Scan barcode
pllylzbth's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laila4343's review
5.0
Loved this. It took a little while to get into because there are so many characters, but by the third chapter I was hooked. Love the writing, love the characters - lots of lonely people in a small seaside British village post WWII, trying to find connection. Just sublime.
kathieboucher's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing writing but a bit of a slog. Most of the characters had very little insight into themselves or others, with the exception of the predatory Tory. Central character Beth, a novelist, was maddeningly detached from her husband and children, totally oblivious to their lives.
tstockwell86's review against another edition
5.0
Confession: I thought this would be boring. Like, not watching paint dry boring, but just a bit dull and meandering, despite the implorations of the quality of Elizabeth Taylor's writing on the cover. Thankfully, I was wrong.
Why even read it then? Well you see, this book is part of Virago Modern Classics' 40th Anniversary edition, 13 books which have been given makeovers with gorgeously sparkly and symmetrically adorned covers. I can't resist a bit of sparkle, so I decided to read 9 of the books (the other 4 honestly don't appeal in the slightest) this summer.
The title does exactly as it says: this is a book about a small, fading harbour town in the UK, immediately post-WW2. Brits - and I've no doubt people of other nationalities - will be familiar with this type of town. It probably had its heyday in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, but has been left to a sort of genteel decay as people choose to jet abroad to sunnier and more enticing climes for their holidays.
Bertram is the central figure in the book, in that he threads interactions together, but I'd hesitate to call him a protagonist. Rather, there are several - a divorced mother, a young widow, a cantankerous older woman who is paralysed from the hips down and her two daughters, a delightfully clueless writer and her doctor husband, and their daughter. Taylor expertly weaves between these characters and their lives, and you know what? I was really, incredibly invested.
I could imagine this being dramatised on the BBC over several episodes, the gentle tragedy of the book playing out. There's no massive build up and no shocking events, but I think that's part of the point. It's about everyday lives, how we affect those around us - either for better or worse - and the decisions we make. If you enjoy realistic dialogue, wonderful characterisation, and truly excellent descriptions, then I'd thoroughly recommend this - whoever called Taylor the 'thinking person's desperate housewife' hit the nail on the head.
Why even read it then? Well you see, this book is part of Virago Modern Classics' 40th Anniversary edition, 13 books which have been given makeovers with gorgeously sparkly and symmetrically adorned covers. I can't resist a bit of sparkle, so I decided to read 9 of the books (the other 4 honestly don't appeal in the slightest) this summer.
The title does exactly as it says: this is a book about a small, fading harbour town in the UK, immediately post-WW2. Brits - and I've no doubt people of other nationalities - will be familiar with this type of town. It probably had its heyday in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, but has been left to a sort of genteel decay as people choose to jet abroad to sunnier and more enticing climes for their holidays.
Bertram is the central figure in the book, in that he threads interactions together, but I'd hesitate to call him a protagonist. Rather, there are several - a divorced mother, a young widow, a cantankerous older woman who is paralysed from the hips down and her two daughters, a delightfully clueless writer and her doctor husband, and their daughter. Taylor expertly weaves between these characters and their lives, and you know what? I was really, incredibly invested.
I could imagine this being dramatised on the BBC over several episodes, the gentle tragedy of the book playing out. There's no massive build up and no shocking events, but I think that's part of the point. It's about everyday lives, how we affect those around us - either for better or worse - and the decisions we make. If you enjoy realistic dialogue, wonderful characterisation, and truly excellent descriptions, then I'd thoroughly recommend this - whoever called Taylor the 'thinking person's desperate housewife' hit the nail on the head.
katcic's review against another edition
5.0
This was a wonderful read - I couldn't put it down. It is deceptive - you feel like you are skimming the surface of these people's lives at first, but then you realise that you are being shown their intimate thoughts and actions. I couldn't help thinking firstly of Under Milk Wood, because there is a rhythmical quality to the way Taylor weaves in and out of these lives and it is also deeply poetic. There is constant repetition, like the constant sound of the waves in the harbour, but each wave builds on the last. I also thought of Ulysses, but without the waffle - there are no extraneous words here.
xanadu_'s review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
annebrooke's review against another edition
5.0
A fabulously written book with a wonderful mix of characters. Elements of humour mix with the domestic tragedy happening behind closed doors. I loved it.
we_are_all_mad_here26's review
slow-paced
3.0
There are stories that are satisfying in some way and then there are stories that say, "this is life, not often satisfying, too bad, deal with it." Elizabeth Taylor writes the latter kind of story and it appears I prefer the former.
I did love Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont regardless of satisfaction factor. I think that might have been the one exception to the rule.
I did love Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont regardless of satisfaction factor. I think that might have been the one exception to the rule.
annacarolinaa's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bronwynmb's review against another edition
4.0
You really can’t go wrong with Elizabeth Taylor. This was so good. Almost nothing ended how I wanted, but that’s life isn’t it? Everyone felt very real, though some of the dialog was a bit much sometimes. I really felt like I knew this place and people. I liked that it was the old part of town, and so kept the amount of people down but didn’t feel forced. Just a lovely book (plus some deception… but cest la vie).