- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Classics; New Ed edition (1 Mar 2012)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1860468144
- ISBN-13: 978-1860468148
- Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.6 x 19.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 297,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Chateau
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
'Stylishly, subtly, the enjoyment of getting to know another country is conveyed with authority' --The Oldie
Book Description
Maxwell is the unsung hero of American literature. This is a about the charms and disenchantments of travel.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Despite the fact that very little of substance actually takes place- a well-heeled young American couple spend a few months in Europe in the aftermath of the War, some of it at the Chateau of the title-the descriptive quality of the writing and the endlessly complex characters of the French men and women with whom the Rhodes' become acquainted made me wish that I would never come to the end of this wonderful novel. For most of the book the reader is left wondering why these people behave as they do, until the "fly on the wall" style of the author finally makes things clear. My only slight reservation is that I feel that the two Americans, Harold and Barbara emerge as very bland, unexplained human beings in comparison with their French counterparts.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Why hadn't I heard of William Maxwell before now? 'The Chateau' is a seriously good book. I sent for it after Salley Vickers recommended it in The Independent. Maxwell, an editor of the New Yorker magazine, wrote several apparently quite varied books, though this is the only one of his I've read. It is about a childless American couple who spend several months in France just after the end of World War II. For anyone who has read Irene Nemirovsky's 'Suite Francaise' this is a very good follow-on.
The first part of the novel was somewhat resistable, seeming disconcertingly as if the author was merely re-using notes he had taken during a visit of his own. But the couple are actually nice - rare in a novel - and also touchingly vulnerable. And gradually the novel thickens, with characters and places, into mental cinema, totally gripping. The ending is odd, and oddly unsatisfactory. But the people and the places are still in my head, a long time afterwards.
The first part of the novel was somewhat resistable, seeming disconcertingly as if the author was merely re-using notes he had taken during a visit of his own. But the couple are actually nice - rare in a novel - and also touchingly vulnerable. And gradually the novel thickens, with characters and places, into mental cinema, totally gripping. The ending is odd, and oddly unsatisfactory. But the people and the places are still in my head, a long time afterwards.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Barbara and Harold Rhodes come to France for a four month long holiday shortly after the 2nd World War, while the country is gradually getting back on its feet. The young couple are well disposed, inquisitive and they relish the French countryside, the evidence of history, their encounters with people. The descriptions of Paris streets, nooks, restaurants, book-shops, theatre outings are sensuous, alive, nostalgic. We see France and the French through the couple's sense of anticipation, misunderstanding, the push and pull of feeling accepted and warmly welcomed to feeling ousted or ignored. This is not an action book, it really follows their travels and attachments. The drama and interest are in the marvellous characterisations and relationships with the people they meet along the way, especially those at Mme Vienot's guest house (the Chateau Beaumesnil at Touraine), some of whom they re-connect with later in Paris. The writing is intelligent and urbane, leaving this reader free and enticed. There were a few moments mid-way when I began to wonder where it was all going, but I am glad I stayed and I found this French journey made me long for more of the author's subtle, observing human voice.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
If you have ever thought of France and wanted to whistle
If you enjoy great writing with intimacy then this story about a couple's journey to France to stay in a chateau is for you. Read more
Published 2 days ago by SAB
A real disappointment
I am struggling to get through to the finish. I think the structure of the novel is way off beam and I simply cannot understand the good reviews or recommendations this book has... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by A reader from
Intriguing in places- but I'm not convinced
This book was chosen by my book club this month - but none of us appear to be totally convinced by it. Read more
Published on 8 Jun 2007 by E. Heckingbottom
Maxwell: a superb writer
I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. Maxwell's prose is lucid without being sparse and the form of the novel is entirely compatible with its content. Read more
Published on 25 April 2001
Beautifully written but unfortunately overlooked
The Chateau is a wonderful "travelogue" for people who love well written novels. The story begins with the interesting premise of vacationing in France just after the... Read more
Published on 18 July 1998
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.
