Scan barcode
elizabethberger's review
3.0
I really struggled to rate this as I couldn't quite decide how I felt about it. Did I enjoy it? I think so. I certainly feel I was given an insight into tuberculosis, post was Britain and the fledging nhs. The characters however, I just didn't really care for them much at all. I wasn't driven to continue reading out of desire to learn their fate but rather out of interest as to what other snapshots of mid 20th century life Grant would provide.
wendoxford's review
4.0
I love Linda Grant's writing and her subject areas - Alzheimers, Palestine, fashion, Jewish families. This book mixes many of her favourites into a new cocktail...post-war (1949) Britain, East End Jewish families, class divides, anti-semitism, fashion, birth of the NHS & funding issues seen from a TB sanitorium.
It is a slow burner and it took me some time to see how cleverly Grant unveils class-torn Britain within the confines of a private/now NHS facility which counts amongst its patients every social strata, brought together in their desperation. The treatment is authoritarian and harsh, even the whiff of a curative antibiotic echoes the hierarchy of society causing healthcare (even in these formative years of equality) is, effectively rationed.
The characters develop well. Sadness, suffering and stoicism in them all. It has some echoes of The Magic Mountain (Thomas Mann) in the expectations that TB could be "cured" by the cold outdoors but it is not as grim (but still as brutal) as this book was set at a time when a cure was on its way.
The story continues beyond the sanitorium up to present day. I did not feel this added any dimension to the novel
It is a slow burner and it took me some time to see how cleverly Grant unveils class-torn Britain within the confines of a private/now NHS facility which counts amongst its patients every social strata, brought together in their desperation. The treatment is authoritarian and harsh, even the whiff of a curative antibiotic echoes the hierarchy of society causing healthcare (even in these formative years of equality) is, effectively rationed.
The characters develop well. Sadness, suffering and stoicism in them all. It has some echoes of The Magic Mountain (Thomas Mann) in the expectations that TB could be "cured" by the cold outdoors but it is not as grim (but still as brutal) as this book was set at a time when a cure was on its way.
The story continues beyond the sanitorium up to present day. I did not feel this added any dimension to the novel
librarykirsten's review
3.0
Beautifully written, wonderfully drawn characters, great sense of the time but I just found myself not really emotionally engaged.
whatbritreads's review
3.0
Three stars for this book, I didn't particularly like it but I didn't dislike it either. After reading it I feel completely neutral. It was written really nicely and I was enjoying the plot line, the only main problems I had were with the ending and the constant shift in character perspectives between chapters without warning which made it kind of confusing to follow at points.
It was loosely based on true events, which I found interesting as I didn't know much about TB or the history of TB healthcare before picking this up. Though it was very slow paced, I still managed to get through it in less that 24 hours. The last 110 pages felt very rushed, and not feeling attached to any of the characters I kind of didn't care what happened to them. The minor characters were the most interesting to me and their stories touched me more.
A nice change to the historical fiction I usually read, but not really anything exceptional.
It was loosely based on true events, which I found interesting as I didn't know much about TB or the history of TB healthcare before picking this up. Though it was very slow paced, I still managed to get through it in less that 24 hours. The last 110 pages felt very rushed, and not feeling attached to any of the characters I kind of didn't care what happened to them. The minor characters were the most interesting to me and their stories touched me more.
A nice change to the historical fiction I usually read, but not really anything exceptional.
spiraldots's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published on my blog here
So, this is another book I read as part of my goal of reading all the books shortlisted for the Bailey’s Prize. I was a bit hesitant at first about this as the blurb didn’t look very interesting at all however I ended up being enchanted by this novel.
The main two characters are Lenny and Miriam who are twin siblings both diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to a sanatorium to recover. While there, they have to deal with the variety of treatments and deal with the knowledge that a cure exists but is not yet available. The story follows them as they make friends and just cope with their time there.
The novel moves at a very slow pace, showing the monotony of their day-to-day lives and the issues they deal with. It also is excellent at portraying a view of England just after the second world war and some of the best parts of the novel were just focusing on the society and how it was changing. The characters were all excellent and I enjoyed reading about their growth as they got to know each other and deal with the fact that the once exclusive sanatorium is now open to the “lower classes” due to the NHS.
This book is a delightful journey focusing on sanatoriums in the period of their decline and how it affected the characters both while they were there and the lingering effects it had on the rest of their lives. The end of the book shows us the characters in the future and how their lives developed after leaving the sanatorium which I really enjoyed as I’d grown attached to many and was keen to find out what had happened to them.
