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The Language of Others
The world is a puzzling, sometimes frightening place for Jessica Fontaine. As a child she only finds contentment in playing the piano and wandering alone in the empty spaces of Audlands Hall, the dilapidated country house where she grows up. Twenty-five years later, divorced, with her son still living at home, Jessica remains preoccupied by the desire to create space aroun...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
October 16th 2008
by Hodder & Stoughton
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This is a quieter book than Morrall's previous one, which was very much plot-driven (not a complaint). One thing all three of her novels share is her skill of drawing believable, real characters. All three have great titles, too. Morrall writes with a light touch, deft and self-assured. And she always has great things to say about memory -- one of my favorite themes.
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to be completely honest, the ending took me by surprise. when i picked the book up, i was convinced i was about to read a rather cliche story on human isolation, expression and communication, when, in reality, the book was more than that.
morrall's writing is simple; she has a way of weaving incidents into everyday life that makes strange thoughts, people and events seem perfectly ordinary.
[the portion below contains details regarding plot]
all the while i was an un...more
morrall's writing is simple; she has a way of weaving incidents into everyday life that makes strange thoughts, people and events seem perfectly ordinary.
[the portion below contains details regarding plot]
all the while i was an un...more
I enjoyed this book and especially the main character - Jess - who despite a lack of empathy is actually a really understandable character.
Some aspects of the book are glossed over and we never really get to understand Andrew, who is clearly disturbed but in some way enables Jess to find herself and build a relationship with her son. The writing is quite spare, but for good reason, given that the book is mainly written through the eyes of Jess.
Above all, the book raises...more
Some aspects of the book are glossed over and we never really get to understand Andrew, who is clearly disturbed but in some way enables Jess to find herself and build a relationship with her son. The writing is quite spare, but for good reason, given that the book is mainly written through the eyes of Jess.
Above all, the book raises...more
After two books Clare Morrall was on my "must buy in hardback" list and she's not moving off it as this, her third book, is superb.
This book really flows. The narrative jumps around Jessica's life: in her forties the story is told in the first person including looking back to her early adulthood and her childhood is narrated in the third person. "Jump" is the wrong word though because the whole thing joins up so seamlessly. This is writing so good that you could almost re
...more
I’ve yet to read a bad book by Clare Morrall; in particular I like the way she zeroes in on life’s oddball characters. In this novel, we meet Jessica, a woman so much like me it was creepy at times. Socially inept, she blunders into a marriage with a man who has bizarre personality traits of his own, and together they have a son who is also a social misfit. Tumultuous events follow and the author uses these to show what life is like when you struggle to relate to other people.
The stru...more
The stru...more
What a surprise this one was. Went to library to pick up a requested item and noticed this on the trolly to be shelved. I am going to read more of her books. This story was so easy to read and really did fulfil the blurb on the back - a woman's story related with humour and compassion which offers a fresh, illuminating insight into what it means to be 'normal'. The term 'dysfunctional' was bandied around a lot in the 1980's and 1990's which annoyed me immensely at the time. This book is a wonder...more
This was one of the best books for 2008.It has depth,touching story,psychological insight,and on the top of this,the style is so readable and light,and at the same time clear and intelligent.
This is the story of Jessica- the girl and Jessica-the grown-up woman,divorced,living with her son who seems enclosed in his own world.The narration moves smoothly between childhood and present. We sense from the start that there is something not quite fitting with Jessica. However, her voice as ...more
This is the story of Jessica- the girl and Jessica-the grown-up woman,divorced,living with her son who seems enclosed in his own world.The narration moves smoothly between childhood and present. We sense from the start that there is something not quite fitting with Jessica. However, her voice as ...more
The first fictional take on studying music at Birmingham uni that I've come across - fascinating in that respect alone. But also intriguing because of the mystery surrounding the personalities of the main characters and how they came to be who they are.
woman who always fet detatached - had a bad relatiponship with her husband, and a remote one with her son - later realised she and her son had asperges.
I picked this up at the library - what a good find! A 'nice' book, no bad language that I remember and the ending was unpredictable
This is an enjoyable, engrossing read. Morrall has a good plot and it is well-paced, the story spread out evenly.
Another engrossing read, with wonderful characters who you can't fail to be intrigued by.
Boring, boring, boring...
I enjoyed this book, so much. At first I didn't really get it why Jess was so uncommunicative as a child. And also why she fell for Andrew, who was such a prick, to her, and everybody. At the ending I did, when we learn she also had a mild form of Asbergers, as did her son.
This is the first of Clare Morrall's books I've read. I enjoyed the story as I could relate to the main character and the setting as well.
uh..dont really like this book, though..but, i would give it four stars because i can actually feel the characters..and the book is somehow quite..quiet!
I loved Astonishing splashes of colour, but this wasn't nearly as good.
Recommend this book, a very good read
Too life-like, you know.
Evangeline
marked it as to-read
Emma
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“Maybe this is a characteristic of happy people. An ability to be entertained by the world.”
—
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