Scan barcode
becky_bo0p's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
philippakmoore's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked it - she's an observant and sensitive writer, and the story was exquisitely detailed and while written about something familiar - a successful child coming home to look after an ageing parent - it never lapsed into cliches or standard storylines, it was surprising, fresh and original. And I loved that it was set in Wales, a place that I love and spend quite a bit of time in.
rampaginglibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
okay, so i finally finished reading this one: The Master Bedroom by Tessa Hadley, after i-don't-know-how-long, it seems i might have given up reading (for a nonce, anyway)~every time i pick up a book i can only read a page or two, which really sucks, because i have all of this idle time on my hands~not sleeping, and all~and with a semi-constant headache/migraine that cannot bear movement, or much light, or much sound~so household maintenance is definitely out of the question (oh so very sad, isn't it?), so i listen to NPR podcasts or watch movies endlessly~it also really sucks because i have an ever-growing pile of books in my need-to-read pile, but i guess it's all an "oh well" what can be done, really?.
My new empathy for all those kids who say "Reading is boring." is no reflection on this particular book. It is wonderfully written and Hadley definitely does no spoon feeding or hand holding for the reader, which is quite refreshing. The Master Bedroom is not quite as salacious as the title and/or cover may lead you to believe (isn't it how covers seldom match the content?) It's also a bit interesting how sometimes the Welsh-English seems to slide just slightly over my head (and, apparently, that of my Oxford Dictionary of Current American English).
The novel centers around the characters of Kate Flynn, who has returned to her hometown in Wales to take care of her aging mother (whose overall health seems to be fine but her mind seems to be drifting~not that that particular problem is limited to age); and David Roberts, the brother of Kate's best and oldest friend. Kate and David had a mild flirtation (perhaps one-sided) back in school and there's a chance they might want to continue it but things like his wife and nearly-adult son are murking things up a mite. Actually the whole novel is a mite murky. Kate's character is more than a little unapproachable and perhaps a tad unlikeable (although i could find a few similarities with myself so i didn't mind her). I did have more trouble with David though and didn't find him appealing in the least. Motivations for all the characters were hard to come by. However i really enjoyed the writing style and found the book well worth the read and also rather entertaining. Make any kind of sense?
My new empathy for all those kids who say "Reading is boring." is no reflection on this particular book. It is wonderfully written and Hadley definitely does no spoon feeding or hand holding for the reader, which is quite refreshing. The Master Bedroom is not quite as salacious as the title and/or cover may lead you to believe (isn't it how covers seldom match the content?) It's also a bit interesting how sometimes the Welsh-English seems to slide just slightly over my head (and, apparently, that of my Oxford Dictionary of Current American English).
The novel centers around the characters of Kate Flynn, who has returned to her hometown in Wales to take care of her aging mother (whose overall health seems to be fine but her mind seems to be drifting~not that that particular problem is limited to age); and David Roberts, the brother of Kate's best and oldest friend. Kate and David had a mild flirtation (perhaps one-sided) back in school and there's a chance they might want to continue it but things like his wife and nearly-adult son are murking things up a mite. Actually the whole novel is a mite murky. Kate's character is more than a little unapproachable and perhaps a tad unlikeable (although i could find a few similarities with myself so i didn't mind her). I did have more trouble with David though and didn't find him appealing in the least. Motivations for all the characters were hard to come by. However i really enjoyed the writing style and found the book well worth the read and also rather entertaining. Make any kind of sense?
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
Kate Flynn returns to her childhood home in Cardiff after many successful years in London to care for her aging mother. Jobless and lonely, she enters into a slow courtship with the married brother of her best friend, David, and then an affair with the man's teenage son.
Kate is aimless and careless, pretentious and prickly. Neither she nor David are willing to expose themselves by overtly declaring affection for one another. David's wife removes herself emotionally from their marriage, but refuses to explain why. Only young Jamie is willing to show emotion and commit himself to uncertainty.
This book, while tremendously well written, is not always easy to read. The characters are so intent on keeping themselves to themselves that even with the authorial voice giving us clues to their inner lives, they are difficult to get to know. Kate, especially, is so intent in presenting herself as charmingly eccentric, that she is blithely unaware of the feelings of others.
Kate is aimless and careless, pretentious and prickly. Neither she nor David are willing to expose themselves by overtly declaring affection for one another. David's wife removes herself emotionally from their marriage, but refuses to explain why. Only young Jamie is willing to show emotion and commit himself to uncertainty.
This book, while tremendously well written, is not always easy to read. The characters are so intent on keeping themselves to themselves that even with the authorial voice giving us clues to their inner lives, they are difficult to get to know. Kate, especially, is so intent in presenting herself as charmingly eccentric, that she is blithely unaware of the feelings of others.
ursovrmne's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
so weird not feeling it babes
kricketa's review
3.0
this was a random grab from the stacks (i'm unreasonably attracted to pink books.) i very much enjoyed the writing style and rich, flawed, full-of-life characters. but i'm deducting a star because i was just so annoyed by
Spoiler
kate getting pregnant in the end. even though it had a kind of symmetry in the story, it's such a tired trope.fschulenberg's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Though this style is something I usually go for, this book and story line didn’t catch me. I had trouble paying attention and didn’t connect to the characters.
snowmaiden's review
4.0
I can’t write too much about this book without getting into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that the description here on Goodreads made it seem much more sordid than it actually is. But of course that’s what Tessa Hadley does: take sordid-seeming situations and show you how they got that way in the first place. I identified a lot with main character Kate, who moves back home to Wales to care for her aging mother. My time of taking care of elderly parents is long over, thank goodness, but I remember all too well that state of utter boredom punctuated by moments of heart-dropping dread. Hadley captures it well here.
bellwetherdays's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
txreader's review against another edition
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
3.25