Holiday

Holiday

3.26 of 5 stars 3.26  ·  rating details  ·  100 ratings  ·  13 reviews
This consummate portrait of English provincial life, an extremely subtle story, told with all Middleton's artistry and depth of feeling, was joint winner of the Booker Prize in 1974.
Edwin Fisher is on holiday at the English seaside -- but this revisiting of childhood haunts is no ordinary holiday. Edwin is seeking to understand the failure of his marriage to Meg, but it t...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published August 1st 1999 by Five Leaves Publications (first published December 1st 1988)
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Courtney H.
So, it cannot be easy to share the Booker with Nadine Gordimer, and it is perhaps that misfortune that has caused Holiday to fall into some obscurity. It is a quiet book (not that The Conservationist is loud), and has an entirely narrow focus: the inner workings of a single man’s mind, on holiday in the English seaside, as he tries to sort out why his marriage failed. He meets fellow holiday-goers, deals with the machinations of his ex-in-laws who are trying to force a truce (and piece the marr...more
Alex Rendall
Stanley Middleton was jointly awarded the Booker Prize in 1974 with Nadine Gordimer. Middleton’s Holiday is, on the face of it, a novel about a man who goes to a British seaside town for a week-long holiday. In reality, education lecturer Edwin Fisher is escaping from the death of his son and his crumbling marriage to grieving, volatile Meg. Through a series of flashbacks, prompted by events during his holiday, the reader sees how Edwin first met Meg, their courtship and eventual marriage, the b...more
Caleigh
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Katy
I have been watching Mad Men a lot recently (no spoilers, I promise) but with the recollections that our main character (Edwin Fisher) has about his marriage, I can't help picture Don Draper and Megan. It has something to do with their fights and their passion.... Now, Edwin is not nearly as attractive as Don Draper, but it's just something about the relationship that reminds me of them.

This book is just so.... English. Stiff upper lip all the way. Even when married women are letting divorced me...more
Mary Lou
Fisher takes a week's holiday in the same English seaside town he went to as a child. Recalling with embarrassment the way his father used to interact with his fellow boarding house guests, he is surprised to find himself acting in much the same way.
An acutely drawn picture of life in the early 70s, things get much darker as Fisher mulls over whether or not to return to the unusal marriage he has recently walked away from.
Anne
Many of the descriptions of people by the seaside in the 70s struck a chord, but the main character didn't really do the same. He struck me as a spineless drifter. Couldn't really see how the novel won the Booker!
Jonathan
Edwin Fisher takes a holiday to a seaside resort following his divorce, only to find his ex-wife's parents staying there also. A subtle and engaging book.
Paul Blakemore
Plain, serious and precise. There's nothing gimmicky or trivial about this book; it's just beautifully written and finely observed. I really loved it.
Elizabeth Kelly
An interesting look at marriage. Even though this is set over 30 years ago it still seems relatively accurate to todays society.
Deanne
All I can think is there must have been a better choice for the Booker in 1974.
Gina
Feb 29, 2008 Gina marked it as to-read
Shelves: get, awards-to-read
1973 Booker
Val
Jun 28, 2012 Val marked it as to-read
Shelves: bookers
1974 (joint)
Jen
Dec 15, 2008 Jen marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
1974 booker prize
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Stanley Middleton wrote 45 novels, including 1974's Booker Prize-winner Holiday. A Cautious Approach was his last novel.
More about Stanley Middleton...
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