On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan

Well, if you fancied reading something lighthearted, then this is not the book for you. I like Ian McEwan very much and always find his books very perceptive and thought-provoking and this is no exception. However, one of the reasons I chose to read this was because it's a fairly thin book (only about 150 pages or so) and so rather naively I assumed it would be a happy story. Daft, I know. Silly Charlie.

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When the story opens we are introduced to Edward and Florance and the year is 1962. They have been married that day and are both inwardly contemplating the night of wedding nuptials ahead of them - something which they are far from united in. Edward is looking forward to the occasion whilst Florance is filled with dread, mostly because her head is filled all the things she has been told. It is in this situation that the era the story is set in becomes important. The early 60's where a strange and difficult period for a certain generation. Caught in between the the periods of sexual repression and sexual revolution, Edward and Florence find themselves at the mercy of different upbringings from opposite sides. Edward is well mannered and more forward thinking than sheltered, Florence whose only real love to-date is her classical violin playing. McEwan's choice of location reflects brilliantly the situation of the characters; Chesil beach being a stretch of land sandwiched between the English Channel and the Fleet lagoon. I felt that the water on either side of the beach reflected the two very different era's isolating Florence and Edward as they prepare for their wedding night.

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Ultimately the story has no happy ending. But it is a very elegantly written novel and again McEwan manages to pick up on the small details of his characters which give us clues as to their disposition and future actions. It was a very sad story but one which does really well in capturing the difficulties facing characters in a time of social flux, where past rules are no longer as relevant but where future rules are still evolving. It is beautifully written and I would definitely recommend reading it if you get a chance - just make sure that all others areas of your life are good when you do because the ending is so sad it will bring you down even if you're sky-high happy :)

The Last Time They Met - Anita Shreve

This is the incredibly sad and moving story of a poet named Thomas, who falls in love with a girl named Linda when they are both 17 years old. Years later when Thomas is much older he will win a prize for a book of poems he has written called 'Magdalene'...

"But not before he has known the unforgiving light of the equator, a love that exists only in his imagination, and the enduring struggle to capture in words the infinite possibilities of a life not lived"

I don't think I can put into words yet how sad and full of the loss of love this book has made me feel. The unexpected twist at the end after reading about the life of Thomas and Linda is as shockingly unexpected and quick as the devastating circumstances it describes. In fact it takes only a page for the world to come crashing down and for the realisation to dawn - so much so that as hard as you try you can't understand it at first. It is a strange thing to read a story, to believe in what the writer is leading you to be true; where the actual story being told is of no real relevance to the characters or their circumstances. There is only the sadness of realisation that nothing is real, and that the story being told is simply one possibility imagined by a man who has loved and lost, created using the only tools he has: his words.

I have read a couple of reviews about this book since reading it and none have I found which I feel conveys the message of human frailty that I think Shreve might be trying to demonstrate. They focus on structure, time-line, the 'plot', mechanics, what happens to the characters etc. But for me, the inherent sense of sadness I feel for Thomas, for the life he wanted, the life he could have had but which was denied to him is overwhelming, and remains long after I have turned the final cover, and replaced the story back onto the bookshelf.

For S, x