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What Members Thought
This book was terribly sad. Heartbreaking. Thoughtful. Gut-wrenching. And I highly recommend it. The tiny book is smaller in size than most paperbacks and only about 200 pages of spare prose. But the characters are played out so beautifully. I'm not sure I've ever read a moment captured more precisely. I adored this book.
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Florence and Edward are on their wedding night, and both are terrified of what that means. It is 1962, the sexual revolution is still in the future and both have very little idea of what is expected. This story is so tragic - it's a parable of misunderstanding, repression, inhibition and the damage that can be wrought due to lack of communication. I knew just from reputation that the book was not going to end happily, but I didn't imagine how I would feel. It just seemed such a waste, all in the
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A short but penetrative (oops) novella about a defining moment in the life of a newlywed couple. Interesting that he chose to set the story in the 60's, as it felt a lot earlier in time, but still believable in the context of human relationships and how momentous things can turn on something unsaid or undone......
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Tedious. I liked the theme, and the last 5 pages. But I didn't get how McEwan got there. I guess I prefer more dialogue and action.
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This novel was good but not great. I look forward to reading Atonement which got better attention than this novel.
Dec 05, 2009
Stephen
marked it as to-read
Apr 07, 2012
Mmars
marked it as to-read
Feb 21, 2014
Vesra (When She Reads)
marked it as to-read
May 29, 2016
Sherri
marked it as to-read-own
Sep 01, 2020
Eden
marked it as to-read
