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A Lifetime Burning
by
Linda Gillard (Goodreads Author)
Flora Dunbar is dead. But it isn’t over.
The spectre at the funeral is Flora herself, unobserved by her grieving family and the four men who loved her.
Looking back over a turbulent lifetime, Flora recalls an eccentric childhood lived in the shadow of her musical twin, Rory; early marriage to Hugh, a handsome clergyman twice her age; motherhood, which brought her Theo, the s...more
The spectre at the funeral is Flora herself, unobserved by her grieving family and the four men who loved her.
Looking back over a turbulent lifetime, Flora recalls an eccentric childhood lived in the shadow of her musical twin, Rory; early marriage to Hugh, a handsome clergyman twice her age; motherhood, which brought her Theo, the s...more
Paperback, 408 pages
Published
June 16th 2006
by Transita
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As others have said, on finishing this novel I did indeed turn back to the beginning. It's almost a compulsion to do so. It's a very evocative story that will make you feel and feel and you'll keep feeling (and thinking) after it's finished. The subject matter is very sensitive and yet it's a phenomenon that is far more common than people would have you believe and all praise to Linda Gillard for tackling it and showing it in such a sympathetic light. Illicit love, depression, dark family secret...more
Linda Gillard is not scared to push the limits.
A Lifetime Burning, with it’s tortured tale of twins Flora and Rory; pushes the boundaries of love in all of its many, complex forms.
I took a while to get into this one; beginning as it did with the death of the main character Flora Dunbar, but Linda’s powerful writing swept me along. The subsequent recollection by Flora of her life story is related partly in a retrospective style, and it takes a little while to settle into the unusual narration of...more
A Lifetime Burning, with it’s tortured tale of twins Flora and Rory; pushes the boundaries of love in all of its many, complex forms.
I took a while to get into this one; beginning as it did with the death of the main character Flora Dunbar, but Linda’s powerful writing swept me along. The subsequent recollection by Flora of her life story is related partly in a retrospective style, and it takes a little while to settle into the unusual narration of...more
Due to having to sit still silently for an hour, I ended up starting reading this less than 5 minutes after I finished The Great Gatsby.
Having come from the dream-like, floating style of The Great Gatsby, I found the style of the opening chapter of this book really rather jarring and had a slight sinking feeling at the list of characters with rather similar names. I am really glad I persevered. The style and characters really grew on me and I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book.
While dealing...more
Having come from the dream-like, floating style of The Great Gatsby, I found the style of the opening chapter of this book really rather jarring and had a slight sinking feeling at the list of characters with rather similar names. I am really glad I persevered. The style and characters really grew on me and I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book.
While dealing...more
Linda Gillard is particularly good at beginnings, and this is nowhere more evident than in this novel. In the first 2 pages, we meet all the main characters, have all the themes and narrative strands hinted at, and suspect that the title A Lifetime Burning is in some way the core of the novel. All in 2 pages. It would have to be an amazingly incurious reader who would not be impelled to read on….and on….because I defy anyone to be able to put this book aside. I rather deplore the over- use of th...more
3 likes · like · see review
Story Overview
The book opens at the funeral of Flora Dunbar—our narrator and the one who has spent her lifetime burning. (And, perhaps, her afterlife burning, depending on what you believe.) Although Flora has struggled to be good her whole life, she hasn't always been able to live according to society's standards and morals. Her problem? A forbidden love that is condemned and misunderstood—even by herself.
You see, Flora's love for her twin brother Rory extends beyond love for a brother. Their i...more
The book opens at the funeral of Flora Dunbar—our narrator and the one who has spent her lifetime burning. (And, perhaps, her afterlife burning, depending on what you believe.) Although Flora has struggled to be good her whole life, she hasn't always been able to live according to society's standards and morals. Her problem? A forbidden love that is condemned and misunderstood—even by herself.
You see, Flora's love for her twin brother Rory extends beyond love for a brother. Their i...more
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/4... Review from May 2007
One of my favourite reads so far this year and in my opinion even better than the author’s excellent debut novel ‘Emotional Geology’. With this second novel I feel that Linda Gillard has established herself as an author to be watched by those who enjoy contemporary literature.
