A short novel of quite remarkable depth, power and poignancy by a writer at the height of his powers
Ian McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of seventeen books. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; and Nutshell, which was a Number One bestseller. Atonement and Enduring Love have both been turned into award-winning films, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach are in production and set for release this year, and filming is currently underway for a BBC TV adaptation of The Child in Time.
Wonderful...exquisite...devastating
*Independent on Sunday*
Exquisitely crafted
*Evening Standard*
Superb... The protagonists have everything to lose, and their
faltering journey towards a point of no return is conjured into
life my McEwan with irresistible subtlety, tact and force
*Financial Times*
On Chesil Beach is more than an event. It is a masterpiece
*Times Literary Supplement*
This is McEwan's mature style, one we have come to recognise from
Atonement and Saturday. It is a polished, civilised style, and very
distant from the shock tactics of his early work... McEwan brings
Florence and Edward touchingly alive for us; and their seriousness,
their idealism, and their desire for love draw us towards them
*Guardian*
To commend an author for being reminiscent of Edith Wharton is a
compliment that this reviewer reserves for a select few. Yet with
On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan has earnt it
*Telegraph*
A master feat of concentration in both senses of the word
*Sunday Times*
Written with a fierce pursuit of the truth and an utterly modern
self-awareness, what a confidant tour de force this turns out to
be
*Sunday Express*
One of our greatest living writers. Many Easter weekends and train
journeys will be enlivened by a compelling novella
*Herald*
It is a masterpiece. The very idea that informs it, fascinating and
unfamiliar, is masterly
*TLS*
A didactic, ironic novella of great accomplishment and calculated
ambition. Structurally and linguistically, it is a
triumph...intriguingly compassionate
*Prospect*
It is a measure of McEwan's artistry that he is able here both to
linger in the recording of sensuous particularities and at the same
time to deliver the satisfactions of plot we are accustomed to
deriving from his fiction
*Time Out, Book of the Week*
McEwan shares with his fellow English novelist Jim Crace not only
an interest in history but in finding a style in prose that is
slow-moving, yet compelling, at times stilted and dry, and then
suddenly sharp and precise
*London Review of Books*
The protagonists of On Chesil Beach have everything to lose, and
their faltering journey towards a point of no return is conjured
into life by McEwan with irresistible subtlety, tact and force
*Scotsman*
The book is steeped in lost hopes and disappointments, with each
sentence as powerful as a Larkin poem. I didn't know a British
novelist could still be this good
*Express*
McEwan is word-perfect at handling the awkward comedy of this
relationship and, as ever, turning it into something far more
disturbing
*Observer*
Two characters so vibrant they step straight off the page
*The Tablet*
McEwan's brilliance as a novelist lies in his ability to isolate
discrete moments in life and invest them with incredible
significance
*Observer*
McEwan's style is lean and clear...every sentence feels carefully
crafted, the words all perfectly in place
*Daily Mail*
A tightly focused human drama... McEwan gives the reader access to
both characters' thoughts with his usual skill, and the comedy of
embarrassment, or of the kind of erotic misunderstanding that Milan
Kundera used to specialise in, quickly disappears as the marital
bed begins to seem more and more ominous... The bedroom scene
itself is carried off brilliantly
*Sunday Telegraph*
It should not come as a surprise that Florence and Edward, newlyweds who cannot discuss their previous sexual experiences (or lack thereof), do not communicate out loud with one another until all their emotions boil over at the conclusion of the first night of their honeymoon. That their lives are constructed as narratives and memories makes this novella a particularly good choice for McEwan to perform his own work. McEwan provides a deft sense of cadence, timing and emphasis. McEwan reads this poignant, sad and occasionally amusing gem with entrancing skill, precision and perfect pace. In short, McEwan's performance is mesmerizing. An excellent addition to the recording is a thoughtful interview with the author. The conversation provides insight into McEwan's choice of setting, time period (1962) and characters. McEwan reveals that he tries out his works in progress on audiences, a technique that pays off beautifully. This author-read work is outstanding. Simultaneous release with the Nan A. Talese hardcover (Reviews, March 6). (July) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Wonderful...exquisite...devastating * Independent on Sunday *
Exquisitely crafted * Evening Standard *
Superb... The protagonists have everything to lose, and their
faltering journey towards a point of no return is conjured into
life my McEwan with irresistible subtlety, tact and force *
Financial Times *
On Chesil Beach is more than an event. It is a masterpiece *
Times Literary Supplement *
This is McEwan's mature style, one we have come to recognise from
Atonement and Saturday. It is a polished, civilised
style, and very distant from the shock tactics of his early work...
McEwan brings Florence and Edward touchingly alive for us; and
their seriousness, their idealism, and their desire for love draw
us towards them * Guardian *
To commend an author for being reminiscent of Edith Wharton is a
compliment that this reviewer reserves for a select few. Yet with
On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan has earnt it * Telegraph *
A master feat of concentration in both senses of the word * Sunday
Times *
Written with a fierce pursuit of the truth and an utterly modern
self-awareness, what a confidant tour de force this turns out to be
* Sunday Express *
One of our greatest living writers. Many Easter weekends and train
journeys will be enlivened by a compelling novella * Herald *
It is a masterpiece. The very idea that informs it, fascinating and
unfamiliar, is masterly * TLS *
A didactic, ironic novella of great accomplishment and calculated
ambition. Structurally and linguistically, it is a
triumph...intriguingly compassionate * Prospect *
It is a measure of McEwan's artistry that he is able here both to
linger in the recording of sensuous particularities and at the same
time to deliver the satisfactions of plot we are accustomed to
deriving from his fiction * Time Out, Book of the Week *
McEwan shares with his fellow English novelist Jim Crace not only
an interest in history but in finding a style in prose that is
slow-moving, yet compelling, at times stilted and dry, and then
suddenly sharp and precise * London Review of Books *
The protagonists of On Chesil Beach have everything to lose,
and their faltering journey towards a point of no return is
conjured into life by McEwan with irresistible subtlety, tact and
force * Scotsman *
The book is steeped in lost hopes and disappointments, with each
sentence as powerful as a Larkin poem. I didn't know a British
novelist could still be this good * Express *
McEwan is word-perfect at handling the awkward comedy of this
relationship and, as ever, turning it into something far more
disturbing * Observer *
Two characters so vibrant they step straight off the page * The
Tablet *
McEwan's brilliance as a novelist lies in his ability to isolate
discrete moments in life and invest them with incredible
significance * Observer *
McEwan's style is lean and clear...every sentence feels carefully
crafted, the words all perfectly in place * Daily Mail *
A tightly focused human drama... McEwan gives the reader access to
both characters' thoughts with his usual skill, and the comedy of
embarrassment, or of the kind of erotic misunderstanding that Milan
Kundera used to specialise in, quickly disappears as the marital
bed begins to seem more and more ominous... The bedroom scene
itself is carried off brilliantly * Sunday Telegraph *
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
