This book starts out with a wonderful short first chapter as Claire introduces us to her single life at 29 years old. She is never bothered about telling us about her shortcomings. Perhaps there is too much introspection? She has a great female friend in Wiggy (see below).
This is a novel about character and feelings. There are the few people with whom she comes into contact. Martin Gibson, who she meets in the "bookshop" where she works, is older than Claire but becomes a target, mainly in her mind. Towards the end there is too much about her dreams, and that always puts me off. But then there comes a portrait of getting old, described by the elderly Mrs Dilnot (also below). In fact, we could have done with a lot more of this character instead of meeting her so late on.
This was a choice for book club and I'm grateful for being introduced to Anita Brookner. I might have read Hotel du Lac, but probably not. I have found my wife's copy to read soon. Somehow I was under the misapprehension that she wrote romantic fiction. How wrong I was. She is an extremely intelligent writer. Looking forward to reading more of her work.
These are just a few of the brilliant one liners.
Claire tells us on one occasion that "this was not the first time guilty of a misapprehension".
This is a woman who says she is "less lonely on the street than I was at home".
Her and her friend Wiggy: "were of an age to have chalked up a certain amount of experience, most of it uncertain".
Mrs Dilnot: "The delights of old age, bridge and the telly. You can ignore all health warnings, for one thing. You can drink, smoke, take pills, eat butter, lie in the sun, it doesn't matter a damn."
"The sick and disabled exert a (kind of) tyranny".
"I am at ease with men, to whom I am inclined to forgive much".
"Art is supposed to console although it does nothing of the kind".
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