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laila4343's review
4.0
I read a blog review somewhere that compared Brookner's books to still, deep pools. I get the comparison - her writing is very internal, psychological, character-driven, not plotty. This is one of the best I've read so far. Jane is an appealing narrator - a bit distanced, but that fits with the quiet, ruminative family in which she was raised. Her aunt Dolly is a selfish, almost ridiculous character one loves to hate, until Brookner works her magic and makes the reader actually sympathize with her. I try to read one of Brookner's novels every couple of months or so, and always savor the experience.
bookfun4anna's review against another edition
3.0
Written by an English author in the 90s about 60-80s London about a high society family, with outliers. Centered on the character, Dolly, as perceived by her niece, Jane. Good prose, but the language is stiff. The chapters are choppy. The narrator, Jane, is a shielded, inexperienced woman who passes judgement on her relative Dolly, with no reference point for Dolly's life experience. Dolly is a vain, codependent human who freeloads on anyone she can lure with her charm and victimhood. Jane is self-absorbed, asexual woman with no empathy. She passes judgement with non-existent intellectual superiority, views women as frivalous, and has mostly disdain for men. This is a book with no likeable character. The author is an anti-feminist, and her antipathy towards women oozes throughout this book.
mrh29992's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
clwvtclw's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this story told by the young narrator Jane. She takes you through her life and I was over anxious to hear about the flamboyant and self centered Aunt Dolly and how should would fit into the story.
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