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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Amazing writing. Once in a while I wished for a paragraph that didn't contain some of the world's best sentences, so I could just read a story. But mostly this book just blew me away.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Read for class.
I don't like that the cover showing up for this ISBN-13 is the movie tie-in, not the lovely painting of a lady that I actually have. Seriously, my cover copy is so much prettier.
///
Okay, this review is going to be short.
The Last September is about an Anglo-Irish land-owning family and their daily lives, set against the Irish unrest and turmoil.
While I found this book hard to get into (the writing can be quite dry at moments), I really enjoyed how Bowen seemed to lure me into a sleep (not a real one) with the happenings at the Big House and then shocked me awake when Lois or the family encountered the true nature of what was happening outside in Ireland, outside their little bubble or cocoon of "glamour". It was jarring and created a real contrast between what the lower-class Irish were going through and what the upper-/middle-class Anglo-Irish were.
I admit that The Last September is not for everyone. After all, it is wrought with political symbolism and hidden messages that make it a tough read. However, I do think it's a great book, especially for exposing the divide between the Irish and the British and for bringing the female characters, specifically Lois, into a modern era by subverting the marriage plot.
I don't like that the cover showing up for this ISBN-13 is the movie tie-in, not the lovely painting of a lady that I actually have. Seriously, my cover copy is so much prettier.
///
Okay, this review is going to be short.
The Last September is about an Anglo-Irish land-owning family and their daily lives, set against the Irish unrest and turmoil.
While I found this book hard to get into (the writing can be quite dry at moments), I really enjoyed how Bowen seemed to lure me into a sleep (not a real one) with the happenings at the Big House and then shocked me awake when Lois or the family encountered the true nature of what was happening outside in Ireland, outside their little bubble or cocoon of "glamour". It was jarring and created a real contrast between what the lower-class Irish were going through and what the upper-/middle-class Anglo-Irish were.
I admit that The Last September is not for everyone. After all, it is wrought with political symbolism and hidden messages that make it a tough read. However, I do think it's a great book, especially for exposing the divide between the Irish and the British and for bringing the female characters, specifically Lois, into a modern era by subverting the marriage plot.
I have never read a book that had nothing happen for so long and then everything happening all at once like this. Made for an interesting time.
so, I should have read this years ago when I was super into modernism and writing in the 1920s and presumed no Irish women were writing at the time. probably would have given this 5 stars then but just couldn't quite get into it