McEwan's Somerset Maugham Award-winning collection First Love, Last Rites brought him instant recognition as one of the most influential voices wr...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 521)
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
secret kin with the horrifying.
Forget what this book does or does not say about McEwan (is he fucked up, or what?!) and let's skip to what it says about the reader. Let's talk about me, folks.
I liked these stories, and they were super twisted. This is not a new phenomena (phenomenon? i'm too lazy to look it up. or captilize inside of parentheses)...I loved Lolita. But that's freaking Nabokov! I would never compare McEwan's writing to Nabokov. However, McEwan has contributed 50% of the incest writing I've read, and...more
I liked these stories, and they were super twisted. This is not a new phenomena (phenomenon? i'm too lazy to look it up. or captilize inside of parentheses)...I loved Lolita. But that's freaking Nabokov! I would never compare McEwan's writing to Nabokov. However, McEwan has contributed 50% of the incest writing I've read, and...more
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16 comments
Read in September, 1977
My relationship with Ian McEwan did not get off to a good start. I was an 18-year-old student at Cambridge, and a friend came to visit over the weekend. He had a copy of this book, which he praised extravagantly. Out of curiosity I read the first story. I really didn't like it.
That evening, he went out to visit another person he knew in town, and came back late and much the worse for wear, after having sampled the beer in three or four pubs. Somewhere around 2 am, I was woken by sou...more
That evening, he went out to visit another person he knew in town, and came back late and much the worse for wear, after having sampled the beer in three or four pubs. Somewhere around 2 am, I was woken by sou...more
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4 comments
Read in December, 2008
This early collection of short stories by Iam McEwan was at once incredibly interesting and (sometimes extremely) disturbing. I liked it. But sometimes thought, 'should i be reading this? is this appropriate at all?'
Really interesting to read after reading other later novels of his and noticing definite similarities in voice and tone. His narration is already striking here, but lacking in the balanced subtlety of his later efforts. If you haven't read Atonement or Saturday, make sur...more
Really interesting to read after reading other later novels of his and noticing definite similarities in voice and tone. His narration is already striking here, but lacking in the balanced subtlety of his later efforts. If you haven't read Atonement or Saturday, make sur...more
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Read in October, 2008
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Read in May, 2008
Excellent!! A sort of textbook prescription on how to write short stories. Tight, elemental and filled with nuanced observations. Most of the stories have a fair share of morbidity, perverseness and shock value. However, within such a universe - that McEwan creates tender portraits of boys obsessed with female genitalia, of incest, of grotesque obesity et al. What is really neat is the self-control of the prose, just as the plot line and the heart of matter threatens to spin out of control. ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Well. This collection was very much not what I expected. I wouldn't say that it was bad - it was certainly compelling - but it wasn't really my cup of tea. Some of the shall we say "thematic elements" of the stories were disturbing to the point that they seemed unnecessary. Others were disturbing in a way that was train-wreck fascinating, like "In the Cupboard".
Did any of you have the feeling every now and again as a kid that you actually were too young to h...more
Did any of you have the feeling every now and again as a kid that you actually were too young to h...more
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nina raine author of the currently playing shit hot theatre show RABBIT at stc gave me this as an opening nite gift. loved 'chesil' and 'saturday' so here we go. i reserve equal contempt for short films as i do for short novels but maybe this will teach me to grow up and be more open to lengths abridged or not so.
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Read in November, 2008
Like his other short story collection, IN BETWEEN THE SHEETS, I found only one story that I really loved, and the rest left me disappointed to one degree or another. I expected to like them better since his recent novels are so appealing to me. The story I liked was "Solid Geometry".
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Read in November, 2008
Ian McEwan's first book of short stories is twisted, disturbing, and haunting. His ability to twist a story inexorably towards tragedy is unmatched.
