My Lover's Lover

i have just finished "after you'd gone" and did really like it ... a lot better than lover's lover which i found less interesting and less well written ... i liked the structure of "gone" and how it twisted together different eras of alice's life ... and yes i found it moving ... i didnt give two hoots about whoever she was in lover's lover and her vacuous life and her ridiculous boyfriend ... in fact i cant even remember what happened in it really ...

Now, what did you make of the end? Did she live or die? So far my mum and I think she lived and my aunt who is a manic depressive thinks she died.

she lived ... she was swimming up through the whatnot because she heard john's voice altho it was his dad etc. ... she def didnt die

I disagree completely with Liana. I read After You'd Gone and cried. It's just such a terrible thing to happen. But as to what befalls the women in My Lover's Lover - not such a big deal in comparison. However, there were pieces of wonderful writing and I'll certainly look forwrd to her future works. I like ehr articles as well.

I haven't read it, but as a general complaint, you don't have to conclude 'I must have missed something' if you don't like a book! Likelihood is that neither you or the book is at fault, but some couples just don't go together. Or else I certainly 'missed something' where the Matrix is concerned...

No I know, but I was so looking forward to it and enjoyed her other book so much that I feel a bit cheated.

Maybe it's interesting to have some views of an Asian girl about the book of Maggie O'Farell. I think the atmosphere which has been created in Part one is really great. However, the character of Lily is not well developed, I can't further construct Lily's response nor image after the story of Sinead. Indeed, I just have little (even no) understanding about the mindset/mentality of UK girls. But I am quite impressed by the image of Sinead, comparatively, Lily's character is too flat and either is Marcus's too. I always associates the book's Sinead with the singer Sinead O'Conner. Their characters are quite alike in certain extent, e.g. passionate & vigorous. All in all, I quite like this novel. One of my friends has bought me a copy of O'Farell's novel "Distance between us" which I haven't started yet, hope it's good! p.s. I have interest to read "After you've gone" too, however, it's not easy to get a copy in Hong Kong.

Ah, yes. I see what you mean.

hrm. i read lover's lover first, and found it so wonderfully written. The prose style so unusual, the way O' Farrell twists and cons you into believing black is white - and then when I found the first book and read it, I felt a massive disappointment. It seemed to follow the hackneyed path of so many other books, and there was so little that was beautiful about the prose, whereas Lover's Lover was so unusually written. I felt that maybe o' farrell had matured as a writer enormousy between the two books - either that, or that After You'd Gone was the book that was written to pitch at unadventureous agents and sold to a tried and trusted market, and Lover's Lover written as the book she'd always had inside - if that makes sense? Nightmares eh? It must be getting at you somehow :o)

I like my loversRachel wrote: > I'm sure this has been mentioned on here before so sorry if > this is dull. I've just finished My Lover's Lover by Maggie > O'Farrell and I'm still not sure what to make of it. I loved > After You'd Gone, her first novel, and Liana said that if I'd > enjoyed that then My Lovers Lover would be a real treat so I > think I must have missed something. I found it quite dull to be > honest. It's very atmospheric and the ghostliness and jumpiness > that Lily has is brilliantly done but just goes on way too > long. Then when we discover that things arent as she believes > them to be (not being cryptic, just don't want to give anything > away) then the story line kind of falls apart. Anyone else make > anything of it? Liana? > > PS. Did actually have a nightmare about it the first night I > read some though. > > PPS. Oh, and I keep seeing strange shaddows and things around > the house so perhaps it has had a subconscious effect? [%sig%]

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