Welcome to Litsy!

Two people from different backgrounds and sensibilities marry. Their rocky newlywed night plays out in a series of uncomfortable places, both mentally and physically. I like the idea of examining the paths of two people who think they have come together, but instead find themselves at a crossroads. I was with this all the way - until the bitter end. It did not say to me what the author says the take away is. McEwan wrote one book; I read another.

#alphabetgame
#letterC

“A story lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken”
Ian McEwan is one of my favourite authors 💟
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

McEwans writing is just beautiful. A novella of a young couple she a musician, he interested in writing history perhaps.Their 1962 romance is chaste , they decide to marry. McEwans gift for rendering the thoughts , feelings ,& emotions, both said & unsaid will determine their fate on their wedding night .

#lastfirst @BookNAround My last of the year was a library book , Universal Harvester . My first is a short one that has been on my shelves for a long while , On Chesil Beach. Trying to read more books crowding my shelves this year, I‘m running out of space!

Fortunately, this book is short. If the goal is to leave his readers unsettled and frustrated with both main characters, then mission accomplished!

Vivid.
Incredible writing.

Hair appointment reading

The famous Chesil Beach, Dorset. #VirtualTour

How was Thursday? Very tired today as for some unfathomable reason the burglar alarm went off at 4 am! Then whilst waited for heart rate to calm down and Adrenalin to leave the system took a long who,e to get back to sleep. Still don‘t know what caused it.

"This is how the entire course of a lifetime can be changed - by doing nothing."

This short novella comes in at 166 pages, and at first it is a comical tale of a newlywed and Virgina couple's marriage night. It's at times funny but the last chapter or so is a gut punch. A good reminder that often the absolute worst thing to do is to stand by and not talk things out.

Sad story about young couple on their wedding night set in 1962. Their tragedy is in what has not been said between them, and I think that the greatest power of this novel is in what is not written - dark secrets between the lines. Powerful story and elegant prose.

#alphastack #letterO including a couple of my favorite food writers (Ottolenghi & David), a couple of my favorite fiction authors (McEwan and Nicholls) and one from my #tbr (the Emma Hooper that I‘ve heard great things about )

My third McEwan's books.
Uff... Boring and slowly.
Not one of my favorite writers.

#readingchallenge2020 #litsy #litsybook #book #bookly #goodreads #stayathome #lettura #bookworms #toread #iorestoacasa #ioleggoacasa #ioleggo #Iread #Ianmcewan #onchesilbeach

This was an interesting novella about newlyweds on their wedding night and their inexperience when it comes to sex. Their nerves and inexperience made me feel both sorry and empathetic towards them. Sorry that they were both so unsure and empathetic over being virgins and having to make it over the hurdle on their wedding night. Listened on audio and at the end there was an interesting author interview. #AuthorAMonth #AuthorAMonth2020

1962 Florence and Edward celebrate their wedding in a hotel on the Dorset coast. The expectation of their marital duties weighs over them. This is story of lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word spoken. A heartbreaking story which could have turned around if Edward would have showed a bit of love and patience instead of giving up on her. A bit disappointing! I did love the ending however!

#OnChesilBeach #IanMcEwan #authoramonth

I didn‘t like this story at all, but appreciated the writing if that makes sense. #AuthorAMonth2020

I enjoyed getting to know these characters but I did not so much enjoy the second hand embarrassment I felt at the most awkward honeymoon ever. This one gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. #authoramonth

All she had needed was the certainty of his love, and his reassurance that there was no hurry when a lifetime lay ahead of them. Love and patience - if only he had had them both at once - would surely have seen them both through.

Ian McEwan writes seductively but there is something really disturbing about him. He gives me MAJOR creepster vibes. This story about young newlyweds on their wedding night (1962) facing the consummation of their marriage was really cringe worthy. He‘s a genius at using few pages to leave an everlasting impression. I‘m posting a comment under spoiler tag because I‘m curious about something that is alluded to and wonder why it was left vague.
🎧

#ISpy beach 🏝 on the cover (and in the title😉). Thanks for the tag @squirrelbrain . I loved this book. ❤️💔

@AnneCecilie @Chelsea.Poole if you want to play, can you find a book(s) with snow on the cover?

It was a lifetime captured in a moment. It displayed human emotions - regret, forgiveness, retribution and desire in brutal honestly but in a way that was easily digestible. It beautiful examined a relationship that was entirely unique, yet somehow familiar.

Thanks to @MaGoose for the #winterswap book and bookmark! Looks like an interesting read. #litsylove

Beginning so many and not finishing any #oops
#mygame #currentlyreading

This slim little novel really packs a punch. A deceptively simple tale of #adayinthelife of a young couple, specifically their wedding night in 1962.
McEwan‘s writing is always gorgeous, but I wasn‘t expecting to be as gripped by the slow unraveling of the story.
Told through courtship memories, feelings not expressed, buried traumas and some truly cringeworthy scenes, I felt so much for Florence and Edward. So heartbreaking.
#redroseseptember

So genuinely sad and moving. Only for those with a strong heart

#beachread
Unpopular opinion: I always slightly struggle with McEwan's style but I'm glad I'm finally getting into and finishing this one.

