Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17305 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

The Bookseller, Feb 3, 2006
'Purposeful and provocative novel... fans of Kevin won't be disappointed'

Observer Review, May 7, 2006
`A brilliant tale of doomed love'

Marie-Claire, June 2006
`With prose as taut as a well-strung racket, you'll be captivated'

Customer Reviews

A long rally
I read this after I read We Need to Talk about Kevin, not realising it had been written some time ago. The ability to write at length about very little is a gift Lionel Shriver definitely has, and you can see its development in the later books. This one was disappointing, but please don't let it put you off her other books, which are great.

Very Disappointing
As an avid reader, I'm always excited to discover a new author, and after reading We Need To Talk About Kevin, I couldn't wait to read Lionel Shriver's other work. The old saying goes that everyone has one novel in them, but in Ms Shriver's case, I think it is only one. I can't believe that the one-dimensional Double Fault and the profound and shocking Kevin came from the same pen. I am a loyal reader who always finishes what she starts (and re-reads favourite books over again) but this book's lack of even one character to root for actually inspired me to throw it across the room in sheer frustration! Very disappointing.

Love Six, Love Six
Double Fault is a 'double entendre' in this case, I fear. In order for a book to be appreciated, the author needs to develop realistic characters - not necessarily likeable, but realistic. This requires great care with dialogue and actions. I can only speak about Double Fault as far as page 42, and I only got there out of curiosity. The more I tried to visualise that 'tennis court tryst', the more I wondered how it would fare in the annual 'worst sex scene' literary competition (well up with the masters, I concluded). Eric's speech and Willy's thoughts seemed more appropriate to a college bar-room debate, than to actual foreplay. Equally improbable were the contortions of their first coupling: `Willy's back pressed the net cord; it groaned ... (he) lifted her to cradled the small of her back on the tape, crouched, stood and closed his eyes. Consequently Wilhemina Novinsky discovered what a match was like without the go-between meddling of a tennis ball'.
Wow. You won't find that position in the Kama Sutra.
And that's where I left them, because I couldn't bear to read any further. I do hope they didn't pull any muscles.