Product Description

A short novel of quite remarkable depth, power and poignancy by a writer at the height of his powers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Metro
'this graceful novella offered a series of perfectly realised moments'

Guardian
'In its precision, scope and force, this is an astounding novel, more tender than anything McEwan has hitherto produced'

Waterstone's Books Quarterly
`slow, detailed prose... reads like a pale memory of a forgotten age... a writer in complete control of his craft'

Customer Reviews

faultless
A perfectly crafted book. A very short book (I read it in one morning, on Salalah beach - very different from Chesil), but a flawless exploration of love, desire, uncertainty and the consequences of decisions.

A very Ian McEwan book, with all that his books think about personal relationships and brooding possibilities of disaster. I was swept away by Atonement and Saturday, which are great novels - but I now see the flaws in them - this I found faultess.

Far from his best
I think I have read all of McEwan's work, so obviously I am a fan. However I found it rather disappointing. It is still very readable, but really not up to the standard that McEwan has set.

Although very short, I found most of the book a little laboured - taking too long to get through a relatively small amount of plot. And then suddenly he covers forty years in a few pages, which is rather bizarre.

If, like me, you like McEwan's work you will probably read it anyway. If so, don't set your expectations so high as his better work and you will probably enjoy this as a mediocre work.

If you have not read McEwan before, I suggest you start elsewhere. "Enduring Love", "Atonement" and "The Cement Garden" are all excellent.

Novella written in a self-regarding style
I was disappointed in this short novel. Although initially I found the two protagonists, a young couple on their wedding night, appealing and the story engaging, after a while McEwan's mannered prose style began to grate on me. It felt as though he had one eye on the story and the other on a literary prize.