The most enjoyable feature of the book for me was Hollinghurst's extremely perceptive attention to the nuances of human interactions. It is true that the upshot of this attention is often a rather banal point about the hypocrisies of the rich and powerful. And, as others have commented, the book starts to feel repetitive around its middle. But just when you think the story is not going anywhere, there is just enough development to reward your sticking with the book. And fans of the high literary style will enjoy the finely balanced sentences and psychological exploration. I was somewhat inexplicably drawn into the book and read it surprisingly compulsively. I'm looking forward to trying some of Hollinghurst's others. ( )

This is a very good book that I found compelling and with a complexity that I appreciated the most after I'd turned the last page. Scene: London, the early eighties. A shy, newly out 20(21?) yo Oxford grad finds himself lodging with the posh family of a school chum, the son of an egotistical Tory MP. Supposedly working on a thesis on Henry James, Nick Guest (rather obviously named, ya think? First and last.) tries to manage a discreet and active sex life and his place as retainer to a high society family under Margaret Thatcher’s thrall. Without adopting or rejecting their political philosophy, he adores his new family, which adopts him as a sort of useful pet, especially adept in dealing with their mentally ill daughter, someone they do not particularly want to deal with. Like many very good books, its impact is not felt until it is over. I have particular admiration for the way Hollinghurst ended the story: with a bang. It was mostly a pleasure to read. Some details seemed tedious until I realized how they underscored the effect of the conclusion. It’s a book that leaves you thinking. Really, what more can you ask? ( )

Picking up at the point in time where 'The Swimming-Pool Library' left off, 'The Line of Beauty' traces the further history of a decade of change and tragedy. ( )

Hollinghurst writes beautifully and perceptively, and the story/protagonist really allows a heterosexual reader (at least this one) to get an insight into what it is like to be gay in a straight society, especially, perhaps, during the 80s, when the book takes place, a time when the idea of being unashamedly "out" was still a fairly new idea that the straight world was still getting used to. So many little assumptions, so many off-hand comments, often made innocently but still serving to remind the gay person in the room that he/she is still considered an "other." The book begins as a tour de force, and then settles down for many, many pages to add on small observations amid seemingly minor and repetitive story points, until finally adding up to a very powerful ending. The problems with the book, for me, were that that middle portion really did begin to get repetitive, despite the beautiful writing. I thought the point had been made and then continued to be made again and again until I was ready for the story to resume already. It is all made good at the end, but still, there was a period of reading when I felt restless. The other problem, for me, is that the book takes place mainly among the English upper class. I kind of feel like the foibles of the rich, as humorously as they're examined here, are sort of easy pickings. At any rate, I have less interest in the troubles of the rich than I have in the experiences of the regular walking around folk, as it were. Those are personal sticking points only, however. This is a book to be highly--very highly--recommended. ( )

I read this book for the Highland Park Library book club and found it to be beautifully written. It was a bit slow to start with but I hated it to end. It was a sort of written in a circle. This was a Booker prize winner. ( )