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thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
4.0
A very timely book about a small cast of characters having to tolerate one another in a boarding house, not because of a pandemic but because there's a war going on outside. The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton was recommended to me as one of the must-read 'spinster fictions' out there. And since I love books about independent old people who are living happily on their own, thank you very much, I had high expectations going in.
I would say that The Slaves of Solitude does largely live up to my expectations. The small cast of characters are well described and do come alive on the page. There must be a German word for this, but I love stories that involve individuals who are perfectly happy with their status quo, only to have something — or someone — enter their lives and destroy that delicate balance. In this book, the disruption comes in the form of Vicki Kugelmann, who begins the story as our protagonist friend, only to turn into a usurper in this 'domestic thriller'.
Anyway, it's a fun little book that, for some reason, reminds me of a romantic comedy — but the good kind, like You've Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle, and not like the myriad films that Matthew McConaughey made in the mid 2000s. The characters are good, the story doesn't overstay its welcome, the writing is functional — just a good time at the Rosamund Tea Rooms.
I would say that The Slaves of Solitude does largely live up to my expectations. The small cast of characters are well described and do come alive on the page. There must be a German word for this, but I love stories that involve individuals who are perfectly happy with their status quo, only to have something — or someone — enter their lives and destroy that delicate balance. In this book, the disruption comes in the form of Vicki Kugelmann, who begins the story as our protagonist friend, only to turn into a usurper in this 'domestic thriller'.
Anyway, it's a fun little book that, for some reason, reminds me of a romantic comedy — but the good kind, like You've Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle, and not like the myriad films that Matthew McConaughey made in the mid 2000s. The characters are good, the story doesn't overstay its welcome, the writing is functional — just a good time at the Rosamund Tea Rooms.
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
So there was this part of the book where the protagonist (who did some kind of secretarial/office work) had to take her work home with her to complete, because of the restrictions imposed by the war. WFH during WWII....
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible book. Probably the best English book on WW 2. God!
shauny_32's review against another edition
4.0
Light, and shallow but captivating and combining many of the best qualities of Hamilton. The struggling introvert, the callous, cruel antagonist, the etiquette of 40’s England along with all of its absurdities, the angst and oppressive society crushing all of the characters, and of course, the booze. The Slaves of Solitude is another fantastic story by the highly under appreciated Patrick Hamilton.
ellagrierson1's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
lookhome's review against another edition
5.0
'Oh, this world (thought miss Roach as they sped along) int which I have been born! And oh this war, through which it is my destiny to pass! (Though pass was not the word, for she could not conceive any end to it). (Hamilton, 118)
The Slaves of Solitude with its minutely detailed accounts of petty frustrations and power struggles in the controlled social space/interactions of WW2 London becomes unsurprisingly relevant in this, the 'Covid' era.
This is a good book made great due to the timing.
In it, we follow the lives of multiple people through the eyes of its antagonized protagonist Miss Roach.
It traces her encounters with a solider, a German immigrant, a covert but refined theater thespian and a crotchety, scared, Pseudo-intellectual bully.
It's environment is particularly English and there's something of doomed weekend as experience in the Withnail and I vein that seems to reverberate here.
You won't find any real or applicable life philosophies or any monumental narrative twists. What this book consists of is a particular kind of human understanding.
It breathes from an author that understands and reflects on human gesture, human emotion and the human need to connect.
Hamilton wrote beautifully in Hangover Square and does so again here.
'When he at last came out the other elderly guests were already setting about their business- the business, that is to say, of those who in fact had no business on this earth save that of cautiously steering their respective failing bodies along paths free from discomfort and illness in the direction of the final illness which would exterminate them' (70)
There's a tranquil sense of despair that rhythmically beats its heart into and throughout its constructed rooms. A haze of unfiltered chaos made bearable by the war's ability to confine and force unnatural interactions between various English classes and age brackets.
Worth a read, if only to remember that literature should give us something to ponder and it invariably does when describing things truthfully. For capital T Truth is timeless and loneliness, dread, anxious social interactions, and meaninglessness of war and unwanted but imposed shared social spaces
remain as timely as ever.
The Slaves of Solitude with its minutely detailed accounts of petty frustrations and power struggles in the controlled social space/interactions of WW2 London becomes unsurprisingly relevant in this, the 'Covid' era.
This is a good book made great due to the timing.
In it, we follow the lives of multiple people through the eyes of its antagonized protagonist Miss Roach.
It traces her encounters with a solider, a German immigrant, a covert but refined theater thespian and a crotchety, scared, Pseudo-intellectual bully.
It's environment is particularly English and there's something of doomed weekend as experience in the Withnail and I vein that seems to reverberate here.
You won't find any real or applicable life philosophies or any monumental narrative twists. What this book consists of is a particular kind of human understanding.
It breathes from an author that understands and reflects on human gesture, human emotion and the human need to connect.
Hamilton wrote beautifully in Hangover Square and does so again here.
'When he at last came out the other elderly guests were already setting about their business- the business, that is to say, of those who in fact had no business on this earth save that of cautiously steering their respective failing bodies along paths free from discomfort and illness in the direction of the final illness which would exterminate them' (70)
There's a tranquil sense of despair that rhythmically beats its heart into and throughout its constructed rooms. A haze of unfiltered chaos made bearable by the war's ability to confine and force unnatural interactions between various English classes and age brackets.
