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lachlanfinlayson 's review for:
Lessons
by Ian McEwan
I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
‘Lessons’ is the story of Roland, the protagonist and narrator of Ian McEwan’s latest novel. Roland reflects on his 1960s boyhood and then later as he grows up, his life from the 1970s until the present day. While it is set mostly in England, world and regional events as well as more local events, provide the background to the story and in part, explain actions, decisions and choices made by the characters. Events such as the threat of nuclear war, the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, Islamic terrorism, European and American political upheavals and finally a global pandemic.
These events, while global, are portrayed as having meaning beyond simply background to the plot. They colour Roland’s memories and in essence, his life. The books beginning is based mid-life for Roland, with Alissa, his German-born wife suddenly disappearing. Eventually we come to understand she has abandoned her son and husband to pursuing a career and life of her own.
Subsequent chapters take us through Roland’s early life, in particular his time at an English boarding school and an affair with a piano teacher. This key event is presented as having influenced much of his subsequent life and choices, particularly the bad ones, he has made. Later chapters take us through Roland’s life, outcomes from decisions good and bad, up to the disappearance of his wife and beyond to the present day.
Themes recur throughout the book, in relation to Roland’s and Alisha’s lives and the lives of their parents. Lost or missed opportunities, issues of work and education, family responsibilities, individual choices. Along the way, the reader learns details of the parents lives, in particular their experiences before, during and after World War Two. Plenty of blame is apportioned to the parents for difficulties in Roland and Alissa’s lives. Justified or not, the reader can make their own decisions.
Roland’s youthful, indeed underage affair with his piano teacher, is recalled frequently throughout the book, in part to explain his actions, thoughts and behaviours. The question arises whether he is a victim of a crime and damaged for life. Or possibly a willing participant, eager to blame his later misfortunes on events during his boarding school days. Roland ponders has status as victim and considers this as the reason for his shortcoming in life. Roland also ponders his ex-wife who has gained the type of success and acclaim he may have achieved had circumstances been different.
Earlier chapters of the book are engrossing. Factual events recalled often needed a detour to google more information. German resistance organisations and certain European artistic movements, all play a role in the story or at least as background event to lives.
The later chapters of the book, tell the story of growing older, and ageing, at first with regard to their parents, then later to Roland and Alissa themselves. Once again, their lives are played out against a background of world events, both present day and in the past. The author chooses to denigrate British Prime Minister Thatcher in one of the final chapters of the book, blaming her for misfortunes not only during her time as PM, but also for events decades after her death.
Although the book sometimes takes a tangent to the main plot, these side stories provide interesting reading and are thought provoking. For example, the divided city of Berlin, before the fall of the Soviet Union, is the scene of several events. Given the current war in Ukraine, it is timely to remember just how widespread, intrusive and cruel the Soviet system was to ordinary people in East Germany. The author rightly questions the admiration of the Soviet Union from the United Kingdom’s political Left during the 1970s and 1980s. One cannot help but think of parallels with the relationship between Germany and Russia over recent decades which has contributed to war in Ukraine today.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can recall enough of the global events to appreciate the significance they might have brought to someone at the time. It is a book that makes you stop, or at least slow down, think, take stock and continue reading. A thoughtful, provocative and memorable book. For younger readers, the books characters and plot possibly may not resonate, with background global events being in the far distant past. However, on reflection, current day events in Ukraine and Russia certainly provide a parallel of sorts to historic concerns of nuclear war and Soviet aggression.
While the main characters are not particularly pleasant, their lifestyle choices are intriguing as are their motives, thoughts and relationships. Roland and Alissa are memorable and believable. They both apportion blame widely for misfortunes. While both wasted or squandered opportunities for better or at least different lives. Individual choices for each of them have made their lives what they are, ending up in vastly different places and circumstances. For better or for worse.
The background events, relationships and lifestyles of the characters, combined with the incidents portrayed, make this book a real pleasure to read. I wish the author every success with publication.
‘Lessons’ is the story of Roland, the protagonist and narrator of Ian McEwan’s latest novel. Roland reflects on his 1960s boyhood and then later as he grows up, his life from the 1970s until the present day. While it is set mostly in England, world and regional events as well as more local events, provide the background to the story and in part, explain actions, decisions and choices made by the characters. Events such as the threat of nuclear war, the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, Islamic terrorism, European and American political upheavals and finally a global pandemic.
These events, while global, are portrayed as having meaning beyond simply background to the plot. They colour Roland’s memories and in essence, his life. The books beginning is based mid-life for Roland, with Alissa, his German-born wife suddenly disappearing. Eventually we come to understand she has abandoned her son and husband to pursuing a career and life of her own.
Subsequent chapters take us through Roland’s early life, in particular his time at an English boarding school and an affair with a piano teacher. This key event is presented as having influenced much of his subsequent life and choices, particularly the bad ones, he has made. Later chapters take us through Roland’s life, outcomes from decisions good and bad, up to the disappearance of his wife and beyond to the present day.
Themes recur throughout the book, in relation to Roland’s and Alisha’s lives and the lives of their parents. Lost or missed opportunities, issues of work and education, family responsibilities, individual choices. Along the way, the reader learns details of the parents lives, in particular their experiences before, during and after World War Two. Plenty of blame is apportioned to the parents for difficulties in Roland and Alissa’s lives. Justified or not, the reader can make their own decisions.
Roland’s youthful, indeed underage affair with his piano teacher, is recalled frequently throughout the book, in part to explain his actions, thoughts and behaviours. The question arises whether he is a victim of a crime and damaged for life. Or possibly a willing participant, eager to blame his later misfortunes on events during his boarding school days. Roland ponders has status as victim and considers this as the reason for his shortcoming in life. Roland also ponders his ex-wife who has gained the type of success and acclaim he may have achieved had circumstances been different.
Earlier chapters of the book are engrossing. Factual events recalled often needed a detour to google more information. German resistance organisations and certain European artistic movements, all play a role in the story or at least as background event to lives.
The later chapters of the book, tell the story of growing older, and ageing, at first with regard to their parents, then later to Roland and Alissa themselves. Once again, their lives are played out against a background of world events, both present day and in the past. The author chooses to denigrate British Prime Minister Thatcher in one of the final chapters of the book, blaming her for misfortunes not only during her time as PM, but also for events decades after her death.
Although the book sometimes takes a tangent to the main plot, these side stories provide interesting reading and are thought provoking. For example, the divided city of Berlin, before the fall of the Soviet Union, is the scene of several events. Given the current war in Ukraine, it is timely to remember just how widespread, intrusive and cruel the Soviet system was to ordinary people in East Germany. The author rightly questions the admiration of the Soviet Union from the United Kingdom’s political Left during the 1970s and 1980s. One cannot help but think of parallels with the relationship between Germany and Russia over recent decades which has contributed to war in Ukraine today.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can recall enough of the global events to appreciate the significance they might have brought to someone at the time. It is a book that makes you stop, or at least slow down, think, take stock and continue reading. A thoughtful, provocative and memorable book. For younger readers, the books characters and plot possibly may not resonate, with background global events being in the far distant past. However, on reflection, current day events in Ukraine and Russia certainly provide a parallel of sorts to historic concerns of nuclear war and Soviet aggression.
While the main characters are not particularly pleasant, their lifestyle choices are intriguing as are their motives, thoughts and relationships. Roland and Alissa are memorable and believable. They both apportion blame widely for misfortunes. While both wasted or squandered opportunities for better or at least different lives. Individual choices for each of them have made their lives what they are, ending up in vastly different places and circumstances. For better or for worse.
The background events, relationships and lifestyles of the characters, combined with the incidents portrayed, make this book a real pleasure to read. I wish the author every success with publication.