On Chesil Beach

McEwan, Ian

ISBN 10: 0739343718 ISBN 13: 9780739343715

Publisher: Random House, 2007

Synopsis

BONUS FEATURE: Exclusive interview with the author!

A novel of remarkable depth and poignancy from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time

It is July 1962. Florence is a talented musician who dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, an earnest young history student at University College of London, who unexpectedly wooed and won her heart. Newly married that morning, both virgins, Edward and Florence arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their rooms they struggle to suppress their worries about the wedding night to come. Edward, eager for rapture, frets over Florence’s response to his advances and nurses a private fear of failure, while Florence’s anxieties run deeper: she is overcome by sheer disgust at the idea of physical contact, but dreads disappointing her husband when they finally lie down together in the honeymoon suite.
Ian McEwan has caught with understanding and compassion the innocence of Edward and Florence at a time when marriage was presumed to be the outward sign of maturity and independence. On Chesil Beach is another masterwork from McEwan–a story of lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken.

About this title

Review

Praise for "Saturday
"
"[McEwan] is the master clockmaster of novelists, piecing together cogs and wheels of his plots with unerring meticulousness....Finely wrought and shimmering with intelligence..."
--"New York Times Book Review"
"In "Saturday," the marvelously gifted Ian McEwan turns a single day into nearly twenty-four hours emblematic of an entire era."
--"Chicago Tribune
""McEwan is supremely gifted...."Saturday" is a tour de force."
--"Washington Post Book World
""McEwan is in the first tier of novelists writing in English today....He has achieved a complete mastery of his craft."
"--New York Observer
""Impeccable...Beautifully crafted...Fluid, richly textured...Engrossing."
"--Entertainment Weekly
"

“Heartbreaking. . . . Breathtaking. . . . Masterly. . . . No one now writing in English surpasses or even matches McEwan's accomplishment.” —"The Washington Post Book World"
“Remarkable, engaging, and gripping. . . . "On Chesil Beach" is not only a wonderful read but also perhaps that rarest of things: a perfect novel.”
—"San Francisco Chronicle"
“Dazzling. . . . McEwan treats [his subject] with a boundless sympathy, one that enlists the reader even as it disguises the fact that this seeming novel of manners is as fundamentally a horror novel as any [he's] written.”
—Jonathan Lethem, "The New York Times Book Review"
“A small, perfect, haunting work of art. . . . McEwan draws a humane, touching, sometimes comic portrait of marital misunderstanding in an era when so much less was sayable, or said.”
—"Los Angeles Times Book Review"
“Vintage McEwan. . . . His finely honed prose is a de

"Heartbreaking. . . . Breathtaking. . . . Masterly. . . . No one now writing in English surpasses or even matches McEwan's accomplishment." --"The Washington Post Book World""Remarkable, engaging, and gripping. . . . "On Chesil Beach" is not only a wonderful read but also perhaps that rarest of things: a perfect novel." --"San Francisco Chronicle""Dazzling. . . . McEwan treats [his subject] with a boundless sympathy, one that enlists the reader even as it disguises the fact that this seeming novel of manners is as fundamentally a horror novel as any [he's] written." --Jonathan Lethem, "The New York Times Book Review""A small, perfect, haunting work of art. . . . McEwan draws a humane, touching, sometimes comic portrait of marital misunderstanding in an era when so much less was sayable, or said." --"Los Angeles Times Book Review""Vintage McEwan. . . . His finely honed prose is a deep pleasure to experience." --"Chicago Sun-Times""Marvelously realized. . . .Wrenching, funny, smart, and hugely gratifying in unexpected ways. . . . "On Chesil Beach" is as merciful to its characters as it is merciless in its heartbreak." --"The Boston Globe""Exquisite. . . . compressed, crisp, [and] warmly specific. . . .[A] small masterpiece." --"Entertainment Weekly," "A""Quietly riveting. . . . McEwan has never written more beautifully than he does in [this] melancholy and haunting new novel." --"O, The Oprah Magazine""A poignant meditation on love's ebb and flow." --"Vogue""A parable of failed empathy . . . mordant [and] melancholy." --"The Village Voice""Completely absorbing. . . . [I]nfused with a bitter poignancy...intense and powerful . . . a masterpiece." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer"

Heartbreaking. . . . Breathtaking. . . . Masterly. . . . No one now writing in English surpasses or even matches McEwan's accomplishment. "The Washington Post Book World" Remarkable, engaging, and gripping. . . . "On Chesil Beach" is not only a wonderful read but also perhaps that rarest of things: a perfect novel. "San Francisco Chronicle" Dazzling. . . . McEwan treats [his subject] with a boundless sympathy, one that enlists the reader even as it disguises the fact that this seeming novel of manners is as fundamentally a horror novel as any [he's] written. Jonathan Lethem, "The New York Times Book Review" A small, perfect, haunting work of art. . . . McEwan draws a humane, touching, sometimes comic portrait of marital misunderstanding in an era when so much less was sayable, or said. "Los Angeles Times Book Review" Vintage McEwan. . . . His finely honed prose is a deep pleasure to experience. "Chicago Sun-Times" Marvelously realized. . . .Wrenching, funny, smart, and hugely gratifying in unexpected ways. . . . "On Chesil Beach" is as merciful to its characters as it is merciless in its heartbreak. "The Boston Globe" Exquisite. . . . compressed, crisp, [and] warmly specific. . . .[A] small masterpiece. "Entertainment Weekly," A Quietly riveting. . . . McEwan has never written more beautifully than he does in [this] melancholy and haunting new novel. "O, The Oprah Magazine" A poignant meditation on love's ebb and flow. "Vogue" A parable of failed empathy . . . mordant [and] melancholy. "The Village Voice" Completely absorbing. . . . [I]nfused with a bitter poignancy intense and powerful . . . a masterpiece. "The Philadelphia Inquirer""

