I'm rereading The Story of Lucy Gault, by the Irish
novelist William Trevor, for my book group.
I rarely reread a book, and this is the second time
in six months for this title. I'm struck by the effortlessness,
the elegance of the writing. Trevor has a way
of approaching a paragraph from the edges of
details, and then the details, and then, finally
towards the end of the paragraph, the subject.
And as he weaves strands from the past into the present
in a most understated manner, it often takes
a second look to fully parse the sense of a passage.
But so satisfying! He writes about the tragedy
and heartbreak of the Irish Civil War not on a grand
scale, but in how the conflict left its staggering
wounds on the small and humble.
Highly Recommended.
Ditto. Lucy Gault is a terrific novel. Not to be missed.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to talk about this book with good company and eat the good food that Reilly is going to serve us. I hired him every Wednesday to serve us some delicious food after my long day of the clinic. So excited.
ReplyDeletea wonderful book.
ReplyDeletehere's to you, and to trevor.
[ "Trevor has a way of approaching a paragraph from the edges of details, and then the details, and then, finally towards the end of the paragraph, the subject." ]
ReplyDeleteWhy hasn't his editor told Trevor that this is ALL WRONG WRITING? Why hasn't anybody told Trevor about TOPIC SENTENCES?
Um, I am joking, just in case that's not clear. :)
When I was working at Penguin U.S.A I had to read everything from all the imprints to flag possible legal issues, if any. As Viking, I think it was, was his U.S. publisher, there was a lot of him to read.
Love, C.
Foxessa, I did think you were serious!
ReplyDeleteSo...you got to read Trevor pre-publication? He's one of my favorites.