Worth a read, if only to remember that literature should give us something to ponder and it invariably does when describing things truthfully. For capital T Truth is timeless and loneliness, dread, anxious social interactions, and meaninglessness of war and unwanted but imposed shared social spaces
remain as timely as ever.
qualitamatic's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
atippmann's review against another edition
5.0
Second time reading this one. First time years ago, I didn’t love it, but this time it was a pleasure! This author had such a subtle sense of humor and the way he wrote it feels surprisingly modern. I’m glad I attempted it again!
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
4.0
Four and a half stars if I could...
I have never read any Patrick Hamilton before, and I ask myself why? It was absolutely fantastic. When this came up as a book group choice I was eager to read it and so glad I eventually have. I must say it has one of the best opening paragraphs ever in the history of book openings:
“London, the crouching monster, like every other monster has to breathe, and breathe it does in its own obscure, malignant way. Its vital oxygen is composed of suburban working men and women of all kinds, who every morning are sucked up through an infinitely complicated respiratory apparatus of trains and termini into the mighty congested lungs, held there for a number of hours, and then, in the evening, exhaled violently through the same channels.”
Our reluctant heroine, Miss Roach, is working for a publisher in London and has been bombed out of her rooms in Kensington, leaving her no choice but to take up a room in a boarding house in Thames Lockton. When we meet her, she is a miserable, lonely creature, who dreads her return to the boarding house each night, as she has to deal with the hideous Mr Thwaites, a brash, rude and bully of a man who delights in making Miss Roach uncomfortable. Indeed, he seems to have a bit of a vendetta against her and will go to any lengths to embarrass and humiliate her. This is made worse, when Miss Roach comes into contact with an American Lieutenant (Pike), and a German girl, Vicki whom she has be-friended, sympathising with the way she is often treated due to her race, and offering her companionship in the troubled times. Vicki however, is not all she appears to be, neither is “her” Lieutenant, and Miss Roach finds herself becoming increasingly more isolated, angry, and full of despair at her circumstances.
I admired the way in which Patrick Hamilton paints us a picture of war-time Britain, yet without talking in great detail about bombs falling, or the fighting, he highlights a small area of solitude and hopelessness (the boarding house). The residents seem to go about their daily activity, completing mundane tasks with an aura of desperation and sadness at the times they are living in, with little hope of things getting better. However, the author continues to lighten the tone at times with an element of humour – Mr Thwaites booming speeches and mix of dialect are both entertaining and hilarious. Alcohol plays a huge part in this novel, the Lieutenant in particular likes a tipple or three, and I didn’t realise that our author was also a big drinker (three bottles of whiskey a day!), the sad fact is that it led to his death. The characters are both complex and at the same time simple in how they appear, and how they end up, and I found myself desperate for a sequel, so that I could find out the fate of poor Miss Roach! This truly is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel, and I can’t wait to read more of Patrick Hamilton’s work – Hangover Square next methinks. (apologies, must be channelling a bit of Mr Thwaites…)
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
I have never read any Patrick Hamilton before, and I ask myself why? It was absolutely fantastic. When this came up as a book group choice I was eager to read it and so glad I eventually have. I must say it has one of the best opening paragraphs ever in the history of book openings:
“London, the crouching monster, like every other monster has to breathe, and breathe it does in its own obscure, malignant way. Its vital oxygen is composed of suburban working men and women of all kinds, who every morning are sucked up through an infinitely complicated respiratory apparatus of trains and termini into the mighty congested lungs, held there for a number of hours, and then, in the evening, exhaled violently through the same channels.”
Our reluctant heroine, Miss Roach, is working for a publisher in London and has been bombed out of her rooms in Kensington, leaving her no choice but to take up a room in a boarding house in Thames Lockton. When we meet her, she is a miserable, lonely creature, who dreads her return to the boarding house each night, as she has to deal with the hideous Mr Thwaites, a brash, rude and bully of a man who delights in making Miss Roach uncomfortable. Indeed, he seems to have a bit of a vendetta against her and will go to any lengths to embarrass and humiliate her. This is made worse, when Miss Roach comes into contact with an American Lieutenant (Pike), and a German girl, Vicki whom she has be-friended, sympathising with the way she is often treated due to her race, and offering her companionship in the troubled times. Vicki however, is not all she appears to be, neither is “her” Lieutenant, and Miss Roach finds herself becoming increasingly more isolated, angry, and full of despair at her circumstances.
I admired the way in which Patrick Hamilton paints us a picture of war-time Britain, yet without talking in great detail about bombs falling, or the fighting, he highlights a small area of solitude and hopelessness (the boarding house). The residents seem to go about their daily activity, completing mundane tasks with an aura of desperation and sadness at the times they are living in, with little hope of things getting better. However, the author continues to lighten the tone at times with an element of humour – Mr Thwaites booming speeches and mix of dialect are both entertaining and hilarious. Alcohol plays a huge part in this novel, the Lieutenant in particular likes a tipple or three, and I didn’t realise that our author was also a big drinker (three bottles of whiskey a day!), the sad fact is that it led to his death. The characters are both complex and at the same time simple in how they appear, and how they end up, and I found myself desperate for a sequel, so that I could find out the fate of poor Miss Roach! This truly is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel, and I can’t wait to read more of Patrick Hamilton’s work – Hangover Square next methinks. (apologies, must be channelling a bit of Mr Thwaites…)
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
verena123's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5