Itemize Containing Books The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
| Title | : | The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox |
| Author | : | Maggie O'Farrell |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 277 pages |
| Published | : | February 26th 2013 by Headline Review (first published 2006) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Mystery. Contemporary. Book Club. Cultural. Scotland |
Maggie O'Farrell
Paperback | Pages: 277 pages Rating: 3.85 | 24886 Users | 3547 Reviews
Narrative Supposing Books The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Maggie O’Farrell takes readers on a journey to the darker places of the human heart, where desires struggle with the imposition of social mores. This haunting story explores the seedy past of Victorian asylums, the oppression of family secrets, and the way truth can change everything.In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital - where she has been locked away for over sixty years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face. Esme has been labeled harmless - sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But Esme’s still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?
Maggie O’Farrell’s intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth will haunt readers long past its final page.
Describe Books Toward The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
| Original Title: | The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox |
| ISBN: | 0755308441 (ISBN13: 9780755308446) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Edinburgh, Scotland India |
Rating Containing Books The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Ratings: 3.85 From 24886 Users | 3547 ReviewsJudgment Containing Books The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
The opening of this novel reflects the simple beauty and power of O'Farrell's writing and I was immediately drawn into this story.Let us begin with two girls at a dance. They are at the edge of the room. One sits on a chair, opening and shutting a dance-card with gloved fingers. The other stands beside, watching the dance unfold: the circling couples, the clasped hands, the drumming shoes, the whirling skirts, the bounce of the floor. It is the last hour of the year and the windows behind themThis is a lovely, lovely book and I am amazed I have not read it before. I did not know what I was missing! It's not an easy book to review because you do need to come to it with no preconceived ideas about the content. Enough to say that it involves a family, a lot of memories about the past and a rather good ending! The writing is just beautifully done especially the way the author moves between the memories of Kitty and Esme, dropping clues along the way so the reader can begin to understand
Completely without context, here are two quotes which I believe express Maggie OFarrells raison detre for this astoundingly haunting book:We are all, Esme decides, just vessels though which identities pass: we are lent features, gestures, habits, then we hand them on. Nothing is our own. We begin in the world as anagrams of our antecedents. (118)And then the next paragraph ends with:She would like to feel the ceaseless drag of the currents flexing beneath her. But she fears it may frighten the
The only other book I have read by Maggie OFarrell is I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, which I loved. Having now read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, I see that OFarrell has incredible talent. Her writing is phenomenal and her perspective on people, relationships and life is scary insightful. Iris finds out that she has a great aunt Esme she never knew existed who has been living in a psychiatric hospital for 60 years. Iris takes her great aunt home as the hospital is closing.
2.5 stars.I found the presentation of the story, it switches between multiple time periods and perspectives without clearly marking where we are in the story or who is speaking, to be interesting though it required a greater level of focus to keep track of the story and I can certainly see how that would not necessarily be appealing to everyone but the reason I have rated this book a bit lower than average has much more to do with the fact that the contemporary storyline, featuring Iris a woman
If you like your books linear than this may not work for you. Told in three voices, there's a lot of jumping around and you could easily find yourself losing the rhythm and sequence of events. Stick with it and you're in for an exceptional story. One of the central themes is the ability to commit women to institutions for virtually any trumped up reason. All it took was a signature of a doctor and off she'd go. O'Farrell states "It is a novel I've wanted to write for a long time. I first had the
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