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nahochacon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Debo admitir que la primera mitad del libro me costó. Entre los personajes y los diálogos me fue difícil adaptarme a la voz del libro. Las últimas 100 páginas me movieron completamente.
Una mujer que tiene que salir de su rol como madre, que tiene que aprender a ser humana antes de solo ser esposa (o ex-esposa.
La verdad es que me gustó mucho cómo cerro y las enseñanzas o moralejas sobre lo que es ser con otros, de tomar tiempo con otros y cómo encontrar placer en lo fugaz. También como lo pasajera puede doler tanto.
Una mujer que tiene que salir de su rol como madre, que tiene que aprender a ser humana antes de solo ser esposa (o ex-esposa.
La verdad es que me gustó mucho cómo cerro y las enseñanzas o moralejas sobre lo que es ser con otros, de tomar tiempo con otros y cómo encontrar placer en lo fugaz. También como lo pasajera puede doler tanto.
mdrosend's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
joannaautumn's review against another edition
2.0
I usually like novels about fed-up women going on self-discovery journies in exotic places only to find that the problem lies in themselves and that they need to figure out what they want from life in order to be able to pursue their individual happiness and meaning.
What I don't like is writing a novel in such a dry tone that bores the reader, in this case, me. It's been 4 days and this short book put me in a reading slump, so it, indeed, fulfills the promise of making August a wicked month.
We follow Ellen on her abovementioned journey. She is separated from her husband, lonely, and still figuring out what she wants in life - which is fine, normal, and should be talked about, especially at the time it was published in 1965.
This book explores the complex feelings of balancing your identity between your inner self, a self who is a wife, and a mother.
The narrative tone is the biggest issue for me. It felt almost like a draft of a novel. Often times I would find myself losing focus on what I was reading and having to read some passages again.
A sensitive topic -
In short, the novel bored me to death. Maybe another Edna O'Brien book might be better but this one wasn't it for me. It can be summarized as:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I need a moment to recover from the dullness of the narrative in this one. Review to come.
What I don't like is writing a novel in such a dry tone that bores the reader, in this case, me. It's been 4 days and this short book put me in a reading slump, so it, indeed, fulfills the promise of making August a wicked month.
We follow Ellen on her abovementioned journey. She is separated from her husband, lonely, and still figuring out what she wants in life - which is fine, normal, and should be talked about, especially at the time it was published in 1965.
This book explores the complex feelings of balancing your identity between your inner self, a self who is a wife, and a mother.
The narrative tone is the biggest issue for me. It felt almost like a draft of a novel. Often times I would find myself losing focus on what I was reading and having to read some passages again.
A sensitive topic -
Spoiler
he death of a child, was jumbled into the narration...out of the blue. Grief isn't the same for everyone, I am not judging Ellen's reaction to the news, but what I am confused about is how the writer managed to implement the event in the novel.In short, the novel bored me to death. Maybe another Edna O'Brien book might be better but this one wasn't it for me. It can be summarized as:
"Irish, cottage, poor, typical, pink cheeks, came to be a nurse in London, loved by all the patients, loved being loved, ran from the operating theatre because one of those patients who had a cancer, was just opened and closed again, met a man who liked the nursemaid in me, married him in a registry office, threw away the faith, one son soon after. Over the years the love turned into something else and we broke up. Exit the nice girl.’ She bowed on the last three words."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I need a moment to recover from the dullness of the narrative in this one. Review to come.
ebokhyllami's review against another edition
4.0
Har revurdert denne, og i etterklokskapens lys...så må jeg kaste på ei stjerne, gitt. Stjerna er språket, og beskrivelsen av det heller seksuelt lettvinte livet til denne kvinnen - med tanke på at boka er skrevet i 1965. I august. Året og måneden jeg ble født. Og noe forut for 69'er fri-flyt-livet..
catiew's review against another edition
5.0
The perfect book to read lying in the sunshine with a cold drink, on a hot day in August.
A little bit "if you have sex, you will get pregnant. And die", but completely gorgeous nonetheless.
A little bit "if you have sex, you will get pregnant. And die", but completely gorgeous nonetheless.
jenn756's review against another edition
3.0
I naively thought this would be a Jilly Cooper type novel – girl goes off to the Riviera and finds excitement and love along the way, usually with the moody Mr Darcy type who turns out to be a hero in disguise. But it’s not. There is a real desolation in the centre of the story. I wouldn’t say Edna O’Brien understands women (or `girls’!) as well as the blurb on the back says she does, but she understands that life doesn’t provide a fairy tale ending. Ellen on impulse travels to France when her ex-husband takes her son on holiday and she is lonely. She thinks she is search of romance and sex, but really she just misses her son and can’t escape her Irish religious upbringing. Her encounters with film stars and sleaze bags are comical in their way but don’t take away from the central emptiness of the novel.
Having said all that, I found it incredible that Ellen could visit the Riviera at the height of summer, stay in a hotel by the sea, visit the beach and hardly anyone is there! That is not the Riviera I know. The one I know would have rows and rows of pink bodies sandwiched like sardines. It was obviously written a few years before the advent of mass tourism. Nowadays the entire population of Paris travels down the Route de Soleil each summer to cram the Riviera full of people.
Having said all that, I found it incredible that Ellen could visit the Riviera at the height of summer, stay in a hotel by the sea, visit the beach and hardly anyone is there! That is not the Riviera I know. The one I know would have rows and rows of pink bodies sandwiched like sardines. It was obviously written a few years before the advent of mass tourism. Nowadays the entire population of Paris travels down the Route de Soleil each summer to cram the Riviera full of people.
texturasytexto's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
orestesfasting's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I kept returning to think about the Great Gatsby throughout this novel. I often do, because it’s the quintessential canonised novella, but here it felt like the more adult, more real version of womanhood. O’Brien has a knack of gutting you.
The choice to end the novel with the contraction of an STI is interesting, because of course unplanned pregnancy is the classic fall of woman in literature (Tess, Hester, Fantine etc). The STI is nearly unspoken about - it sounds silly even referring to “the STI”. But it reminds me of RTD discussing how vital the douching joke is in episode 1 of It’s A Sin, because it is a signal to the audience - this programme is a truthful, messy discussion of sex + sexuality. Particularly when O’Brien (like me!) comes from a culture where motherhood is weirdly virginified - that’s not what the novel is about. Sad as Mark’s death is, it’s not about him. It’s about Ellen. Anyway - loved this one. Must finally read The Country Girls.
The choice to end the novel with the contraction of an STI is interesting, because of course unplanned pregnancy is the classic fall of woman in literature (Tess, Hester, Fantine etc). The STI is nearly unspoken about - it sounds silly even referring to “the STI”. But it reminds me of RTD discussing how vital the douching joke is in episode 1 of It’s A Sin, because it is a signal to the audience - this programme is a truthful, messy discussion of sex + sexuality. Particularly when O’Brien (like me!) comes from a culture where motherhood is weirdly virginified - that’s not what the novel is about. Sad as Mark’s death is, it’s not about him. It’s about Ellen. Anyway - loved this one. Must finally read The Country Girls.
salbulga's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5