On Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan
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Book Reviews of On Chesil Beach
Book Review: Terrific if Misunderstood
Summary: 5 Stars
This book, which centers on a disastrous wedding night of two endearing characters, is a splendid read, which, unfortunately (and typically), a lot of American critics have misinterpreted.
It is NOT an attack on the sexual repression of the world before 1965. It is rather a reflection on what followed. Like all couples, Edward and Florence have to adjust to adulthood, to sharing, to a new life together. In the bad old days, they would have adjusted, society's norms forcing them to surrender a portion of themselves to accept the other, just as their parents have done (Edward's mother is "brain damaged" and Florences parents live in different professional worlds).
Mr. McEwan paints a convincing portrait of two young people, self involved as all young people are, but capable of reaching adulthood and a happy life together. In the dramatic confrontation of Chesil Beach, the siren call of the Cult of the Self, and its attendant sense that one is free to do anything one wishes, converts what could have been a minor tiff into an event which dissolves the marriage and ruins both of their lives.
In a coda at the end of the book, it is clear that neither Edward nor Florence have ever grown up and that they are both doomed to live unsatisfactory lives, Edward as somewhat feckless and irresponsible and Florence as professionally successful but alone and brittle. The dawning of the Age of Aquarius has left both of these charming young people in a purgatory of frozen adolescence.
The world today is filled with Edwards and Florences, attractive and accomplished people gradually losing their ability to mature, to grow, to love. And that is what makes this lovely and tragic book so powerful.
Book Review: Quick but powerful read
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the story of a moment in time, a few hours really, and its consequences. The story takes place on the wedding night of a young couple, Florence and Edward. They are staying at a small hotel on Chesil Beach, and when the time comes to consummate the marriage, well, let's just say there is a misunderstanding. This is prudish, pre-sexual-revolution Britain, the incident is blown out of proportion, and the fears and frustrations of Edward and Florence, the same fears and frustrations of any young couple just married, manifest themselves in a pointless and stubborn argument.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Most of it, the part that leads up to and surrounds the incident itself, I found quite boring. McEwan's writing is solid, but the Victorian sensibility of it all just isn't my thing. But the last part of the book, when Edward is looking back on the incident many years later and thinking about how that one small moment had such a large impact on his life--that part's really moving and relatable and masterfully executed. And it made the rest of the book worth it.
On Chesil Beach is the first McEwan I've read, but from what I've heard, it deals with a favorite topic of his--how small events, even the ones that don't feel like events at the time, can change everything. It's little more than a short story, really, which is the perfect length for it. If the upfront required much more investment, I'm not sure I would recommend this book. But as it is, I found it to be a quick and powerful read.
Book Review: Why those times aren't now.
Summary: 3 Stars
Plot Spoilers--
Like someone else here, I read Atonement and wanted to try another one of Ian McEwan. This was it.
I understand what he was aiming for in the fact that "back in the day", couples didn't discuss their fears of sex. The story was a good one. It flows nicely, with the evening of the wedding night being gently interrupted by their thoughts on the past. We get glimpses of why Florence has problems being physical and why Edward has fears on performance standards.
Regardless, the ending was really disappointing. Time and time throughout the book Florence really had me believing she would go through with it. She told him lets go to the room, and did small gestures for him. Florence was freaking out, but at the same time everything was flowing nicely along. She started to calm down and let Edward come toward her. As long as she didn't see his erection, she might be able to make it.
But Edward, in all the tension and excitement, accidentally "lets loose" a little early.
She basically went running from the room, he found her down by the beach and because they couldn't discuss sex like how we do now today, it was over. The best she could do for him was "I'll be with you, but you have to have sex with others and never me." Smartly, he refused. I think it's unbelievable because as a woman, (if I were Florence) and I really loved a man as much as she said she did, no matter the level or ignorance, this would have been discussed in the most private of terms.
K.K.Jolliffe
Book Review: not wedded bliss
Summary: 3 Stars
Don't recommend this book to your mother. It's 1962 England, and two virgins, Florence and Edward, have just begun their honeymoon in a resort inn. Somehow their marriage has, in their minds, plunged them into adulthood and freedom, following their chaste, almost Victorian-style romance. However, from a sexual standpoint, Florence is completely unprepared and disgusted by the thought of penetration. Edward, on the other hand, has refrained from self-pleasuring for a week, which, for him, is a lengthy abstinence. He is beside himself with lust, but some of his crude pre-marriage advances caused weeks of sulking on Florence's part, so that he is understandably cautious. This book is so short that it's hard to say much without giving away the climax, pun intended. Suffice it to say that there's a major communication breakdown between these two, perhaps reflective of their socio-economic gap. Florence is an ambitious violinist from a chilly but wealthy family, while Edward has had a rural upbringing and is somewhat directionless and volatile. I'm not sure what the author is trying to say here, except that perhaps Florence is more buttoned-up and Edward more emotionally transparent because of their backgrounds, but I don't really think those stereotypes lend much to the story. More to the point is that they both seem to suffer from the common delusion that their partner is a mindreader. Certainly they have not yet learned that marriage means constantly having to say you're sorry while you gulp down your pride.Book Review: After 'Atonement' a let-down
Summary: 3 Stars
I guess even major writers deserve a day off and after the achievements of 'Atonement' and 'Saturday' -- both towering works, Ian McEwan takes one with this slight story.
SPOILER ALERT -- THIS REVIEW WILL REVEAL SOME THINGS ABOUT THE BOOK
It's the early 1960s and a young English couple, both virgins, face their wedding night in a seaside hotel in Dorset with trepidation. For the man, Edward, it is the usual first-night nerves, nothing extraordinary. But the woman, Florence, has a more serious problem -- a real aversion, even loathing, of intimate physical contact. McEwan describes in great detail her reactions when her new husband puts his tongue in her mouth. It's almost as if she is being raped and she clearly understands it's the prelude to a real rape. Why is this? The author hints very subtly at sexual abuse by her father but it's never developed.
We learn something about the backgrounds of these two people and how they met each other and decided to get married. Then we get a very painful chapter as the disaster of their wedding night unfolds. But McEwan cheats his readers badly in the final pages. He tells us exactly what happened to Edward for the rest of his life and how his entire fate hinged on that one night. But he neglects to tell us what happened to Florence.
McEwan is such a significant author that nothing he writes could be bad. But in terms of his own high standards, this is a loss of form. He sets up an intriguing situation and then muffs it.