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Search - On Chesil Beach
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On Chesil Beach Author: |
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Book Description:
A novel of remarkable depth and poignancy from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time.
It is July 1962. Florence is a talented musician who dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, an earnest young history student at University College of London, who unexpectedly wooed and won her heart. Newly married that morning, both virgins, Edward and Florence arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their rooms they struggle to suppress their worries about the wedding night to come. Edward, eager for rapture, frets over Florence's response to his advances and nurses a private fear of failure, while Florence's anxieties run deeper: she is overcome by sheer disgust at the idea of physical contact, but dreads disappointing her husband when they finally lie down together in the honeymoon suite.
Ian McEwan has caught with understanding and compassion the innocence of Edward and Florence at a time when marriage was presumed to be the outward sign of maturity and independence. On Chesil Beach is another masterwork from McEwan—a story of lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken.
It is July 1962. Florence is a talented musician who dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, an earnest young history student at University College of London, who unexpectedly wooed and won her heart. Newly married that morning, both virgins, Edward and Florence arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their rooms they struggle to suppress their worries about the wedding night to come. Edward, eager for rapture, frets over Florence's response to his advances and nurses a private fear of failure, while Florence's anxieties run deeper: she is overcome by sheer disgust at the idea of physical contact, but dreads disappointing her husband when they finally lie down together in the honeymoon suite.
Ian McEwan has caught with understanding and compassion the innocence of Edward and Florence at a time when marriage was presumed to be the outward sign of maturity and independence. On Chesil Beach is another masterwork from McEwan—a story of lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken.
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Top Member Book Reviews
Jill W. (
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
I just finished On Chesil Beach and it quickly moved into my top two books by Ian McEwan, the other being Atonement. McEwan efficiently provides the back stories of his two young protagonists and movingly depicts a wedding night decision that changes the course of their lives. A quick read full of memorable scenes of shared love, ambition and sexual insecurities, McEwan portrays a relationship that symbolizes the cultural divide of the 1960's, and captures the nostalgia and regret that often haunt us in our own lives.
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was my first time I read anything by Ian McEwan, but I am extremely impressed. At times the book can be hard to follow, it is creatively written. The characters are shown with all of their own flaws. At the end, I sat thinking about how one moment can change your whole life. Great book.
Elizabeth R. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Like all his books, this is a carefully and eloquently written novel. The pace moves briskly, perhaps because of its length. McEwan expertly describes the insecurities of the two main characters. All of his books (including this one) are wonderful.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read this short book in about 2 hours. I have never cared for his books before, but I enjoyed his writing style in this one and found it very easy to follow. It is a sad story but I would still recommend it, especially for someone in between *heavy* books for a quick, satisfying read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really don't know what all the fuss is about. I thought the premise of this book was weird and far-fetched. I finished it but I cannot say that I enjoyed it all that much. I have another book on my shelf by this author that I have not read yet, and I am now kind of reluctant to read it. Hopefully it will be better.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
McEwan is a master storyteller. "On Chesil Beach" is a beautifully written story of a newly married couple circa early 60s and failed expectations and actions.
While the story itself is well written, the plot is slightly trite and not very complex.
Certainly thought provoking but not enough for the current times.
The reader for all their gnashing of teeth for the characters and hoping that things will turn out better in a moment, just make this story frustrating. Failed loves of not so epic proportions tend to fail.
Jennifer P. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I did not like this book at all. Sad little story about a couple and their wedding night together. I don't know what all the hoopla was.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A bit of a strange concept for a book, but an interesting thought in the end. Pretty fast read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I just could NOT finish this one. I love everything I've read by him, but I didn't like this one at all. To top it all off, it's a little hardback, so I feel ripped off too...full price for an itty, bitty book.
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Please Rate these Book Reviews
Ian McEwan is one of my favourite authors; he displays his usual prolific and page turning ways in On Chesil Beach. Highly recommended!
Found the writing wonderful. Characters frustrating and stuck. His writing on the characters internal thought processes is realistic.
Angie W. (
Evelyn N. (This little book left me introspective and sad. Told in a unique McEwan style, the book emphasizes that momentary decisions have lifelong consequences (similar in someways to Atonement). It's also a period piece of a time when sexuality and family secrets were kept tightly under wraps.
Read All Book Reviews of "On Chesil Beach"
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