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A review by books_and_cha
Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald
4.0
“There isn’t one kind of happiness, there’s all kinds. Decision is torment for anyone with imagination. When you decide, you multiply the things you might have done and now never can.”
I read this after finishing Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop. I liked The Bookshop because I was impressed by how Fitzgerald could say so much, with so little, and Offshore is no exception. The book follows the story of people who live in boats on the river Thames. In some ways you can imagine it to be a snapshot of their lives.
We find these characters when they're at a particular pivotal moment in their lives. Nenna is separated from her husband, living with her two daughters on a boat. Richard has a strained marriage. Willis is trying to sell his boat so he can go live with his sister, and darling Maurice is too nice for his own good. There's a lot of change going on for everyone, and I liked reading about how they're all this little family, these people living on the boats.
What I loved about this book was beautifully the story was told. Fitzgerald's writing manages to be witty, poetic, and unrelenting about the harshness of life all at once, and I am in awe.
If you're looking for a short read that packs a lot of depth and its written gorgeously, Fitzgerald's the one to go for.
I read this after finishing Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop. I liked The Bookshop because I was impressed by how Fitzgerald could say so much, with so little, and Offshore is no exception. The book follows the story of people who live in boats on the river Thames. In some ways you can imagine it to be a snapshot of their lives.
We find these characters when they're at a particular pivotal moment in their lives. Nenna is separated from her husband, living with her two daughters on a boat. Richard has a strained marriage. Willis is trying to sell his boat so he can go live with his sister, and darling Maurice is too nice for his own good. There's a lot of change going on for everyone, and I liked reading about how they're all this little family, these people living on the boats.
What I loved about this book was beautifully the story was told. Fitzgerald's writing manages to be witty, poetic, and unrelenting about the harshness of life all at once, and I am in awe.
If you're looking for a short read that packs a lot of depth and its written gorgeously, Fitzgerald's the one to go for.