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Loading... Between a Wolf and a Dog (edition 2016)by Georgia Blain (Author)
Work InformationBetween a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Blain’s prose is accomplished, controlled, and polished. Her subject: a husband’s betrayal of his wife with his wife’s sister, how that betrayal ripples through the family, and his ultimate act of atonement for the harm he has caused. Blain shifts backwards and forwards from the time of the betrayal three years before to the present, providing the points of view of the four main characters. In addition to her focus on infidelity, Blain considers art, the compromises that are required of a person in order to make a living, and what it means to face reality and to grow up. Blain’s writing is skillful and her characters are well defined, but I did not completely warm to the novel. Yes, it is a work of art, but I kept wishing someone would crack a joke to lighten its unrelentingly melancholy tone. This was a brilliant book for me. Pressed all the right buttons to get me involved in a very deep way. I really think Georgia Blain was a wonderful writer and was definitely getting even better when he life was sadly cut short well ahead of her fair share of years. I found all of the characters to be completely believable (male and female equally so) and presented with suitable complexity. Further, although the story that could have easily fallen down a slippery slope into romance, Blain kept the plot firmly grounded in the reality that the world isn't simple and no one lives happily ever after. That's not to say there isn't a strong sense of optimism, despite the tragic and sad elements. no reviews | add a review
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Outside, the rain continues unceasing; silver sheets sluicing down, the trees and shrubs soaking and bedraggled, the earth sodden, puddles overflowing, torrents coursing onwards, as the darkness slowly softens with the dawn. Ester is a family therapist with an appointment book that catalogues the anxieties of the middle class: loneliness, relationships, death. She spends her days helping others find happiness, but her own family relationships are tense and frayed. Estranged from both her sister, April, and her ex-husband, Lawrence, Ester wants to fall in love again. Meanwhile, April is struggling through her own directionless life; Lawrence's reckless past decisions are catching up with him; and Ester and April's mother, Hilary, is about to make a choice that will profoundly affect then all. Taking place largely over one rainy day in Sydney, and rendered with the evocative and powerful prose Blain is known for, Between a Wolf and a Dog is a celebration of the best in all of us - our capacity to live in the face of ordinary sorrows, and to draw strength from the transformative power of art. Ultimately, it is a joyous tribute to the beauty of being alive. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Despite her empathy and advice for others in crisis, Ester seems incapable of resolving her own family issues.
This novel is.mostly populated by failures who have brought their troubles upon themselves through quite immature behaviour, but are unable to set it aside. Some of it is pretty unbelievable, such as Laurence's professional shenanigans, for which Blain does not offer a convincing motive. The path she sets Hannah on also seems totally out of character.
The book is well-written and the characters have depth and attract your empathy but the whole situation seems so unlikely that it mars the book. ( )