For the past few months I’ve been reading books back to back as a result of a pep talk from a writer I respect a lot. Earlier I’d have read just one or one and half books per year, and many more lying bookmarked at various stages of completion.
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan is the latest one that I read. This book marks a couple of firsts for me. This is the first proper book that I completed in one sitting (a toilet break and a tea break not counted). This is also the first short listed book for the Booker Prize that I read before the Prize was announced.
On Chesil Beach tells the story of a virgin couple, who have been lovers for some time now. It is set in the 60s when people did not talk about sex or discuss their anxieties with their partners openly. They have come for honeymoon in a resort on the Chesil Beach and it becomes a disaster. The author weaves their tale of one night with layers that lay out the past of the protagonists and discusses the politics of that period in England (went beyond my head).
Somehow, On Chesil Beach took me back to Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music maybe because the leading ladies of both the books are musicians. And, the review of Just Married by Baradwaj Rangan kept reverberating in my head.
Here is the first chapter of book from the New Yorker.
Reviews of the book as appeared in the Guardian and the New York Times (requires free registration).
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan is the latest one that I read. This book marks a couple of firsts for me. This is the first proper book that I completed in one sitting (a toilet break and a tea break not counted). This is also the first short listed book for the Booker Prize that I read before the Prize was announced.
On Chesil Beach tells the story of a virgin couple, who have been lovers for some time now. It is set in the 60s when people did not talk about sex or discuss their anxieties with their partners openly. They have come for honeymoon in a resort on the Chesil Beach and it becomes a disaster. The author weaves their tale of one night with layers that lay out the past of the protagonists and discusses the politics of that period in England (went beyond my head).
Somehow, On Chesil Beach took me back to Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music maybe because the leading ladies of both the books are musicians. And, the review of Just Married by Baradwaj Rangan kept reverberating in my head.
Here is the first chapter of book from the New Yorker.
Reviews of the book as appeared in the Guardian and the New York Times (requires free registration).
4 comments:
Awwwwwww!!
Ahhhhhhh!!
Gotcha!!
U naughty, naughty soul!!
:)
Am gonna rush to the bookstore when I am finished typing this comment!!
;)
And grab 2 copies, ofcourse!!
:D
hi paresh,
shall try to read that book sooon.if i dont like it,you gotto refund me the money!
Good book... and nice post.
@MM: Ha Ha... at last you got the point. This was the last resort I'd to make you read this book. Even at the expense of sacrificing the sanctity of this blog.=)) I'll be happy if it makes you better equipped to lead a happy life. My best wishes are always with you.:)So, in Churakam this post is dedicated to you.
@MD: I hope you like it. It depends on your temperament if you like a book or not. Don't worry about the refund, you can claim it even if you like the book. :)
@Alexis: Sir, thanks.
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