You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Eigenlijk heb ik de Nederlandse 'Onze Avonden' gelezen, maar Good Reads had de Nederlandse titel nog niet voorradig toen ik begon en nu ze dat wel hebben geloven ze niet dat ik geswitcht ben van Engels naar Nederlands, wat natuurlijk ook raar is. Heerlijk leesboek dat je makkelijk oppakt en verder leest, mooi geschreven, soms een beetje raar of iets te haastig vertaald waardoor zinnen een beetje stuurloos werden, maar dat was incidenteel. Niet altijd een sympathiek personage, maar wel hele mooie situaties, heel Brits, veel eigenaardige aristocratisch doende types, veel natuurschoon en tuinen, kust en knappe mannen. Veel inzicht in het Engelse underground theater. Hier ga je na een voorstelling op anderhalf uur reizen echt wel naar huis, daar zoek je een pension, als je in Ipswich speelt. Leek me een dure praktijk, dus ik vraag me wel een beetje af hoe Hollinghurst in de scene zit. Maar zo'n nachtelijk avontuur is wel veel dramatischer natuurlijk. Ik heb het met evenveel plezier gelezen als de Schoonheidslijn waarin hij ook zo goed tijdsbeelden en het leven daarin weet te beschrijven. Het einde, dat ik uiteraard niet ga verklappen, is huiveringwekkend.
“In your fifties and sixties your father-figures drop away – the ones who had licensed, enabled and witnessed your life – and no one can replace them.”
“I couldn’t tell yet if it was the sort of poshness inseparable from good manners, or the sort that absolves you of any such thing.
“‘Can’t you sleep?’ he said, and it was that soft adult masculine note of concern and protection that pierced me.”
“I saw how Nick’s tact, which was a kindness to me, was also a sign of his power, of things kept from me.”
“Perhaps we could never have been truly happy, but I missed him, I missed our life together, and I missed, incalculably, the future we were now not going to share.”
“Sometimes it is the evidence, the spectacle of another person’s grief that harrows you, more than the loss itself.“
“The truth is I don’t believe Richard and Ken would be friends either, if they first met now; and yet their being so is more than habit, a long loyal tribute perhaps to how they once were.”
“I couldn’t tell yet if it was the sort of poshness inseparable from good manners, or the sort that absolves you of any such thing.
“‘Can’t you sleep?’ he said, and it was that soft adult masculine note of concern and protection that pierced me.”
“I saw how Nick’s tact, which was a kindness to me, was also a sign of his power, of things kept from me.”
“Perhaps we could never have been truly happy, but I missed him, I missed our life together, and I missed, incalculably, the future we were now not going to share.”
“Sometimes it is the evidence, the spectacle of another person’s grief that harrows you, more than the loss itself.“
“The truth is I don’t believe Richard and Ken would be friends either, if they first met now; and yet their being so is more than habit, a long loyal tribute perhaps to how they once were.”
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Meandering (complimentary), a beautiful character study
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully written. There are some lines that I read and reread several times. The exploration of race and sexuality and being both from a place and a constant outsider was very well done. There were a few parts where I felt the pacing was a bit off which brought it down a bit for me. Would still recommend.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced