A review by marc129
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G. B. Edwards

2.0

The old Ebenezer Le Page looks back on his life, and shares his autobiographical story with us, in his own voice. This certainly has its charm. Especially the microcosm he lives in, on the island of Guernsey, close to the French-Norman coast but still English territory, comes into its own. And the Anglo-French 'patois' (which author Edwards explains in detail in an appendix) gives color to the story. The style is old-fashioned-classic, with a lot of cliché coming-of-age details in the beginning. Moreover, this book does require some stamina from the reader due to the endless list of relatives and acquaintances, of which Ebenezer tells the mutual relationships and feuds. The up and down fates, the missed opportunities and the hidden secrets of both narrator Ebenezer and many other friends and family members also pass by, a bit like in a naturalist novel. But Edwards gave his protagonist Ebenezer his own voice and enough character to rise above that, culminating in a form of benign resignation at the end of his life. With that this novel clearly belongs to the genre of the serene and stoic (auto)biographical stories, like Williams' [b:Stoner|166997|Stoner|John Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320600716l/166997._SY75_.jpg|1559207] and Seethaler's [b:A Whole Life|28598101|A Whole Life|Robert Seethaler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453145479l/28598101._SY75_.jpg|42007512]. So, indeed, it has its charm. But I have to be honest: I had expected just a bit more from this book. (rating 2.5 stars)