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Uncoupled
'We are getting early reports of a train crash on the Brighton to London line...Emergency Services are on their way to the scene'. Holly knew that by staying with her he was putting himself at risk. But, as he held her in the darkness, she didn't want to let him go.
Holly's a mother with children, a husband she loves and a time-consuming job up in London. She copes, and life is good.
So when she is in a train accident on the London to Brighton line, Holly knows that it's just a small chapter in her life and nothing has changed. But Holly can't forget the younger man who comforted her in the chaos of the crash, and when she seems him again on her daily commute up to town, there's a flash of recognition between them. Is it embarrassment? Curiosity? Or is there something more? And what of Anne-Marie, another passenger who has survived. Just what is her story?
Holly's a mother with children, a husband she loves and a time-consuming job up in London. She copes, and life is good.
So when she is in a train accident on the London to Brighton line, Holly knows that it's just a small chapter in her life and nothing has changed. But Holly can't forget the younger man who comforted her in the chaos of the crash, and when she seems him again on her daily commute up to town, there's a flash of recognition between them. Is it embarrassment? Curiosity? Or is there something more? And what of Anne-Marie, another passenger who has survived. Just what is her story?
- GenresFiction
384 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 13, 2013
Uncoupled
Questo libro racconta i rapporti di coppia, soprattutto quelli logorati dall’avanzare del tempo, dal dare per scontato la presenza del proprio partner dopo tanti anni.
In particolare Holly, in seguito ad un brutto incidente ferroviario in cui rimane miracolosamente illesa, rivaluta la sua vita, il suo lavoro, il suo matrimonio che dura da quasi vent’anni con Mark. Durante l’incidente viene soccorsa da un giovane ragazzo che sembra essere poi l’unico a capire veramente la fase che sta attraversando Holly. Il fatto, poi, che Mark sia in crisi con il lavoro, non aiuta la situazione, ma anzi allontana maggiormente i due coniugi.
Lo spunto di partenza è interessante, ma il libro ha un ritmo molto lento, tanto che non riesce a coinvolgere completamente il lettore. Per il resto è una pura lettura di intrattenimento che, però, temo non rimarrà molto impressa nella mia memoria.
Questo libro racconta i rapporti di coppia, soprattutto quelli logorati dall’avanzare del tempo, dal dare per scontato la presenza del proprio partner dopo tanti anni.
In particolare Holly, in seguito ad un brutto incidente ferroviario in cui rimane miracolosamente illesa, rivaluta la sua vita, il suo lavoro, il suo matrimonio che dura da quasi vent’anni con Mark. Durante l’incidente viene soccorsa da un giovane ragazzo che sembra essere poi l’unico a capire veramente la fase che sta attraversando Holly. Il fatto, poi, che Mark sia in crisi con il lavoro, non aiuta la situazione, ma anzi allontana maggiormente i due coniugi.
Lo spunto di partenza è interessante, ma il libro ha un ritmo molto lento, tanto che non riesce a coinvolgere completamente il lettore. Per il resto è una pura lettura di intrattenimento che, però, temo non rimarrà molto impressa nella mia memoria.
March 8, 2013
What I liked about it:
- Dealt in an interesting manner with post traumatic stress disorder and the way in which people deal with events.
What I didn't like:
- Man, every single couple in this novel is having either a real or implied affair. It was such a tired message by the end. And just so depressing to read. I don't mind experiencing infidelity in novels, as long as it feels meaningful to the plot and not just used gratuitously, but this was rampant.
- I've not read a book in a long time with such deeply unpleasant characters. I really didn't like any of them. I didn't feel as though any of them were real people, more cardboard cutouts.
A book that I would never want to repeat.
- Dealt in an interesting manner with post traumatic stress disorder and the way in which people deal with events.
What I didn't like:
- Man, every single couple in this novel is having either a real or implied affair. It was such a tired message by the end. And just so depressing to read. I don't mind experiencing infidelity in novels, as long as it feels meaningful to the plot and not just used gratuitously, but this was rampant.