The story of the Dunbar’s and their complicated familial relationships will stay with me, long after I finished reading. It is a disturbing but compelling tale as...more
One of my favourite reads so far this year and in my opinion even better than the author’s excellent debut novel ‘Emotional Geology’. With this second novel I feel that Linda Gillard has established herself as an author to be watched by those who enjoy contemporary literature.
The story of the Dunbar’s and their complicated familial relationships will stay with me, long after I finished reading. It is a disturbing but compelling tale as...more
I struggled a bit with this one. There is no doubt that Linda Gillard is a very talented writer. Her characters are well-drawn; the dialogue is well written and she tackles difficult themes in a confident manner. This book covers sixty years in the lives of several generations of a single family - in fact, hardly anyone not a family member gets a mention. The problem I had with it was in the structure. I found the constant jumping backwards and forwards through time difficult to track. I had to...more
A remarkable book. Potentially disturbing themes explored in a sensitive and realistic way.
Flora and Rory are twins; we follow their lives from their birth in 1942 up to Flora's funeral in 2000. But not in a traditional way. The funeral opens the book, and is described by Flora herself. The next section, in 1942, is followed by another in 1987 when Flora is arguing ethical issues with her mother. And then there is more first person commentary from beyond the grave.
The timeframe flips forwards a...more
Flora and Rory are twins; we follow their lives from their birth in 1942 up to Flora's funeral in 2000. But not in a traditional way. The funeral opens the book, and is described by Flora herself. The next section, in 1942, is followed by another in 1987 when Flora is arguing ethical issues with her mother. And then there is more first person commentary from beyond the grave.
The timeframe flips forwards a...more
This is a complex family drama with lots of twists and turns.
The main character in the book is Flora Dunbar. She is a twin and has an incredibly close relationship with her twin brother Rory. They grow up in what appears a warm household. Rory becomes a famous pianist, whilst Flora becomes the wife of a clergyman who was a lot older than her. Flora is a complex character and never seems really happy with her lot. She creates scandal in her family in more ways than one, as lots of family secrets...more
The main character in the book is Flora Dunbar. She is a twin and has an incredibly close relationship with her twin brother Rory. They grow up in what appears a warm household. Rory becomes a famous pianist, whilst Flora becomes the wife of a clergyman who was a lot older than her. Flora is a complex character and never seems really happy with her lot. She creates scandal in her family in more ways than one, as lots of family secrets...more
As I write this, I am still thinking about this novel; it has stayed very much in my mind for days since finishing it. It is an enthralling, gripping story of several generations of the Dunbar family, and of forbidden, hopeless love that has tragic consequences. At the heart of the novel are twins Flora and Rory. Flora describes Rory as ‘my twin brother, my childhood companion, the other half of my life, the other half of my self’, bringing to mind the feelings Cathy has about Heathcliff in ‘Wut...more
This author is starting to really grow on me. And why hasn’t she been picked up by an American Publisher? This lady is really good. This book was a cross between a V.C Andrews and Anne Rivers Siddons. A very tangled story about love and family but with a twist. An evil twist. There were several parts that stood out for me. Hugh’s speech to Rory in the hospital was memorable. I loved the wildlife journal. It makes me want to start one. Being a music lover, I loved Ettie’s lecture to Rory about mu...more
I find it difficult to know quite what to say about this book. The author is uncompromising in her subject matter, and this I welcome. It's not a comfortable read: as the theme of the subject matter unfolds - in ever more depth and pattern - you are drawn in. The juxtaposition of each of the different time segments can take a little getting used to, plus the post-death commentary that adds another layer to the experiences and perceptions being reported through the narrative. As others have writt...more
1 like · like · see review
This is an excellent book. It's a complex and sad story and a tragedy. I have given it three stars because I can't say I loved it, or I enjoyed it even. It is certainly a good read though. The subject matter is uncomfortable, but I doubt Ms Gillard will make any apology for that. I have to be honest, much as it is difficult to like the characters in the book, by the end you do find some understanding and sympathy or pity for them. I commented part way through that I was struggling to get into it...more
Brilliant! Perfect title and a gripping read. It deals with some challenging issues though and some unlikeable characters - the Dunbars are a highly dysfunctional family and you know from the outset there'll be dubious liaisons and incest. Part of the narration is by Flora Dunbar who has just died reflecting on her life and loves, interspersed with third person accounts of the family's antics over six decades. Gillard is a master storyteller.
