On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
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Book Reviews of On Chesil Beach
Book Review: Beautiful and Devastating
Summary: 5 Stars
I read On Chesil Beach while on my honeymoon about a year and a half ago, and it still haunts me. I read it in one sitting while lying on the beach with my new husband sitting next to me staring off into space and ordering us cocktails. I'll be wanting to re-read this wonderful little book soon, I'm sure. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves serious literature. But be forewarned that you may find yourself tearing up by the end. As another reviewer noted, McEwen makes us all too aware of how close our couple's happiness was, and of how small acts and minor misunderstandings can have devastating, long lasting, and irreversible consequences.Book Review: desperately heartbreaking
Summary: 5 Stars
Beautiful prose, minimalistic, poignant, insightful, inviting and extremely sad. How the author accomplished all this much in such a short book is a true wonder, and only possible because of his mastery in language. This book is about the precariousness of youth when it is entering into untested territories, full of uncertainty, hope and fear, undefined love and vulnerability, misunderstanding and unrecognized sincerity. The different psychology of the virgin bride and groom on their first night, what a refreshing topic it is in our time, and furthermore it is done with intelligence and class! This is an excellent book.Book Review: An Intimate and Revealing Novel That is Funny, Sweet, Tender, and Sad...
Summary: 5 Stars
He tells a story about a couple that avoids saying what is on their minds because they simply don't know how to put it into words. Well that is how I feel right now when trying to describe Ian McEwan. I cannot praise him enough. His prose is brilliant. His depth and exploration into human emotion is a work of genius. And his attention to detail is unsurpassed.
When I read Ian McEwan, I think of literary greats from years past. And I think he is one of the best writers today.
Book Review: Perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first foray into McEwan's work and I am glad to report that this novel was absolutely striking. It had many elements I did not expect but the prose was consistently vivid. There aren't many events in the novel (indeed, not much happens at all) but we are transported back throughout the year before the novel's present. This is done in a concise way that is maximized by the quality of the description. I found the novel to be a perfect length for what it was attempting to achieve.Book Review: Jeweler's Eye
Summary: 5 Stars
With meticulous precision, Ian McEwan examines the wedding night of an innocent couple, who marry in 1962 and spend their first night alone together at a hotel on Chesil Beach. In always elegant prose, McEwan displays his great gift for describing the particular and making it universal. In this case, he turns his jeweler's eye on the misunderstandings between a young man and young woman, deeply in love and deeply inhibited. Recommended for anyone who has ever loved or hoped to love.