Reviews
Was too young for it when I tried it. Love the band though.
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”. This is how this book starts. It's also my favourite bit of the book. Here's the thing. In another time, I would have pushed myself through this like I've pushed myself through countless of boring, long-winded and shapeless books in my life. I would have finished it, and I would have probably given it 3 stars, because there's something about finishing a book - even a dull one - that feels strangely satisfying, and that alone can sometimes prompt me to add another star. But these are different times. These are the times of Coronavirus, where my attention is easily grabbed by the news, the fear and the uncertainty, and where it's getting harder for me to focus on something. Anything. So I kind of need more. In the event of dying, I would like my partner to bump into the book I was reading and think something along the lines of 'It's a shame she couldn't finish this - she was...' - Learning so much from it - Having so much fun - Interested in how the story would end - Amazed by the author's use of language Now, none of the above was happening with this one, so I just had to let it go at page 95. I'm sorry. I tried. I still went on Google and searched for a spoiler-full summary of the book, because that's just the sort of person I am (the kind that will be nosy even about stuff she doesn't care about), and the rest of the plot seemed ok, interesting, but not enough to make up for the - in my opinion - messy and repetitive writing that made everything seem a lot more strange and confusing than in needed to be. I used to be ok withs folks such as Mr Vladimir Nabokov doing this because - well - he's Nabokov, but, honestly, these days I ain't got that kind of patience - not even for Nabokov. Maybe I've become tired of overwritten but ultimately inconsequential fiction. Or maybe I've just become lazy. Who knows.
oh my god. like. i dont even know how to fully put into words how beautiful this book was. the entire book just felt like a pinterest aesthetic or poetry and l.p.hartley's style of writing is just so stunning :) i couldn't put it down which i know is basic and something that everyone uses to talk about books but i'm being dead serious like fhaiowegawnbgvafdsi anyway :D
