I went to York a couple of days ago and read this on the train, so completely engrossed that I barely looked out the window. It's heartbreaking, so beautifully written, not a word wasted - and it addresses all those overwhelming middle-aged questions about life and is this all there is? Gerry and Stella are a retired couple in a long, accepting, mostly affectionate marriage and they're on a long weekend to Amsterdam. He's devoutly alcoholic; she's a devout Catholic, hurt by his cynicism. He's profoundly shaken when the visit reveals the distance between them.
Perhaps it struck a chord with me because I remember visiting the hidden Begijnhof in Amsterdam and inquiring (only out of curiosity!) about how one would qualify to join this community of single women. (It shook me to the core to realise reading the novel that, like Stella, I'm already too old!)
Maybe the book resonated so deeply for me because I was on my to York, where I was a student - so there was definitely a feeling that day of where did those 40 years go? (Not that I really want to be 20 again! Apart from the 20in waist and the long, dark hair!)
MacLaverty has said that this isn't about an elderly couple; it's about two young people who got old and have fallen out of step with each other. I heard a young-sounding reviewer on Radio4 saying that it left her cold; she couldn't connect with it. Give her time, I thought ... it gets all of us in the end.
8 comments:
I read this book in two days . I found it true, sad and profound. I really enjoyed it, but decided I couldn't pass it on to any of my friends for precisely those reasons- it is too close to home for those of us married for thirty years or more, so I left it in the hotel room I was staying in, in the hope that someone might pick it up from the shelf of books there and appreciate it.
I know exactly what you mean, Lesley-Anne. What a good idea to set it free to find the right reader! I'm wondering whether to buy it for one friend for Christmas; she would enjoy it, but maybe it's too close to home for a gift. I thought for a moment of choosing it for book group - it's my turn next - then realised I couldn't bear to listen to anyone who doesn't get it pulling it apart.
We read Grace Notes in one of my book groups last year and all loved it so much that there was very little to talk about. How can you dissect something which is literally pitch perfect? This has been on my radar for some time but I'm still waiting for a library copy. I suspect that I am also of an age to appreciate it and look forward to the pleasure.
I haven't read Grace Notes; can't think why, because I remember loving that Hammershoi cover. I really want to read it now. Hope your library copy arrives soon!
It's on my TBR list...
I'm sure you'll love it, Veronica, given your Irish connections.
I have just ordered Grace Notes- (lovely cover as you say, Mary,) in spite of having a gazillion other books to read.
I looked for it in the library and was surprised it wasn't there, Lesley-Anne; I'd have ordered it but I'm already up to my limit.
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