On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan

"On Chesil Beach" is the story of Edward and Florence, and their wedding night in a hotel near "Chesil Beach with its infinite shingle". It's July 1962 and the world (and more importantly, Britain) is very different from now: the couple are both virgins, sex is not spoken of, individual anxieties or desires are not shared even between those just about to consummate their union, the residents' lounge of the hotel is still inhabited by retired colonels grumpy over the handover of the Empire and overcooked beef and potatoes are served by sulky waiters as the meal for the newly weds. Oh, and, as per Larkin's saying, the sexual intercourse has not been ...  Read the complete review

Just married, these University educated academic highflyers crash to the ground when confronted with a natural human act. Their crime is the sin of pride, which they achieve through deceit. Florence does not reveal to Edward her true feelings regarding sex, and Edward does not reveal to Florence his virgin state. It's 1961 and nice girls didn't do it. What men did was another matter. You could even say it was their responsibility to find out how to do it with a girl of the 'common' sort, or an older experienced woman. 'It' being sexual intercourse. I use this expression because it patterns the language McEwan uses to take us step, by painful step, ...  Read the complete review

This book centres on the devastating consequences of a single action and the unspoken difficulties of both parties (a couple). As well as the odd flashback to the past few years of the lifespan of this couple (how they met, intimacy, the inevitable proposal that was expecting in those days), it is mainly a quick snapshot of a few months that truly begin with the couple's wedding. The tension of the wedding and indeed the fateful wedding night come across relatively well, as events seem to tumble from here. As a person born in a different age, I found the whole concept of this book difficult. Sex in my humble opinion, these days is no ...  Read the complete review

On Chesil Beach is a short but exceptionally powerful Novella from Ian McEwan, who is through work such as Atonement and Saturday generaally regarding as one of the United Kingdom's finest writers. I should just say that I have mixed feelings about the two book above and McEwan's other work. So the star rating from me reflects how much I enjoyed this story despite not being a fan of his generally. The story has at its centrepiece the honeymoon and specifically the wedding night of a young married couple Edward and Florence. It is set in 1962, so just before Beetlemania and the Swinging Sixites. It is in many ways a story about the ending of the post ...  Read the complete review

On Chesil Beach is a 2007 novel by the British author Ian McEwan. It was selected for the 2007 Booker Prize shortlist, but did not win. This book is a study of consequences of thoughts not spoken and actions misunderstood. The story is a snapshot of a few hours in the lives of its main characters, Florence and Edward. Set in 1962, Edward and Florence have just been married and are on their honeymoon in a hotel on the Dorset seashore. Interspersed with flashbacks of their past lives, including how they met and fell in love. Both reflect upon their upbringing and the prospect of their futures. The writer alternates between viewpoints, so that the reader is privy to the ...  Read the complete review