On Chesil Beach

I loved this book, perhaps because he managed so well to be less weird than with other books of his... and his knowledge of the classical musical world which I know a bit was convincing... and what a story. Also, pleasant to read about Oxford and Oxfordshire people. My favourite of McEwan so far. And I think it was my favourite book of the year (that year when it was published) I liked it so much...more

I loved this book, perhaps because he managed so well to be less weird than with other books of his... and his knowledge of the classical musical world which I know a bit was convincing... and what a story. Also, pleasant to read about Oxford and Oxfordshire people. My favourite of McEwan so far. And I think it was my favourite book of the year (that year when it was published) I liked it so much I decided to have it for the English as a Foreign Language section / litterature selection for my work place (which is a library)   hide

A surprisingly good book. Initially, I thought it was being gratuitiously graphic. However, I later decided that the more graphic portions are important to the plot and eventually become the pivot to the book. The story looks at the selfish nature of humankind and in some ways, our desperate need to conform to the conventions of our society. I would not recommend this to young people, but I think...more

A surprisingly good book. Initially, I thought it was being gratuitiously graphic. However, I later decided that the more graphic portions are important to the plot and eventually become the pivot to the book. The story looks at the selfish nature of humankind and in some ways, our desperate need to conform to the conventions of our society. I would not recommend this to young people, but I think older people should read this.   hide

What an amazing read! In relating the events of (a 20-something couple) Edward and Florence's wedding night, with some digressions into thier growing up years and how they met, McEwan manages to convey a powerful message. If you walk away from something without closure, it can only bring you regrets, never victory or peace. Florence's pain and lack of readiness to give herself up completly,...more

What an amazing read! In relating the events of (a 20-something couple) Edward and Florence's wedding night, with some digressions into thier growing up years and how they met, McEwan manages to convey a powerful message. If you walk away from something without closure, it can only bring you regrets, never victory or peace. Florence's pain and lack of readiness to give herself up completly, mingles with Edward's sexual frustrations and unfulfilled desire to consumnate thier union, to create a toxic potion of anger and hurt. Instead of communicating thier true feelings and fears to each other, the couple chooses to play act thier expected roles, albiet to a disastrous finish. It's a simple enough story, but McEwan's delivery is poignant and moving. The description of the moments spent in the bedroom could be almost comic, if it wasnt so heartbreaking.   hide

I've only sampled a handful of McEwan's works, but from what I have read, they tend to come across as a little hit and miss. 'On Chesil Beach' was most definitely a miss. In what was essentially a character study, this novella fell rather short. The characters were neither original, engaging or in the slightest bit remarkable. The relationship between the two characters is at times nauseating,...more

I've only sampled a handful of McEwan's works, but from what I have read, they tend to come across as a little hit and miss. 'On Chesil Beach' was most definitely a miss. In what was essentially a character study, this novella fell rather short. The characters were neither original, engaging or in the slightest bit remarkable. The relationship between the two characters is at times nauseating, the aggressive over-sexualised male meets passive frigid female. While reading it, the most banal accusations of misogyny kept circling through my mind, as if I was a 1970s feminist pouring over a text from the 1950s. Admittedly the author goes to some efforts to describe the setting of England in 1962 as existing prior the sexual revolution in every which way. Perhaps I'd be willing to accept this explanation, if not for the fact that this particular angle on male-female relations that he describes is then replicated in so many of his other novels which he has set in the present day. Should 'On Chesil Beach' take out this year's Booker, I wouldn't be at all surprised.   hide

I love it, first because I could read it in two seatings (big novels are, how can I put it, intimidating, and lose me in the middle). OK, seriously: this is the second McEwan that I read (the other was Saturday), and every time I am enchanted by his craft, i.e. the way he forms sentences that flow and go back deep in the train of thought of his characters to tell you how they ever got where they...more

