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laura_corsi's review
1.0
I don’t think one should read this book without reading Old Filth first. I really did not connect to the characters and frankly was unsure what the point of it all was. I wish the author would have spent more time on Elisabeth’s childhood maybe? Perhaps I will go back and read the first book...maybe that will make this one more comprehensible.
katom6878's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
book_concierge's review
4.0
Wonderful British story of a decades-long marriage. A companion to the earlier work "Old Filth," but this time told from wife Betty's point of view. I've not read the earlier work, so I don't know if I would still have been surprised by some of the revelations in this book.
dokidoki's review against another edition
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
greybeard49's review
5.0
Superb trilogy. My second time of reading and just as enjoyable. Brilliant writing, great rollout and characterisation masterful.
expatally's review
4.0
Lovely book. Really should be read right after Old Filth, the first of the series. Looking forward to Book Three.
amyw2's review
4.5
Such an incredibly talented writer and such a good book. I don't understand why Jane Gardam is not better known and appreciated.
A gem.
A gem.
kteddycurr's review
3.0
Betty's life is only defined through her relationships with men. This makes the three-dimensional characters from the first book seem more predictable and less unique.
terrimarshall's review against another edition
5.0
I am fully invested in these characters now, having read 2 books in the trilogy. The first book was about Old Filth, and the second one is about his wife, Betty. I love Jane Gardam's writing. I love how she follows these characters from childhood to the end of their life and how they change as they age. Gonna read the third and last in the trilogy now!
margaret21's review against another edition
3.0
Compared with its companion volume, 'Old Filth', which I enjoyed immoderately, this was a disappointment. This second book deals with Old Filth's wife Betty, her life befoe she met him, and her life with him. The trouble is, I believed utterly in Old Filth, even though his life story was of a kind I have had no contact with. Betty never quite rang true to me. I found it hard to believe that such a lively, determined and intelligent character would have remained unmarried till the age of 28, and then get married - and happily - to such a different person from the one she was. I didn't believe in her one night stand, or her lifelong affection for Veneering, though I was captured by her relationship with Harry, Veneering's son. It's a Jane Gardam book, so of course it's beautifully written, and a good story. But it doesn't measure up to its predecessor, and I'm less inclined to read the third book in the trilogy,'Last Friends' - at least for a while.