- I've not read a book in a long time with such deeply unpleasant characters. I really didn't like any of them. I didn't feel as though any of them were real people, more cardboard cutouts.
A book that I would never want to repeat.
February 7, 2019
Non è scritto male... ma non me ne resterà nulla :(
March 26, 2020
Purtroppo questo libro si é rivelato molto noioso e difficile da terminare.
Inizia con il racconto di un brutto incidente ferroviario e prosegue con il racconto delle vite dei sopravvissuti a questo incidente.
I protagonisti sono due ragazzi che si sono conosciuti proprio il giorno dell'incidente su quel treno.
A parte le ultime pagine che mi hanno commosso, l'ho trovato molto deludente.
Inizia con il racconto di un brutto incidente ferroviario e prosegue con il racconto delle vite dei sopravvissuti a questo incidente.
I protagonisti sono due ragazzi che si sono conosciuti proprio il giorno dell'incidente su quel treno.
A parte le ultime pagine che mi hanno commosso, l'ho trovato molto deludente.
March 28, 2024
Bleughhh. Where is this story actually going. Pages and pages of unnecessary waffle, about her sons bf, her husbands cooking etc etc. just couldnt be bothered ploughing through it to get to the nitty gritty of the story. Gave up after chapter three.
February 11, 2025
A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.
October 1, 2017
This was my first book by this author and I loved it!
A great story about how chance encounters can change lives. I really enjoyed the relationships that were explored.
A great story about how chance encounters can change lives. I really enjoyed the relationships that were explored.
March 28, 2012
“Uncoupled” is Lizzie Enfield’s second published novel and it demonstrates that she is a gifted author who fully deserves the rich praise she has been receiving. This is a much more accomplished novel than “What You Don’t Know”, which in itself was a superb debut. However the overall feeling here is of a novelist really hitting her stride and finding her voice.
The characterisations are beautifully judged, with sufficient depth to make the reader really care about their story and their lives. The main protagonist Holly survives a serious train crash where she is helped by a stranger, Daniel, a fellow commuter who stays with her until the emergency services arrive. When they meet again some weeks later on their regular commute up to London a friendship begins to develop, despite the fact that they are both already committed to other relationships. Holly’s husband Mark runs a struggling PR company, whilst Daniel’s partner Daisy is a fitness instructor. Gradually the four lives begin to intertwine, along with the mysterious Anne-Marie, who claims to be a survivor from the same rail crash.
Enfield successfully juggles these five main characters alongside a larger ensemble cast, primarily Holly’s work colleagues whose love lives provide a contrasting echo to the confusion that Holly begins to experience. She uses this wider cast of characters for some excellent observational humour which balances the book’s slightly darker tone.
Her writing style reminds me a little of early Joanna Trollope [particularly the period of “A Village Affair” and “A Spanish Lover”] especially in her deft handling of the fragility and the emotional entanglements of relationships. That comparison aside Lizzie Enfield deserves to be judged in her own right, and I am convinced that she will go on to produce a body of work that will be enjoyed by a host of admiring readers.
I would thoroughly recommend this immensely satisfying novel.
The characterisations are beautifully judged, with sufficient depth to make the reader really care about their story and their lives. The main protagonist Holly survives a serious train crash where she is helped by a stranger, Daniel, a fellow commuter who stays with her until the emergency services arrive. When they meet again some weeks later on their regular commute up to London a friendship begins to develop, despite the fact that they are both already committed to other relationships. Holly’s husband Mark runs a struggling PR company, whilst Daniel’s partner Daisy is a fitness instructor. Gradually the four lives begin to intertwine, along with the mysterious Anne-Marie, who claims to be a survivor from the same rail crash.
Enfield successfully juggles these five main characters alongside a larger ensemble cast, primarily Holly’s work colleagues whose love lives provide a contrasting echo to the confusion that Holly begins to experience. She uses this wider cast of characters for some excellent observational humour which balances the book’s slightly darker tone.
Her writing style reminds me a little of early Joanna Trollope [particularly the period of “A Village Affair” and “A Spanish Lover”] especially in her deft handling of the fragility and the emotional entanglements of relationships. That comparison aside Lizzie Enfield deserves to be judged in her own right, and I am convinced that she will go on to produce a body of work that will be enjoyed by a host of admiring readers.
