Reviews

"Offshore" by Penelope Fitzgerald was a novel I really liked. Set amongst a - somewhat - claustrophobic cast of quaint people living on near-derelict boats on the Thames within London, the story unfolded gradually and naturally. My only complaint is to nitpick and say that the 6 year-old and 12 year-old girls behaved as if they were older. I would have put them at 11 and 14 years old. And the Austrian boy seemed more like an 18 year old than a 16 year old. The "date" scene seemed weird and odd if it really was taking place between a 12 and 16 year old. As I say, I just imagined the two to be older than what Penelope Fitzgerald said they were. Even the mother Nenna, who was 32, seemed to be given a past incompatible with her age. I doubt she was a camp counsellor at the age of 10, and yet Fitzgerald had a scene where she recalls her past before the war when she would have been 10. The story is set explicitly in 1961. I think Penelope Fitzgerald either didn't count on her fingers or mis-judged the age of her characters. But that is just nitpicking. I really enjoyed the book.

heatherclay's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

martaaraqui's review against another edition

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3.0

He leído la mitad y aunque me gusta, es demasiado lento para mí. Quizá no sea el momento para leerlo, lo dejo aparcado.

spaffrackett's review against another edition

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4.0

Martha and Tilda stand out. Fearless, they unite the characters and exhibit maturity beyond what the adults demonstrate.

fragglerocker's review against another edition

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4.0

More novella than novel, full of lovely writing about a ragtag group living on the Thames in the late 1970s. I'd like to read more novels like this -- where not much happens, but you really feel like you are inhabitating a place and time. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

kwonset's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

4.0

sage_mage's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.0

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