Suzanne
Rating:
Review
This is the most enjoyable and satisfying of O'Farrell's books so far. In it she tells two alternating stories about two women in London, one in the 1950's and one in the present day. First is Lexie Sinclair, the young woman who runs off to London from her parents' oppressive small-town home in the 1950's. Lexie takes up with Innes Kent, a rakish magazine editor who introduces her to Soho's artistic crowd and a far more delightful and fulfilling life. I liked Lexie a lot – she's headstrong and independent, and is intent on living life to the fullest. The second woman, Elina, is a young Finnish artist who just recently almost died giving birth to her first baby. Elina's story lingers in her shock and numbness at first, taking longer to develop than Lexie's. Her life, like many new mothers', is so different from what it was before her son's arrival that it seems like a strange, alternate universe. Both she and her English boyfriend Ted miss their pre-parenthood closeness and struggle to reclaim it. At the same time, fatherhood triggers some haunting flashbacks to early childhood for Ted that split open a fissure in his life story, leading to the climax of the book. While O'Farrell has proven herself repeatedly to be skilled and sympathetic in depicting life's depressing side, this story felt more strongly life-affirming and I couldn't wait to get back to it whenever I had to put it down.
Best Line:
"There you are, you see, walking about, taunting me, all day long, naked under your clothes," he'd complain."
Kim
Rating:
Review
Similar to Ms. O'Farrell's After You'd Gone, there is so much more to this story than meets the eye. When we first meet Lexie Sinclair, she lives an unfulfilled life at home with her parents and siblings, until Innes Kent happens upon her, and she plans her escape to London. Innes runs a magazine publishing house, and takes Lexie under his wing professionally, and into his bed, personally. Their love affair is 50 years past when we meet brand new mother, Elina, and her boyfriend, Ted, who are both on unstable ground within their newly acquired parenthood of baby Jonah. While Elina recovers from a difficult labor and childbirth, the change to their family stirs up conflicting thoughts and memories for Ted, of a childhood with distant and uninvolved parents. We follow Lexie along her path in life, through tragedies and disappointments, and then switch gears with Elina and Ted, who have a connection to Lexie which is not clear until about halfway through the story. Hang in there! It is very much worth it. Ms. O'Farrell's writing is beautiful without being flowery or over-done, reminding this reader of Marilynne Robinson and Ron Rash.
Best Line:
"Because you know that no one will ever love them like you do."
