Scan barcode
elnechnntt's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Not the strongest Brookner I’ve read but there were still some really wonderful passages.
Not the strongest Brookner I’ve read but there were still some really wonderful passages.
andrew61's review against another edition
3.0
I have not read any Anita Brookner before so my reading group's choice for July offered an opportunity to try this much loved author.
The story is narrated by Fay and follows her life from childhood to old age and her relationship with a woman called Julia. Fay and Julia meet when their respective husbands are lawyers in the same firm. Julia can best be described as spider like ,drawing other women into her Web and then pulling them apart but still retaining a morbid attraction to her victims. Fay through her life dislikes Julia but still cannot escape.
The book tells of fay's 3 male relationships over the years and these appear unsatisfactory in their different ways but Fay seems to be defined by her role in these men's lives rather than standing in her own individuality.
This is a curious book, the prose is dense but immaculate and I put the book down conflicted. The story is interesting creating an good discussion about a particular type of woman in a specific era, but having enjoyed the narrative I felt it was weighed down by the prose .
The story is narrated by Fay and follows her life from childhood to old age and her relationship with a woman called Julia. Fay and Julia meet when their respective husbands are lawyers in the same firm. Julia can best be described as spider like ,drawing other women into her Web and then pulling them apart but still retaining a morbid attraction to her victims. Fay through her life dislikes Julia but still cannot escape.
The book tells of fay's 3 male relationships over the years and these appear unsatisfactory in their different ways but Fay seems to be defined by her role in these men's lives rather than standing in her own individuality.
This is a curious book, the prose is dense but immaculate and I put the book down conflicted. The story is interesting creating an good discussion about a particular type of woman in a specific era, but having enjoyed the narrative I felt it was weighed down by the prose .
hardcoverhearts's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alexclare's review against another edition
3.0
You don't so much read Brookner as float through her. She can make the time between a doorbell ringing and the the door opening last a chapter and, generally, she carries you along with it. I was beginning to lose patience a little with the main character though, hence only 3 stars.
More...