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Loading... The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life (2009)by William Nicholson
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. The British seem to do family dramas so well. Laura gets a letter from an old boyfriend. He wants to meet after all these years, but Laura is happily married with two children. Why is she even tempted to respond to this letter? There are many other mini-dramas in this small English village and Nicholson expertly draws the reader along as we get to peek in on their secret intensities. This is a compelling read that deals with the real life dramas of everyday people, and is not "chick-litty" in any way. This book is not only about a woman whose ex-lover has reappeared in her life, as the front cover suggests. The book does start off with a chapter about the ex-lover getting in touch with Laura Broad, but this is actually a book about a Sussex village and its inhabitants, and takes place over the course of six days in 2000. I felt it got off to a slow start, and I think that was because it was flitting around a bit and I didn't feel able to get my teeth into anybody's story. However, I quickly realised that this is a brilliantly written novel of life's dramas and mundanities, and I think the author did a very good job of interweaving many stories together. This is a book which creeps up on the reader and draws them in, and it certainly made me want to keep reading to the end to find out what happens to the characters. I see that William Nicholson has a sequel coming out next month, and I'm really eager to read it. I would definitely recommend it to anybody who likes a 'slice of life' story and a book where you care about the characters. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesSussex novels (1)
Laura is content enough with her marriage, two children and part-time job. That is, until a lover from her past comes back into her life. Suddenly passion and excitement are rekindled, and she realises how stagnant her life has become. But how much happiness has she a right to expect? Unknown to Laura, many others in her Sussex village are living with their own unresolved inner dramas. None of them guesses at her crisis. Yet every decision they take has an impact on those around them. The hidden longings of a large cast of characters interweave in a gripping plot that reveals ordinary life at its richest : comic and tragic, poignant and cruel, surprising and moving - and brilliantly entertaining. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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And the stories connected, but not enough to really justify the new-character-for-every-chapter jazz.
All in all, I was not a fan. ( )