“This is how the entire course of a life can be changed. By doing nothing.“ Wonderful ending to a great book.

The story is about the wedding day, expectations, failures, and regrets. Neither able to look past their own insecurities and failures and work things out together, as a loving couple. Ultimately, ending with both throwing a tantrum and walking away from the other.

Specatcular book. This is a must read!

This was one of the first books I read in English, but I can't remember a lot about it. Not even the #beach 😅

#LetsTravelJuly

Just spotted this in the back of the Ian McEwan I just finished..... These Vintage editions are just gorgeous! 😍😍😍😍 So simple and striking.....

Reading snacks 🍒🍒😋😋

#WanderingJune
Sadly this marriage is on a #roadtonowhere !
A simple tale of a young married couple, on their wedding night in 1962...this story covers only 2 hours, yet is soooo emotionally complex.
It‘s McEwan, so of course the writing is gorgeous!
Told through memories of their courtship, feelings unable to be expressed, buried traumas and some truly cringeworthy scenes, I felt so much for Florence and Edward... just so heartbreaking.💔

What to read next? I genuinely can't decide 😵 HELP!!!

A short, sharp slash of cold water in the face - this book takes you inside the heads of a young man and woman on their wedding day. Different hopes, different backgrounds and different fears but truly in love. McEwan takes one night and two people and everything that lead them to that point. He‘s so good at unfolding hidden motivations, the psychology of a moment, the tiny details that mean so much. I will think about this for a long time.

“All she had needed was the certainty of his love, and his reassurance that there was no hurry when a lifetime lay ahead of them. Love and patience - if only he had had them both at once - would surely have seen them both through”.

#AnglophileApril #TaintedLove

Seems that ‘Wonderwall‘ in the song refers to someone whom you constantly think about, someone whom you have a strong love or infatuation but you didn‘t reveal your feelings for. This reminds me of the tagged book. Both Edward and Florence truly love each other but because they didn‘t talk things through, the evening of their honeymoon was not like any other honeymoons.

#anglophileapril #wonderwall

McEwan‘s writing is simply gorgeous. The story takes place over one evening, with flashbacks of the couple‘s backstory. For most parts, the story is in slow motion..the meal scene, the sex scene..but McEwan tells a perceptive account of the couple‘s relationship..their awkward intimacy and inner thoughts. So sad, such a shame, but it‘s 1962 in England, a time where feelings and passions are repressed, 👇

#Booked2019 #winter

#remindsyouofyourhappyplace #Booked2019
Decided to switch my choice to this (I love the beach 🏖 ), though from the blurb Chesil Beach doesn‘t seem like a happy place to this young, newly-married couple!

A ‘pick‘ simply because I loved the writing itself.

Overall though, still a little unsure as to how I feel about this one. The story is not quite as uplifting as I was hoping for on a Saturday afternoon. I also think there are a lot of readers - myself included - who would find aspects of this far more relatable than they would care to admit. In summary, an uncomfortable, but relevant, read.

Acts as my #popsugar2019 “single day” read.

There is no doubt that Ian McEwan is a brilliant writer, but On Chesil Beach was a romance destroyed. The book lacked realistic characters, and the fact of  a painfully awkward wedding night led to the very unhappy outcome was just all a failure for the reader. I really do not know what to say about this story, for me I found it depressing and outdated.

This book felt like a short story that got away from the author. The writing was lovely, but my goodness, the author delved into the emotional state of the two main characters in agonizing detail. Recommended, but only for those who are fans of the intensely inward-looking novel, and who are patient with slow-moving stories.

😂🤣😆👈🏻That‘s me laughing at myself for trying to put myself on a book buying ban! #WhoAmITryingToKid #ShouldHaveKnownBetter #Oopsie #SorryNotSorry

Very fast read (insomnia and little work!).
I found this to be a wonderful read. I can't believe it was over the course of a day and night, with flashbacks. I found the final part very thought provoking and it'll stick with me.

Giving this short tale a try.
Then maybe watch the film...

❤️

Same.

I wanted a bit more than I got from this book about a young, inexperienced couple who marries in 1962 UK. Saw the film directly after and preferred it, which is a rarity, but the music and cinematography add a lot of depth to the emotion of the story.

📌On Chesil Beach. I just watched the film last night and enjoyed it. 📌Mint chocolate chip 📌Nope. Irish author. 📌Maybe twice. 📌The Kavanaugh Mess was the worst. The best of that I am@in London. #humpdaypost

A newlywed couple find themselves On Chesil Beach 🌊 This isn‘t the happy-go-lucky romance novella you may be hoping for with “beach” in the title. Very British. And very much set in the past. Though it‘s short, it‘s not lacking in character development.
#Librarybook #readandlisten #shortandsweet #audiobook

Just started On Chesil Beach and I‘m already halfway through. Kinda like this small book thing after reading the chunkster Ohio by Stephen Markley. I‘m going to watch the movie after but I‘ve heard dismal things about it. #readandlisten