Heartbreaking. . . . Breathtaking. . . . Masterly. . . . No one now writing in English surpasses or even matches McEwan's accomplishment." The Washington Post Book World

Remarkable, engaging, and gripping. . . . On Chesil Beach is not only a wonderful read but also perhaps that rarest of things: a perfect novel." San Francisco Chronicle

Dazzling. . . . McEwan treats [his subject] with a boundless sympathy, one that enlists the reader even as it disguises the fact that this seeming novel of manners is as fundamentally a horror novel as any [he's] written." Jonathan Lethem, The New York Times Book Review

A small, perfect, haunting work of art. . . . McEwan draws a humane, touching, sometimes comic portrait of marital misunderstanding in an era when so much less was sayable, or said." Los Angeles Times Book Review

Vintage McEwan. . . . His finely honed prose is a deep pleasure to experience." Chicago Sun-Times

Marvelously realized. . . .Wrenching, funny, smart, and hugely gratifying in unexpected ways. . . . On Chesil Beach is as merciful to its characters as it is merciless in its heartbreak." The Boston Globe

Exquisite. . . . compressed, crisp, [and] warmly specific. . . .[A] small masterpiece." Entertainment Weekly, A

Quietly riveting. . . . McEwan has never written more beautifully than he does in [this] melancholy and haunting new novel." O, The Oprah Magazine

A poignant meditation on love's ebb and flow." Vogue

A parable of failed empathy . . . mordant [and] melancholy." The Village Voice

Completely absorbing. . . . [I]nfused with a bitter poignancy intense and powerful . . . a masterpiece." The Philadelphia Inquirer

"

-Heartbreaking. . . . Breathtaking. . . . Masterly. . . . No one now writing in English surpasses or even matches McEwan's accomplishment.- --The Washington Post Book World

-Remarkable, engaging, and gripping. . . . On Chesil Beach is not only a wonderful read but also perhaps that rarest of things: a perfect novel.- --San Francisco Chronicle

-Dazzling. . . . McEwan treats [his subject] with a boundless sympathy, one that enlists the reader even as it disguises the fact that this seeming novel of manners is as fundamentally a horror novel as any [he's] written.- --Jonathan Lethem, The New York Times Book Review

-A small, perfect, haunting work of art. . . . McEwan draws a humane, touching, sometimes comic portrait of marital misunderstanding in an era when so much less was sayable, or said.- --Los Angeles Times Book Review

-Vintage McEwan. . . . His finely honed prose is a deep pleasure to experience.- --Chicago Sun-Times

-Marvelously realized. . . .Wrenching, funny, smart, and hugely gratifying in unexpected ways. . . . On Chesil Beach is as merciful to its characters as it is merciless in its heartbreak.- --The Boston Globe

-Exquisite. . . . compressed, crisp, [and] warmly specific. . . .[A] small masterpiece.- --Entertainment Weekly, -A-

-Quietly riveting. . . . McEwan has never written more beautifully than he does in [this] melancholy and haunting new novel.- --O, The Oprah Magazine

-A poignant meditation on love's ebb and flow.- --Vogue

-A parable of failed empathy . . . mordant [and] melancholy.- --The Village Voice

-Completely absorbing. . . . [I]nfused with a bitter poignancy...intense and powerful . . . a masterpiece.- --The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Heartbreaking. . . . Breathtaking. . . . Masterly. . . . No one now writing in English surpasses or even matches McEwan's accomplishment." --The Washington Post Book World

"Remarkable, engaging, and gripping. . . . On Chesil Beach is not only a wonderful read but also perhaps that rarest of things: a perfect novel." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Dazzling. . . . McEwan treats [his subject] with a boundless sympathy, one that enlists the reader even as it disguises the fact that this seeming novel of manners is as fundamentally a horror novel as any [he's] written." --Jonathan Lethem, The New York Times Book Review

"A small, perfect, haunting work of art. . . . McEwan draws a humane, touching, sometimes comic portrait of marital misunderstanding in an era when so much less was sayable, or said." --Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Vintage McEwan. . . . His finely honed prose is a deep pleasure to experience." --Chicago Sun-Times

"Marvelously realized. . . .Wrenching, funny, smart, and hugely gratifying in unexpected ways. . . . On Chesil Beach is as merciful to its characters as it is merciless in its heartbreak." --The Boston Globe

"Exquisite. . . . compressed, crisp, [and] warmly specific. . . .[A] small masterpiece." --Entertainment Weekly, "A"

"Quietly riveting. . . . McEwan has never written more beautifully than he does in [this] melancholy and haunting new novel." --O, The Oprah Magazine

"A poignant meditation on love's ebb and flow." --Vogue

"A parable of failed empathy . . . mordant [and] melancholy." --The Village Voice

"Completely absorbing. . . . [I]nfused with a bitter poignancy...intense and powerful . . . a masterpiece." --The Philadelphia Inquirer

From the Publisher

A short novel of quite remarkable depth, power and poignancy by a writer at the height of his powers

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0739343718
• ISBN 13: 9780739343715
• Binding: Audio CD
• Language: English