Lukeozade100 Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 I just read On Chesil Beach last night, it's a bit of an odd book, for the first 60 or so pages I couldn't tell what McEwan was trying to do, whether he was just trying and most of the time failing to be humourous, though there were a few laughs. Or if this was meant to all be taken seriously, i'd expect it would be the former though. It does pick up as it goes along and after you get past the sex scene I thought it was actually a pretty good book. The ending as well I thought was superb. Overall 7.5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban Roy Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I read this recently and enjoyed it although I don't think that this is his best. It felt like classic McEwan in that he manages to create a vague feeling of discomfort early on (although I don't think that he does it as well as he did in Atonement) which builds and eventually reveals its source. I like the way that he tells the story of this couple's relationship against the background of the events of one night. It could just have felt like tedious back story but it isn't and is really neatly done. But, in the discussion I read, they claimed that her father had sexually abused her whilst she was very young, and that turned her off of sex. [natch] I don't know, and really, that's the only reason I'd be tempted to read it, to see what I think of that theory. I hadn't seen that theory before but I know exactly which paragraph they are thinking of as it crossed my mind when I read it as it felt a little heavy handed. Having read some of his other books, I suspect that this was in deliberately and he equally deliberately made it ambiguous (to be honest I find that kind of slightly knowing literary technique quite irritating as it feels a little like painting by numbers). Anyway overall I reckon that this is a pretty typical Ian McEwan novel and as it is quite short a useful intro to his work if you want to see if you get on with him or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Oh, I love Ian McEwen. Have I said that here? Yes, I have. This book, I think is utterly haunting. I must have read it at least a year ago. It is so sad. The saddest bit is the melon and cherry entree served in the hotel. Loneliness permeates every page. I am sorry, I was just trying to sound intelligent there. Funny how books affect people. I read The Alchemist and went "Meh" but this one*shivers* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arewenearlythere Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Has anybody got their hands on Ian McEwan's latest book 'Solar' yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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