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Read in May, 2007
Predominantly sinister, often witty, and sometimes touching, this collection of short stories - McEwan's first - serves as a time capsule revealing the inchoate form of his later brilliance. Although at times disturbing to read, these stories provide the insight into human relationships and emotions that is typical of McEwan's work; as usual, these insights are delivered via careful description and honest observation. One story, "Solid Geometry," betrays McEwan's chilling realism and e...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in November, 2008
recommended to Laura by:
Jodirecommends it for: anyone who wants to stroke their sinister side
My intro to McEwan...
I can only describe this as a beautifully written book that physically made my stomach turn. The first story is told by an adolescent boy who rapes his little sister so he'll be confident enough to sleep with the town slut. My favorite story was 'Conversation with a Cupboard Man', about a man who is raised as an infant until he reaches the age of 17. After his mother marries, he is sent to an institution, then released into the "adult" world with ver...more
I can only describe this as a beautifully written book that physically made my stomach turn. The first story is told by an adolescent boy who rapes his little sister so he'll be confident enough to sleep with the town slut. My favorite story was 'Conversation with a Cupboard Man', about a man who is raised as an infant until he reaches the age of 17. After his mother marries, he is sent to an institution, then released into the "adult" world with ver...more
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Read in November, 2008
'Solid Geometry' is the best short story I've ever read.
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Ian McEwan's first collection of short stories published first in 1972--30 years or so before Atonement-- brought him instant fame and recognition and he absolutely deserved it. The writing is brilliant -- dense, taut, and madly controlled. The stories are freakish, hysterical, and haunting. It is somewhat similar to Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint." My favorite stories in this collection are Hommade, Solid Geometry, and Butterflies. What a pleasure to read the young McEwan.
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Read in August, 2008
i think the last line of the book's summary is the most accurate summation i've ever read:
"These tales are as horrifying as anything written by Clive Barker or Stephen King, but they are crafted with a lyricism and intensity that compel us to confront our secret kinship with the horrifying."
very well written, but, well, horrifying/disturbing, and that's not really my thing and i'm not sure i want to confront our secret kinship with (it).
"These tales are as horrifying as anything written by Clive Barker or Stephen King, but they are crafted with a lyricism and intensity that compel us to confront our secret kinship with the horrifying."
very well written, but, well, horrifying/disturbing, and that's not really my thing and i'm not sure i want to confront our secret kinship with (it).
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An early collection of short stories, all but one told in the first person, many of them teenagers or young men, yet their voices invariably ring true. Some events are shocking and depraved, but even in those stories, you get an uncomfortable but plausible insight into the mind of the perpetrator. Although you could easily read the book in one sitting, it’s probably best to read one story at a time, interspersed with other things.
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Read in September, 2007
McEwan rocks. These short stories are for the most part disturbing, but his brilliance is exemplified by his ability to make the prose as affected as the content. This is truly a must read for any aspiring writer as it demonstrates how an author in full control of their craft can use grammar and language, as well as plot to carry the story. Excellent, and f'ed up, just read Homemade, and you'll understand.
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of mcewan only
i hated the first story in this collection so much that i didn't finish the book. i think these stories really showcase mcewan's immaturity -- along with "the comfort of strangers" (note: don't EVER rent the movie with rupert everett and christopher walken -- WACKO!). i much prefer books like "amsterdam" and "atonement" which are less capricious and are not trying to shock for shock's sake.
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This is a very interesting collection of short stories. The first story deals with incest in a way that I found horrifying, because it was so perfectly believable. I lent it to an ex-boyfriend before we really started dating and I think I scared him a little, but he really liked the book too (even though he is slightly pretentious, he generaly has good taste).
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Read in October, 2007
The first story almost had me bawling on the 2 train this afternoon, so I'll see how the rest of the collection goes.
Book #1 since I decided to keep track of how many books I read in a year. Sounds like a good idea for a grad student who has other things to read, right?
Book #1 since I decided to keep track of how many books I read in a year. Sounds like a good idea for a grad student who has other things to read, right?
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Read in September, 2008
Naughty, naughty book. I started reading about a half-dozen of these short stories, and yikes! I couldn't make it past the first paragraph or two. A bit too graphic and carnal for me. I've been loving Ian McEwan lately, but this one was not my cup of tea.
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