- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Fourth Estate; (Reissue) edition (1 July 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007306903
- ISBN-13: 978-0007306909
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.8 x 1.6 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,771,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘A triumph of the minimalist, it appraises love, both sacred and profane, desire, pain and the disappointments of this earth with a laser eye.’
The Times
‘Graceful and charming… If there are tears in the eyes, they will be tears of pure pleasure at the resolution and consummate workmanship of a small masterpiece.’
Shena Mackay, Independent (on The Woman in Black)
Product Description
The freshest and most poignant observer of human foibles and heroic hearts since Anita Brookner, Mary Wesley and Alice Thomas Ellis.
When Lydia sees Simon late at night driving down Westbourne Grove her suspicions are aroused. Simon, a TV film director, lives in Hammersmith with his wife Flora and their three children, what need has he for the dubious attractions of Bayswater? The attraction is Gillian, an accountant, whom Simon met at a dinner party while Flora and the children were away in la douce France. Flora struggles with her re-found Christian faith, though Anglican now rather than Roman Catholic, as Simon falls into a hopelessly passionate and sexual affair that brings its own burden and guilt.
The smart world of middle-class West London is depicted with savage wit and a needle-sharp intelligence that will remind readers of the novels of Muriel Spark.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
An Interesting Look At The Temporary Nature Of Life
8 Aug 2000
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Deception is both depicted and practiced in A Pure Clear Light. At first glance, the book seems to be about an affair. But, the frequent mention of time and items being "in transit" shows that it's really a look at how people deal with the temporary nature of life. The various ways of dealing with this condition are portrayed through the three main characters. Flora chooses to deal with it by becoming more involved with religion, thereby creating permanence though spirituality. Simon abandons all pretense of fighting temporariness by immersing himself in a transitory relationship. However, his embrace of the "temporary" is nothing compared to Gillian Selkirk. Her cool detachment from any emotional aspect of the relationship, as embodied by her purely sexual definition of the affair and her involvement with other men while the liaison is occurring, marks her as someone who embodies the term "living for the moment."
These characters are very powerful archetypes for conveying the theme. However, the theme also serves to undermine the characters. Since most of them embrace the lack of permanence to a great degree, it is difficult to develop an emotional connection to them. The problem is compounded with the minor characters, who seem to be little more than footnotes. The effect is to make the book seem stark and more than a little cold.
Despite the emotional sparseness of the characters, the book has many attractions. The dialogue is sharp and the narrative has an effective flow. But above all, A Pure Clear Light deserves a recommendation simply on the basis that it's a skillful exploration of an aspect of the human condition. Ultimately, that's what good fiction is supposed to do, even if it needs to practice a little deception to do it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Light Reading with Contemplative Undertones
12 Feb 2001
Format:Hardcover
This novel is an enjoyable, light read that will make you think about some rather contemplative ideas. It is the story of a seemingly happily married couple whose marriage breaks down on each end. He has an affair, and she becomes involved in religion, something he as an athieist cannot embrace. The story is told with a light and humorous tone, yet all along St. John makes us think about the temporariness of our lives, how seemingly permanent things can change based on seemingly meaningless events. The characters are humorous, all sort of exaggerations, at times, of people we all know.
If you are looking for something light, but would like to think a bit, I recommend this book. It is entertaining and easy to read, yet still thought provoking.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Overrated
17 Aug 2000
Format:Hardcover
I picked up this book because The Wall Street Journal gave it a good review. I'm not sure why. It's a very short 230 pages, and can be read in a couple of hours; it has a very light tone, almost flippant in the handling of the main character's affair. Serious subject, light tone - they don't often go well together, and they don't here. There are issues that are brought up (religion, for instance) that are not explored to the depth they deserve. The author is British, and those unfamiliar with English culture will surely be confused at certain social references (for example, the subject of the parish jumble is mentioned several times). Also, the author has an annoying way of starting chapters with dialogue that is not attributed to specific characters, forcing the reader to backtrack once a character is identified to find who said what. Perhaps I'm too used to the gravity of the Oprah line of novels, because I didn't like the fact that I didn't take anything away from this.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
