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beffy94's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
meganjchristie's review
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
wilde_woolf's review
medium-paced
3.25
Some of the emotions you experience don't really change over a lifetime, except maybe in intensity but even then
michael_levy's review
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
m_e_d_b_'s review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
alguienmescucha's review
4.0
Sutil, buenas descripciones, frases inolvidables. Amé a Mrs. Palfrey, cómo piensa y como recuerda su juventud. Este libro es una joyita desconocida para mí de antes, al igual que su autora.
Me encariñé mucho con los personajes. Es una historia que lleva a que conozcas hasta al más secundario, y que llegues s profundizar con cada uno.
Lo único que no me gustó fue el final. Entiendo los motivos, entiendo lo que la autora quería mostrar, pero bueno, me dolió. Aún así, súper recomendado. Me gustaría saber más de la autora, y empezar a leer más de ella.
Me encariñé mucho con los personajes. Es una historia que lleva a que conozcas hasta al más secundario, y que llegues s profundizar con cada uno.
Lo único que no me gustó fue el final. Entiendo los motivos, entiendo lo que la autora quería mostrar, pero bueno, me dolió. Aún así, súper recomendado. Me gustaría saber más de la autora, y empezar a leer más de ella.
lelia_t's review against another edition
4.0
Such a great advertisement for today's senior living communities, especially those with a continuum of care. But aside from that, this is a lovely, gentle and sad look at the way we discount, marginalize and/or condescend to the elderly. It’s also a celebration of truly seeing other people, peering through generational differences and our own judgments and habits of mind. How often, for example, have we been able to view the world through the eyes of an elderly woman? Here, we look at life from Mrs. Palfrey’s point of view, witnessing first-hand her struggle to maintain her dignity and autonomy despite the challenges of aging, loss and the world’s (and her family’s) seeming indifference. It’s also an interesting look at the rules of decorum/behavior and what happens when we break them - does life get less predictable but more interesting? Gradually, each of the other residents of the Claremont comes into focus for the reader, as we move from viewing them as strangers in a hotel lobby to briefly seeing the world from each resident’s point of view.
I wonder if it’s Ludo, the aspiring writer, who teaches us to see, because he’s one of the few characters who takes the time to really pay attention to other people. Azar Nafisi wrote, in an article in Salon, “Being prepared to see the world through the eyes of others, to be curious about them, is a characteristic I have found in a number of British novels - the novels of manners are not simply about being polite and proper in the conventional sense of the word. They are about seeing and listening, respecting others and acknowledging them.”
I wonder if it’s Ludo, the aspiring writer, who teaches us to see, because he’s one of the few characters who takes the time to really pay attention to other people. Azar Nafisi wrote, in an article in Salon, “Being prepared to see the world through the eyes of others, to be curious about them, is a characteristic I have found in a number of British novels - the novels of manners are not simply about being polite and proper in the conventional sense of the word. They are about seeing and listening, respecting others and acknowledging them.”
tessyoung's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't familiar with Elizabeth Taylor when I heard David Baddiel talking about her and this book in particular on a Radio 4 Book programme. I'm so glad I caught it and sought out this short novel. Trying to think how best to explain it I was left defining it as much by what it's not, rather than what it is. Not much happens but for the characters an unusual amount appears to come along to fill their lives for a short period and their responses only serve to demonstrate the former. One we are introduced to Ludo, I thought he would perhaps become more prominent, but even in his fleetingness and absence he remains central and thus present. In the end, I think this is perhaps what best sums up the novel; It's a novel of the negative spaces of ageing.
I really enjoyed my time spent with these characters, like those long terms residents of the hotel, they are not people one would necessarily seek out, but one can 'rub along' and enjoy them at the distance of a novel.
The language is really the thing to revel in. Precise, amusing, never really cruel although bordering sometimes. It reminds me a little of Muriel Spark in being very much to the point, but is a little less pointed, combined perhaps with shades of Jane Austen's ability to draw out a gentle humour in people and situations. I'm looking forward to the next Elizabeth Day currently on the bedside table.
I really enjoyed my time spent with these characters, like those long terms residents of the hotel, they are not people one would necessarily seek out, but one can 'rub along' and enjoy them at the distance of a novel.
The language is really the thing to revel in. Precise, amusing, never really cruel although bordering sometimes. It reminds me a little of Muriel Spark in being very much to the point, but is a little less pointed, combined perhaps with shades of Jane Austen's ability to draw out a gentle humour in people and situations. I'm looking forward to the next Elizabeth Day currently on the bedside table.