Reviews

Love and Summer by William Trevor

awkwardcoffeebean's review against another edition

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DNF @ 136 pages.
I was more than halfway done and i still wasn’t really gripped. I enjoy certain aspects of the writing, but for now, it’s not holding my attention.

vanessabrown's review

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1.0

I have never been so disinterested in a book. Ever. I finished it out of spite.

mariavazquezsolaun's review against another edition

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4.0

Verano y amor no deslumbra, pero si acoge gracias a una prosa sobria, una muy buena construcción de los personajes y un dramatismo contenido.

El funeral de Eileen Connulty es la excusa de la que el autor de Verano y amor, William Trevor, se sirve para presentarnos a los habitantes de la pequeña ciudad irlandesa de Rathmoye. Miss Connulty y su hermano Jossep, Dillahan y su esposa Ellie, el viejo Orpen Wren... Hombres y mujeres fuertemente ligados a la ciudad, que descubrimos en sus quehaceres diarios y cuya vida se ve alterada de una u otra forma con la llegada de Florian, un joven que ultima la venta de la casa de sus padres y que se encapricha con Ellie.

La relación de Florian y Ellie, una relación en la que ambos buscan y encuentran cosas diferentes, se convierte en el núcleo de esta novela. Sin embargo, no considero esta relación el punto fuerte de la misma. Para mi este reside en la simplicidad aparente de la historia y en el retrato que hace su autor de cada uno de estos personajes, del lugar y también del tiempo que les tocó vivir. Personajes con miedos, con pasados que duelen, con futuros inciertos... Personajes como tú y como yo entre los que acabas encontrando un hueco.

Una vez encontrado, resulta sencillo moverte por sus calles y entender los motivos por los que Miss Connulty mira con desconfianza y miedo esa relación, la frustración de su hermano, la vergüenza de Ellie y el desconcierto de Dillahan. Y si tienes suerte, quizá entiendas también a Orpen Wren quien en un giro de guion, nos regala un final curioso e inesperado.

Simple, discreta, rica en detalles y con una estructura que invita a no parar de leer. Amor y verano es una de esas novelas que te sientas a leer relajada, con la única intención de seguir conociendo a sus personajes. Una novela que te hace sentir bien. Y cómo se agradecen de vez en cuando novelas así.

mary412's review against another edition

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4.0

2011: I've just recently found my way to William Trevor. This was one of the few books of his that was available on the Queen Mary 2. I devoured it and will look for more.
2020: Worth the re-read.

foggy_rosamund's review against another edition

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3.0

Like all Trevor's novels, the prose in this is wonderful: precise, atmospheric, and full of compassion. The story centres on Ellie, a young women from an orphanage who has married a farmer older than herself; and on Florian, the son of an eccentric couple who have left him with huge debts. Both lonely and with nowhere to turn, the two form a bond and begin to fall in love. But their relationship is doomed to failure, and, like in many of Trevor's novels, there is an emphasis on self-sacrifice, human kindness and loss. This book is also suffused with a melancholy, not for a time past but for lives lost as history changes. There are some well-observed elements in this book, and it is diverting and readable, but the characters did not feel as fully realised as in some of Trevor's other books, and threads of the story were begun but later did not feel concluded. This is worth reading, but it is not the first of Trevor's that I would recommend.

margaretefg's review

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2.0

so-so, typically Irish bleak tale.

blevins's review

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2.0

There is fine writing to be had in Trevor's short novel set in 1950s Ireland but writing alone doesn't save it from not really grabbing me in the story. The main problem, due to its length and Trevor's choice to include multiple characters rather than concentrating on the two leads: no real connection is created between reader and story. I just didn't care because there's no real depth in a single person in the entire novel. As soon as the leads begin to make way, Trevor switched the action to some irrelevant person in the village. Not sure why as this continually happening damaged the book beyond repair for me. At least it was short.

pgm's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

minonie's review

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

edlweiss's review

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2.0

There isn't too much too say about this novel. The writing is very gentle and uncomplicated. The plot is very gentle...and uncomplicated. The characters...you get the idea. Overall, a very thin piece of fiction. Lots of space and room for wandering, both in the plot and pacing. I haven't read other of Trevor's works, but they must be better than this.