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The Photograph
 
 
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The Photograph (Hardcover)

by Penelope Lively (Author) "Kath ..." (more)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Viking (30 Jan 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0670913928
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670913923
  • Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.4 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 793,621 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #59 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > L > Lively, Penelope

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Product Description

Product Description
Searching through a little-used cupboard at home, Glyn Peters chances upon a photograph he has never seen before. Taken in high summer, many years earlier, it shows his wife, Kath, holding hands with another man. Glyn's work as a historian should have inured him to unexpected findings and reversals, but he is ill-prepared for this radical shift in perception. His mind fills with questions. Who was the man? Who took the photograph? Where was it taken? When? Had Kath planned for him to find out all along? As Glyn begins to search for answers, he, and those around him, find the certainties of the past and present slip away, and the picture of the beautiful woman they all thought they knew distort.

About the Author
Penelope Lively has written many prize-winning novels for adults and children. They include THE ROAD TO LICHFIELD, ACCORDING TO MARK, MOON TIGER (which won the 1987 Booker Prize), HEAT WAVE and SPIDERWEB. Penelope Lively lives in London N1.
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars DISAPPOINTING!, 16 Jun 2003
By Val De Beer "Val De Beer" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Having been a fan of Penelope Lively since I read and loved Moon Tiger, I have bought every one of her books, and now, it's with a sense of profound disappointment that I've finished
The Photograph.
When you consider how much life was packed into the dying days of the protagonist, Claudia, in Moon Tiger, and how little is reflected upon in the "life" of Kate in The Photograph, you feel as though you bit into something that turned out to be full of air.
There is so much potential in the original idea of the novel, but it just dissolves and you are left feeling "So what?"
If a man sees a photograph of his wife holding hands with a very good friend, or a brother-in-law of his, it seems a tremendous over-reaction to go about sleuthing as Kate's husband does, especially if his wife is now dead.
Good grief, live and let live.
But the bottom line is the complete lack of depth in the book, it's so sad to see this.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, 6 Jun 2004
By kimbofo (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Photograph (Paperback)
Glyn Peters, a landscape historian in his early 60s, discovers a photograph of his dead wife, the beautiful, carefree Kath, which turns his life upside down. The photo shows Kath holding hands with another man. Glyn is immediately consumed with rage, which is later tempered by obsession. Why had Kath behaved like this? Had she slept around? Who else knew about the affair?

As Glyn sets about digging up the past, delving into the personal life of the woman he married, he begins to realise how little he knew about her. Who was this woman he had shared his life with?

Penelope Lively's book is fast-paced and suspenseful. It explores the notions of love, fidelity, grief and the relationship between history and personal memory. The characters are well drawn and believable, and the plot is littered with enough twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued throughout.

While it is no literary masterpiece, it's a relatively simple story well told, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A perceptive insight into relationships and people, 2 Mar 2003
Although Glyn has been married to the beatiful Kath for many years , there is a side to her that he never knew , a side which only unravels itself after her death.

I found The Photograph an honest and fascinating insight into the many layers of people's lives . If you've ever remembered something about a special day , and a friend has perceived it completely differently , then you will identify with it . I would recommend you read this if you enjoy the minutiae of ordinary people's lives and loves .

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars DIFFERENT STYLE......
Having been a fan of Penelope Lively since I read and loved Moon Tiger, I have bought every one of her books, and now, it's with a sense of profound disappointment that I've... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Val De Beer

3.0 out of 5 stars WAS THAT IT?
This is yet another Novel of People's Relationships. My problem with those is that there are just so many of them, and after a while one comes to seem very much like another... Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2007 by DAVID BRYSON

5.0 out of 5 stars Skilfully-crafted, engaging and moving
Glyn Peters - academic, 'landscape historian' and sometime television presenter - chances upon an envelope marked 'DON'T OPEN - DESTROY' whilst ferreting away in his landing... Read more
Published on 20 May 2005 by gavinrob2001

2.0 out of 5 stars Lost interest
I read this novel for a reading group I attend. If I didn't have to finish this book I probably would've stopped reading half way through. Read more
Published on 14 May 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing
A beautifully written, very readable and absorbing study of the nature of relationships, perception and (mis)understanding. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2004 by G. L. Haggett

3.0 out of 5 stars Too slow
I'm a voracious reader & love all kinds of books (except romance & such fluff).
I'm midway through this book and I must say that although the plot is interesting, it's an... Read more
Published on 7 Jul 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle & Exquisite
I've been a fan of Penelope Lively since I first happened upon "Moon Tiger" two decades ago. I've never been disappointed in any of her writing; fiction, essays or children's... Read more
Published on 5 Jul 2004 by TOM O. LEARY

5.0 out of 5 stars Ruminative and Suspenseful
"The sight is the same as ever it was, except that it is informed by new wisdoms, and he looks differently. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2004 by prisrob

4.0 out of 5 stars Look deeper
Following a review in the Times, I looked forward to reading this book and was not disappointed in any way. The chapters were concise and the plot moved along very well. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2004 by Mrs. Judy Blake

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but very good
This is a powerful book with probing questions. It's not perfect, but extremely good. The prose is poetic, melodic and plainly beautiful. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2004 by Andrew Sanger

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