1 like · like · see review
Brilliant! I enjoyed this book enormously. The complex relationships between the siblings and the rest of the family made for a page turner that I couldn't put down.
I've still got a copy of this in paperback and it will be read again. The story will stay with me for a long time - but it's maybe not for people with 'sensitive' tastes.
Well done Linda for a tale that was sensitive and enthalling all at the same time.
I've still got a copy of this in paperback and it will be read again. The story will stay with me for a long time - but it's maybe not for people with 'sensitive' tastes.
Well done Linda for a tale that was sensitive and enthalling all at the same time.
I held back this book as a special treat having loved Linda's other two books, and for the first twenty-five pages I thought I was going to be really disappointed. It's such a different read - starts with a funeral and a large cast of characters, then jumps around in time, and for a very short while you feel rather lost. But then it soars - I got absolutely lost in Flora's life, the fragmented timeline felt absolutely right, the switching from first to third person, the strongly drawn characters...more
3 likes · like · see review
Never before have I read a book with such a mass-casting of flawed characters, exploring numerous disturbing relationships within one immensely dysfunctional family, the Dunbar family, the twins in particularly, Flora and Rory. I found Flora to be a very sympathetic character and felt that things might have turned out differently for her if not for the selfish torment of her brother, Rory. "The web of tortured relationships in my family seemed Shakespearean in its ludicrous comlexity," concludes...more
This is a powerful and emotional look at families and sibling relationships and the darker undercurrents that can so easily be glossed over. Linda Gillard is never afraid to be different - her books don't conform to the norm but they are always a darn good read.
This is the sort of book that makes me rejoice in the written word - I loved it.
This is the sort of book that makes me rejoice in the written word - I loved it.
What an amazing read! As soon as I picked up this book I knew my day was going to start and end with this book in my hand. I couldn't put it down I just wanted to get to know the characters better and see how far Linda Gillard would go pushing the limits.
I loved the style and the language.
I'm just going to "have" to read her other books now!
I loved the style and the language.
I'm just going to "have" to read her other books now!
1 like · like · see review
It is a book of controversial themes, which I don't think will appeal to everyone, but you will have to read it to make up your own mind about that! I can appreciate how some readers wouldn't/won't like it and others will love it. I found it a compelling read and would recommend giving it a go.
I've seen this book compared with books by V.C. Andrews, which seems about right. The characters are complex and compelling, the storyline is somewhat implausible, but engrossing, and the book deals with deeply incestuous relationships in a tangled family history. I enjoyed reading the book and found that the author managed the chronological and perspective shifting reasonably well. In general, I'm opposed to using a different font for a different character voice as I find it disconcerting to re...more
The author of this book was at the 2008 Bookcrossing Convention I attended in London. Another Belfast Bookcrosser bought this book, and has now released it to me... good so far!
Yeah, I know I'm a slow reader, too much else going on to find time to read, but it is holding me....
Yeah, I know I'm a slow reader, too much else going on to find time to read, but it is holding me....
A difficult subject matter but an engrossing story of twins whose lives are dysfunctional. Very interesting approach to make a taboo subject readable.
Quite a disturbing subject, but very well written. The family in this story are a lot closer than most families.
One of the best books I have read in ages. Well plotted and written with characters you care about.
Oops wrote my review in description - still getting used to this site.
Now on it's way to next reader in this Bookcrossing ray
Now on it's way to next reader in this Bookcrossing ray
Disturbing themes. Good read but preferred her previous novel.
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PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE 3 AUTHORS WHO SHARE THIS NAME.
Linda Gillard graduated from Bristol University, then trained as an actress at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Whilst under-employed at the National Theatre, Linda developed a sideline as a freelance journalist. She ran two careers concurrently for a while, then gave up acting to raise a family and write from home.
Twelve years later, she re...more
More about Linda Gillard...
Linda Gillard graduated from Bristol University, then trained as an actress at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Whilst under-employed at the National Theatre, Linda developed a sideline as a freelance journalist. She ran two careers concurrently for a while, then gave up acting to raise a family and write from home.
Twelve years later, she re...more
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Jan 10, 2012 06:18am