I love it, first because I could read it in two seatings (big novels are, how can I put it, intimidating, and lose me in the middle). OK, seriously: this is the second McEwan that I read (the other was Saturday), and every time I am enchanted by his craft, i.e. the way he forms sentences that flow and go back deep in the train of thought of his characters to tell you how they ever got where they are now. So, would anyone say, how can he keep you reading this story about the failure to have sex on the night of one's honeymoon?For one, it talks about a huge myth, the one that makes people hang soiled sheets at the honeymooners' window in Sicily. While reading it, I thought, "shouldn't they just relax about it and talk, maybe see a counselor?" And that is what people don't do. People assume they're deficient. They build tension on trifles just because Love was suddenly distilled to intercourse and everyone has a degree of discomfort with that.But at the end of the day, this novel is about intense love, the one that is trivialized now but that is the foundation of oneself. At the end of the day, it isn't how much sex you've had, it's about how you connected, and how you experience this abstraction called Love. When you reach the last pages of the book, that is where the author has taken you, and nothing else. There's no moral, no lesson learned, just the hint that you too, could have been so close to that ideal. I just love books like that.   hide

i think Mcewan is classed much higher than his worth as a writer, however i found his previous book "Saturday" to be a page turner. It was entertaining, but only kind of pissed me off because i kept imagining it as not really a novel, but a decent episode of "E.R.". "on chesil beach" was slow and difficult to ge into for me, building on sexual tension between two newly wed nervous virgins....more

i think Mcewan is classed much higher than his worth as a writer, however i found his previous book "Saturday" to be a page turner. It was entertaining, but only kind of pissed me off because i kept imagining it as not really a novel, but a decent episode of "E.R.". "on chesil beach" was slow and difficult to ge into for me, building on sexual tension between two newly wed nervous virgins. once they poped their cherries, both were embarrassed and dissapointed. the book then goes back to give detail about how the couple met, and their middle(?)class backgrounds. really..who cares. the writing was decent, but my opinion was to put it down and turn on the TV. sorry!   hide

A relatively weak book from McEwan. The lyric and pastoral/poetic tone is so overdone that it borders on self-mockery, and makes the reader think we're in the Victorian Era, although we learn that we are, in fact, in the 1950/60s. I see the point that the text tries to make: Social and sexual mores don't change as quick as the language does, I appreciate it, yet, i also couldn't shake the feeling...more

A relatively weak book from McEwan. The lyric and pastoral/poetic tone is so overdone that it borders on self-mockery, and makes the reader think we're in the Victorian Era, although we learn that we are, in fact, in the 1950/60s. I see the point that the text tries to make: Social and sexual mores don't change as quick as the language does, I appreciate it, yet, i also couldn't shake the feeling that the text felt like one big example of hyperbole. Coming from a country where intimate relations between the sexes are extremely cramped (Turkey) i was surprised to read that sexual liberation found its way quite late in England. However, i found the characters to be quite simple, too ordinary to be interesting. This is not to say that literature has to deal with extraordinary individuals, no, but it does make it more interesting to read. The couple in On Chesil Beach are insufferably un-interesting. Drab language coming out of their mouths, mingling with the overexposure of McEwan's lyrical poetics, just didn't do it for me.   hide

On Chesil Beach is a short story about one young couple’s disastrous wedding night. It is the 1960s in England, and Edward and Florence have just tied the knot. In their honeymoon hotel room they’re both nervous, but for very different reasons. I didn’t find the story entirely believable, especially for the time period. I couldn’t imagine a young couple not...more

On Chesil Beach is a short story about one young couple’s disastrous wedding night. It is the 1960s in England, and Edward and Florence have just tied the knot. In their honeymoon hotel room they’re both nervous, but for very different reasons. I didn’t find the story entirely believable, especially for the time period. I couldn’t imagine a young couple not talking about any of these things, or even recognizing that there might be a problem! They also didn’t seem to really know each other as intimately as a couple in such a situation should. I had a hard time sympathizing as I was kind of irritated with the absurd level of non-communication.   hide

Touching, memorable, full of realistic situations and tension, much pity, regret and humour. Remarkably funny too -- I laughed out loud many times. I really enjoyed this one, but see it has very mixed reviews. The New York TImes, for instance, has two reviewer takes on it: one loved it, the other disliked it. I wonder if enjoyment of this one reflects a reader's age more than others. The novel...more

Touching, memorable, full of realistic situations and tension, much pity, regret and humour. Remarkably funny too -- I laughed out loud many times. I really enjoyed this one, but see it has very mixed reviews. The New York TImes, for instance, has two reviewer takes on it: one loved it, the other disliked it. I wonder if enjoyment of this one reflects a reader's age more than others. The novel certainly is intentionally placed right at the cusp of the sexual revolution and of generational shifts. We forget these days how restricted relationships were only 40-45 years ago. McEwan's trademark impending doom is here, but subtler. Should we draw from this that the particulars may have been specific to the times, but the difficulties and complexity of an honest relationship are always with us and timeless.   hide