I would thoroughly recommend this immensely satisfying novel.
October 3, 2014
It was unfortunate that I read this book straight after a Laurie Graham one. Graham's characters are so vibrant, they make the people in this novel seem cardboard by comparison.
That was a problem, because there is very little plot - it's basically an examination of the psychological impact of the train crash on two women. To be truly effective, it needed an author like Tamar Cohen, who is brilliant at letting her characters tell their own stories while somehow revealing the emotional damage, delusions or outright lunacy they're trying to keep hidden (or are barely aware of themselves!). That would have lent more menace to Anne-Marie's story and more tension to Holly's. As it was, both women seemed bland.
The main thing that annoyed me, though, was that there was far too much pluperfect in Holly's narrative, both for flashbacks and - especially annoying - for filling in skipped scenes.
Nothing wrong with flashbacks - but in her case, they usually served only to show how good her marriage had been. They contained more factual detail, and less emotional detail, than was necessary. For instance, a flashback about making passionate love on a Spanish holiday told us why they were there (linked to a work trip), what the waiter said, yadda yadda yadda...and then the passionate love scene was covered in one sentence!
I don't know why the author found it so necessary to skip scenes. Perhaps she felt they were too short, or someone told her not to include scenes which don't carry the story forward - but whatever the reason, it was jarring to have the author drop in to provide a paragraph in her voice, saying "this is what you missed". In most cases, she could have had Holly reflect on recent events, or have someone cover it in the dialogue, which would have kept me in Holly's narrative.
That was a problem, because there is very little plot - it's basically an examination of the psychological impact of the train crash on two women. To be truly effective, it needed an author like Tamar Cohen, who is brilliant at letting her characters tell their own stories while somehow revealing the emotional damage, delusions or outright lunacy they're trying to keep hidden (or are barely aware of themselves!). That would have lent more menace to Anne-Marie's story and more tension to Holly's. As it was, both women seemed bland.
The main thing that annoyed me, though, was that there was far too much pluperfect in Holly's narrative, both for flashbacks and - especially annoying - for filling in skipped scenes.
Nothing wrong with flashbacks - but in her case, they usually served only to show how good her marriage had been. They contained more factual detail, and less emotional detail, than was necessary. For instance, a flashback about making passionate love on a Spanish holiday told us why they were there (linked to a work trip), what the waiter said, yadda yadda yadda...and then the passionate love scene was covered in one sentence!
I don't know why the author found it so necessary to skip scenes. Perhaps she felt they were too short, or someone told her not to include scenes which don't carry the story forward - but whatever the reason, it was jarring to have the author drop in to provide a paragraph in her voice, saying "this is what you missed". In most cases, she could have had Holly reflect on recent events, or have someone cover it in the dialogue, which would have kept me in Holly's narrative.
November 19, 2014
I really tought that there was lots of food for thought in this read. Personally, I feel that it would make a great Reading Group read as there is quite a lot of content that would lead to a great discussion in a Reading Group.
At the heart of the story we have a young married Mother called Holly. When Holly is nvolved an a train crash a fellow male passenger, remains with her to keep her company until the rescue teams arrive.
As Holly and her male companion come to terms with the aftermath of the crash, a friendship betweens them strikes up. They can't help but be there for one another as they are survivors and have both been through the same trauma. How would we cope if we had been passengers on that train? As another person Anne-Marie involved with the crash attempts to befriend Holly and her male companion, they both feel apprehensive around her, but feel that they should be their for her too.
As all the characters and their families deal with the repercussions in their own way, relationships begin to falter. How will they all get through it and will the relationships survive everything that is thrown at them?
I enjoyed the story but feel that it would have benefitted from better proofreading. An easy read that deals with post traumatic stress.
At the heart of the story we have a young married Mother called Holly. When Holly is nvolved an a train crash a fellow male passenger, remains with her to keep her company until the rescue teams arrive.
