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4.5 stars.
Wow. There is so much in this short novel. St Aubyn seems again to pay homage to Evelyn Waugh with what I can only describe as sparkling bitchiness. In the end, though, he seems more to draw on Woolf and Joyce for inspiration.
The party in this novel reminds me of both The Dead and Mrs Dalloway, complete with Patrick in an attic room, gazing out of the window and longing for an epiphany a la Clarissa Dalloway or Gabriel Conroy. He even has Sonny, the character whose birthday party it is, say, “Obviously, I’d rather that my birthday was in June instead of gloomy old February,” just in case you weren’t paying attention. Also, the party is attended by Princess Margaret, frequently referred to as P.M. I see what you did there, Mr St Aubyn. The gently falling snow at the end is a nice touch, too. ;-)
Wow. There is so much in this short novel. St Aubyn seems again to pay homage to Evelyn Waugh with what I can only describe as sparkling bitchiness. In the end, though, he seems more to draw on Woolf and Joyce for inspiration.
The party in this novel reminds me of both The Dead and Mrs Dalloway, complete with Patrick in an attic room, gazing out of the window and longing for an epiphany a la Clarissa Dalloway or Gabriel Conroy. He even has Sonny, the character whose birthday party it is, say, “Obviously, I’d rather that my birthday was in June instead of gloomy old February,” just in case you weren’t paying attention. Also, the party is attended by Princess Margaret, frequently referred to as P.M. I see what you did there, Mr St Aubyn. The gently falling snow at the end is a nice touch, too. ;-)