I bought this as part of a three-for-two offer when I was away on holiday earlier this year, and a bit panicked about running out of things to read (a frequent concern). The plot revolves around seven women who are interconnected through a cancer clinic at the local hospital (where one is a doctor, one a Friend, two are patients) and through each other. According to reviewers cited on the cover, the author is uncannily able to "transform the ordinary day-to-day activities of unremarkable people into compelling fiction" and I will "plunge [into it] with satisfaction."
Fosters' narrative style reads like first person changed to third - she writes from the perspective of the central characters rather than omnisciently, and manages to clearly convey key information about the characters through their thought and speech, rather than telling us - a distinction I'm particularly mindful of at the moment.
The novel opens with Mrs Hibbert, Friend of the hospital, who derives a great deal of pleasure from her volunteer role chaperoning poor dear outpatients who need direction and assistance. Like the other women portrayed, Mrs H is well drawn. Over the course of the novel her story unfolds gradually, and I really liked the pace of this. I agree with the reviewers that Forster writes interesting, complicated characters.
The other women are also three dimensional and individualised, particularly when compared with the key men. Martin, patient and supportive husband of neurotic and cosseted Ida, gets his own perspective, but we only see Adam, the demanding (possibly abusive, possibly just anti-Mrs H) husband of meek Dot, and Luke (the dirty, sponging boyfriend of young Emma) through the eyes of Mrs H. Their behaviour is never contextualised or explained, and we have no opportunity to learn why Dot and Emma are interested in, or defend, them. More disappointingly we don't even get a full picture of the only man whose perspective we see, new vicar Cecil, fresh to a country post after a nervous breakdown in a London parish.
However, the biggest flaw for me was that there was no resolution. Chrissie, who seemed ill-suited for life as an oncologist, decided to change specialties after completely collapsing, but none of the characters otherwise change or grow through the course of the novel, and I was left wondering what the point of it was. - Alex
Fosters' narrative style reads like first person changed to third - she writes from the perspective of the central characters rather than omnisciently, and manages to clearly convey key information about the characters through their thought and speech, rather than telling us - a distinction I'm particularly mindful of at the moment.
The novel opens with Mrs Hibbert, Friend of the hospital, who derives a great deal of pleasure from her volunteer role chaperoning poor dear outpatients who need direction and assistance. Like the other women portrayed, Mrs H is well drawn. Over the course of the novel her story unfolds gradually, and I really liked the pace of this. I agree with the reviewers that Forster writes interesting, complicated characters.
The other women are also three dimensional and individualised, particularly when compared with the key men. Martin, patient and supportive husband of neurotic and cosseted Ida, gets his own perspective, but we only see Adam, the demanding (possibly abusive, possibly just anti-Mrs H) husband of meek Dot, and Luke (the dirty, sponging boyfriend of young Emma) through the eyes of Mrs H. Their behaviour is never contextualised or explained, and we have no opportunity to learn why Dot and Emma are interested in, or defend, them. More disappointingly we don't even get a full picture of the only man whose perspective we see, new vicar Cecil, fresh to a country post after a nervous breakdown in a London parish.
However, the biggest flaw for me was that there was no resolution. Chrissie, who seemed ill-suited for life as an oncologist, decided to change specialties after completely collapsing, but none of the characters otherwise change or grow through the course of the novel, and I was left wondering what the point of it was. - Alex
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