As Holly and her male companion come to terms with the aftermath of the crash, a friendship betweens them strikes up. They can't help but be there for one another as they are survivors and have both been through the same trauma. How would we cope if we had been passengers on that train? As another person Anne-Marie involved with the crash attempts to befriend Holly and her male companion, they both feel apprehensive around her, but feel that they should be their for her too.
As all the characters and their families deal with the repercussions in their own way, relationships begin to falter. How will they all get through it and will the relationships survive everything that is thrown at them?
I enjoyed the story but feel that it would have benefitted from better proofreading. An easy read that deals with post traumatic stress.
July 19, 2014
One day. One journey. Lives changed forever.
BBC Radio 4 announce
They are getting very early reports of a train crash on the Brighton to London line. One person has died in hospital. Which brings the death total to five. Several others involved in the crash are still being treated for their injuries.
With the credit crunch it leaves Holly the main source of being the breadwinner. Holly has to take a train every day to get to her fabulous London job.
One morning while Holly is on the train going to work it crashes leaving Holly stuck in some of the wreckage from the impact from the train crash. A passanger Daniel Harrison holds Holly's hand until help arrives.
After the crash on Holly's daily commute back to work on the train, she regularly sees Daniel on his way to work where she seems to strikes up a close relationship with young Daniel who helped her when the train crashed.
Mark, Holly's husband now works from home and has taken up running that leaves Holly a little suspicious as if she does not really believe that her husband has really taken up running.
Review by ireadnovels.wordpress.com
BBC Radio 4 announce
They are getting very early reports of a train crash on the Brighton to London line. One person has died in hospital. Which brings the death total to five. Several others involved in the crash are still being treated for their injuries.
With the credit crunch it leaves Holly the main source of being the breadwinner. Holly has to take a train every day to get to her fabulous London job.
One morning while Holly is on the train going to work it crashes leaving Holly stuck in some of the wreckage from the impact from the train crash. A passanger Daniel Harrison holds Holly's hand until help arrives.
After the crash on Holly's daily commute back to work on the train, she regularly sees Daniel on his way to work where she seems to strikes up a close relationship with young Daniel who helped her when the train crashed.
Mark, Holly's husband now works from home and has taken up running that leaves Holly a little suspicious as if she does not really believe that her husband has really taken up running.
Review by ireadnovels.wordpress.com
February 25, 2012
Holly lives in Brighton she is married to Mark (they have been married 17 years)they have 2 children Chloe and Jake. Holly works full time and Mark runs his own PR Company.
Holly is involved in a train crash (her leg is trapped under the luggage rack )she is rescued without a scratch she is determind to let life carry on as before but are things that easy?
Holly is helped by a handsome stranger who stays with her on the Train but why can Holly not stop thinking about him? Why does another survivor Anne - Marie want to talk to Holly?
I really enjoye dthis book, better than the Authors last book the novel was very easy to read, a bit sad at times but would recommend.
Holly is involved in a train crash (her leg is trapped under the luggage rack )she is rescued without a scratch she is determind to let life carry on as before but are things that easy?
Holly is helped by a handsome stranger who stays with her on the Train but why can Holly not stop thinking about him? Why does another survivor Anne - Marie want to talk to Holly?
I really enjoye dthis book, better than the Authors last book the novel was very easy to read, a bit sad at times but would recommend.
March 12, 2015
I am seriously taking in the meaning of "do not judge the book by its cover". At first, judging the book title I acted smart and thought this book was dull and how people are supporting separation now. I carried on with my stubborn mind while reading about 3/4 of the book and still find it ordinary. However, the twist in the end was what got me hooked. It's amazing how two distant person can mend their relationship while most of us nowadays would just separate.
April 11, 2012
I really wanted to like this as it has an great jacket design but it was a bit of a let down :( I didn't like any of the characters and it was all a bit vague, maybe this was intentional but the twist was so obvious that it really wasn't necessary. I pictured them as the Outnumbered family which made it a little more fun.
August 4, 2014
una riflessione accurata sui sentimenti veri che legano una famiglia
September 26, 2012
Pedestrian prose, and littered with typos and spelling errors. Cannot recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews