On Chesil Beach: A Novel (edit title)

• Rated 5 stars

“Honest, beautiful and brutal at the same time.”

• Rated 2 stars

“Recommended to me by my father... I think this book just really annoyed me. Or the characters did. But it wasn't the really passionate, shouting at the book/telly frustration I've had with other books, just a kind of mild annoyance at their lack of communication. I did think it was made more interesting because of the era it was set in-1960's just on the brink of the sexual revolution-but had it not been for that I think that I would have given up a few pages in. Didn't inspire me to read any other books by Ian McEwan.”

• Rated 4 stars

“This is a book that deserves a second read to pick up the McEwan nuances and poignancy that you cannot perfectly understand until the ending is revealed.
A poignant beautiful book - makes you fully aware of a time so long ago it could almost be set two centuries ago.”

• Rated 0 stars

“Ah, well, Ian McEwan. It's not fair for one man to have so much to say and such a beautiful voice to say it with. Yikes! It's a little scary. What I particularly like here is the feeling of inevitable doom that echoes Hardy. We know that these characters are trapped as surely as Tess and Angel by who and what they are. We want them to rise above the inevitable and be happy, but who can do that? Wonderfully written. Grade: A-.”

• Rated 0 stars

“I never thought someone could write a whole book - small as it may be - centered around a single evening. I believe it must have been a fun challenge for the author, and can picture a small grin on his face the day it was published.”

• Rated 0 stars

“very good book, great for discussion”

• Rated 2 stars

“I wanted to shake this couple-newly weds at an English beach hotel on their wedding night, caught up in mid 20th century social prudery and unspoken expectations. Like the characters in Trevor's short stories, they are unable to express their deep feelings. Opportunities for real life slip by. They've never heard of "carpe diem". ”

• Rated 0 stars

“Nothing yet! I just started. Shouldn't be long though, as the book is short. Steve said it's sexy. Dana Wickware likes McEwan but not this one.”

• Rated 2 stars

“Too cold and uncompromising for me. Uncomfortabe reading and I hated the ending.”

• Rated 4 stars

“There is no one to beat Ian McEwan for taking a misunderstanding/mistake/misheard word and exploiting the repercussions: in this case, the heroine's inability to explain to her fiance how she really feels has heartbreaking consequences. Florence is exquisitely drawn, you feel for her even as she is flinging the harshest of words at the man she loves.

Only McEwan really understands what human beings do to each other and the reasons why.

My only gripe: I wish he'd made it longer so I could have read more about Florence's life after the fateful night. But maybe that's why it's perfect: we are left to draw our own conclusions and fill in the blanks according to our own moralities.”