I can definitely see why this book was shortlisted for the Bailey’s Prize and it’s definitely one of my favourites so far. I would definitely recommend it and it makes me glad I’m doing this personal challenge as it’s the sort of book I never would have picked up myself.
So, this is another book I read as part of my goal of reading all the books shortlisted for the Bailey’s Prize. I was a bit hesitant at first about this as the blurb didn’t look very interesting at all however I ended up being enchanted by this novel.
The main two characters are Lenny and Miriam who are twin siblings both diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to a sanatorium to recover. While there, they have to deal with the variety of treatments and deal with the knowledge that a cure exists but is not yet available. The story follows them as they make friends and just cope with their time there.
The novel moves at a very slow pace, showing the monotony of their day-to-day lives and the issues they deal with. It also is excellent at portraying a view of England just after the second world war and some of the best parts of the novel were just focusing on the society and how it was changing. The characters were all excellent and I enjoyed reading about their growth as they got to know each other and deal with the fact that the once exclusive sanatorium is now open to the “lower classes” due to the NHS.
This book is a delightful journey focusing on sanatoriums in the period of their decline and how it affected the characters both while they were there and the lingering effects it had on the rest of their lives. The end of the book shows us the characters in the future and how their lives developed after leaving the sanatorium which I really enjoyed as I’d grown attached to many and was keen to find out what had happened to them.
I can definitely see why this book was shortlisted for the Bailey’s Prize and it’s definitely one of my favourites so far. I would definitely recommend it and it makes me glad I’m doing this personal challenge as it’s the sort of book I never would have picked up myself.
hk848's review
3.0
It’s a decent novel. Sadly I just don’t really see the point of it.
The characters were bland, the plot was sluggish and lacklustre, the author just didn’t seem to be able to explore any kind of serious conflict, only glossing over the deeper topics. The writing was decent but it didn’t stand out in anyway, nothing spectacular.
The book I’d recommend to someone who wants to skim through a story on a lazy Sunday afternoon without putting too much effort in or getting invested in any way.
To be honest, I should’ve been warned by the fact that this book is in anyway related to the man booker prize (I never seem to get on with any of those books) but it was a gift and I wanted to give it a go. Not sure if I regret it or not.
The characters were bland, the plot was sluggish and lacklustre, the author just didn’t seem to be able to explore any kind of serious conflict, only glossing over the deeper topics. The writing was decent but it didn’t stand out in anyway, nothing spectacular.
The book I’d recommend to someone who wants to skim through a story on a lazy Sunday afternoon without putting too much effort in or getting invested in any way.
To be honest, I should’ve been warned by the fact that this book is in anyway related to the man booker prize (I never seem to get on with any of those books) but it was a gift and I wanted to give it a go. Not sure if I regret it or not.
lora_h's review
2.0
Teenage twins from post-WW2 London are sent to the Kent countryside for a TB cure.
This is the first book I've read of this author who is an award winning novelist, & altho this isn't her first book, I wouldn't read another. The narrative is so clumsy, I was constantly being jolted out of the story & smacked in the face w/the fact that someone was making the whole thing up. We have a sex scene stopped so the author can describe the room where the act takes place. A brother describes his sister's hips to the disconcerted reader who wonders now what exactly goes on between the sibs, but it turns out to be nothing. Someone looking across the room at a woman can see that her necklace is fastened in the back by a diamond clasp. An uneducated working class patient uses anatomy terms that have nothing to do with his condition. One of the London sibs comes across a field of blue flowers he's never seen before, yet suddenly knows the name of them, only to later be told their name by someone else & be surprised at the name.
The book reads like something I'd expect from a precocious secondary student, not someone of Ms Grant's reputation. Perhaps something to read on a long trip or beside a pool on holiday, but not a serious literary contender by any means.
This is the first book I've read of this author who is an award winning novelist, & altho this isn't her first book, I wouldn't read another. The narrative is so clumsy, I was constantly being jolted out of the story & smacked in the face w/the fact that someone was making the whole thing up. We have a sex scene stopped so the author can describe the room where the act takes place. A brother describes his sister's hips to the disconcerted reader who wonders now what exactly goes on between the sibs, but it turns out to be nothing. Someone looking across the room at a woman can see that her necklace is fastened in the back by a diamond clasp. An uneducated working class patient uses anatomy terms that have nothing to do with his condition. One of the London sibs comes across a field of blue flowers he's never seen before, yet suddenly knows the name of them, only to later be told their name by someone else & be surprised at the name.
The book reads like something I'd expect from a precocious secondary student, not someone of Ms Grant's reputation. Perhaps something to read on a long trip or beside a pool on holiday, but not a serious literary contender by any means.