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gohawks's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
deea_bks's review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
The Room - 5*
Cheating at Canasta - 5*
A Perfect Relationship - 5*
Old Flame - 5*
The Room - 5*
Cheating at Canasta - 5*
A Perfect Relationship - 5*
Old Flame - 5*
litdoes's review
4.0
Not one to waste words, William Trevor's sentences are so concise that they're not the most easy to read as so much information is packed in. His pithy prose demands full concentration from the reader; glean it over with a cursory eye and important nuances are lost. But when you do pay attention, huge rewards await you.
This collection of 12 tales draws together a myriad of characters:
a 73 year-old almost abandoned wife grapples with the omnipresence of her husband's lover, the not-so clandestine relationship kept oppressively alive by the lover's best friend in the most eerie vicarious fashion in 'Old Flame';
a man meets an old friend who was irreparably damaged by their complicit cruel act of childhood folly, and is loathe to face what his relatively unscathed self implies about his own humanity in 'Folie a Deux';
a pair of middle-aged siblings grapple with their bullying yet symbiotic relationship that is built largely on 'Faith', misplaced or otherwise;
a lonely teenage girl meets her online acquaintance,with near disastrous results, but she seems none the wiser from this episode.
Many other characters dot the rest of the stories, and their presence linger on way after Trevor writes the last word about them.
This collection of 12 tales draws together a myriad of characters:
a 73 year-old almost abandoned wife grapples with the omnipresence of her husband's lover, the not-so clandestine relationship kept oppressively alive by the lover's best friend in the most eerie vicarious fashion in 'Old Flame';
a man meets an old friend who was irreparably damaged by their complicit cruel act of childhood folly, and is loathe to face what his relatively unscathed self implies about his own humanity in 'Folie a Deux';
a pair of middle-aged siblings grapple with their bullying yet symbiotic relationship that is built largely on 'Faith', misplaced or otherwise;
a lonely teenage girl meets her online acquaintance,with near disastrous results, but she seems none the wiser from this episode.
Many other characters dot the rest of the stories, and their presence linger on way after Trevor writes the last word about them.
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
William Trevor is a master of short story writing. Sometimes his plots and characters are a bit dated, especially in regard to the description of women. Apart from that I enjoy the melancholy and the underlying sadness of his story telling.
canadianbookworm's review
4.0
Trevor has long been a favourite of mine, and this collection does not disappoint. His characters all have their own idiosyncrasies and the interaction between characters along with the resulting inner response is what really make his stories interesting. From the stories of couples, siblings and old friends, his stories always have a touch of sadness as well as human candor. His curiousity about human nature comes through, as ever.
lnatal's review
2.0
From BBC Radio 4 - Afternnon Drama:
A chance meeting in Paris revives powerful memories of a shared past on an Irish beach. Story collection read by William Trevor.
Apparently, the following episodes were forgotten by BBC.....
A chance meeting in Paris revives powerful memories of a shared past on an Irish beach. Story collection read by William Trevor.
Apparently, the following episodes were forgotten by BBC.....
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