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Coral Glynn
Ci sono libri – anche grandi libri – che si ricordano magari per la storia, o i personaggi, o le atmosfere. Poi ce ne sono altri, più rari e sfuggenti, che all’universo parallelo della letteratura arrivano in un modo diverso – curvando lo spaziotempo della narrazione per portarci in una scena che, al di fuori delle loro pagine, sembra non voler esistere. Ad esempio in una grande villa nella campagna inglese del 1950, dove Coral, che al mondo non ha più nulla e nessuno, arriva per assistere la padrona di casa. È l’inizio di un viaggio lieve, doloroso e imprevedibile, difficile da raccontare e impossibile da dimenticare, che Peter Cameron ci invita a intraprendere con una sola promessa: quella di guidarci, per minuscoli slittamenti delle emozioni, a un finale che non ci a spetteremmo – e di farci sentire improvvisamente molto vicini al «cuore dorato e incandescente dell’universo».
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
27 people are currently reading
1281 people want to read
About the author
Peter Cameron
26 books590 followersPeter Cameron (b. 1959) is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. Born in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, he moved to New York City after graduating college in 1982. Cameron began publishing stories in the New Yorker one year later. His numerous award-winning stories for that magazine led to the publication of his first book, One Way or Another (1986), which received a special citation for the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a First Book of Fiction. He has since focused on writing novels, including Leap Year (1990) and The City of Your Final Destination (2002), which was a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist. Cameron lives in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
April 21, 2015
La brughiera e il rumore dell’acqua, i vetri appannati e malinconia dappertutto.
La ricerca dell’amore, o l’amore che ti cade addosso e non hai il tempo di scansarti.
Le ville vittoriane con le giornate allineate e immobili.
Cameron mantiene fede alla sua scrittura elegante, classica, senza orpelli. Ha una levità assoluta, quasi fuori dal tempo.
Non tende a sorprendere. Non butta lì la frase che ti spacca il cuore, che ti lascia interdetto per qualche secondo.
Ha però una prosa da classico col vantaggio di non tirarla lunga in divagazioni a volte inutili. C’è pure un tocco di gotico.
Alta qualità condensata.
Le vite dei personaggi sono unite da fili fragilissimi. Da sentimenti vaghi e imprevedibili, adattabili al tempo e agli eventi.
Le situazioni sono accennate come immagini scolorite. I movimenti congelati.
Coral e il maggiore Hart sono una delle coppie letterarie più improbabili. E per questo sono bellissimi.
Sottile, amaro, struggente. [74/100]
La ricerca dell’amore, o l’amore che ti cade addosso e non hai il tempo di scansarti.
Le ville vittoriane con le giornate allineate e immobili.
Cameron mantiene fede alla sua scrittura elegante, classica, senza orpelli. Ha una levità assoluta, quasi fuori dal tempo.
Non tende a sorprendere. Non butta lì la frase che ti spacca il cuore, che ti lascia interdetto per qualche secondo.
Ha però una prosa da classico col vantaggio di non tirarla lunga in divagazioni a volte inutili. C’è pure un tocco di gotico.
Alta qualità condensata.
Le vite dei personaggi sono unite da fili fragilissimi. Da sentimenti vaghi e imprevedibili, adattabili al tempo e agli eventi.
Le situazioni sono accennate come immagini scolorite. I movimenti congelati.
Coral e il maggiore Hart sono una delle coppie letterarie più improbabili. E per questo sono bellissimi.
Sottile, amaro, struggente. [74/100]
August 22, 2012
What an odd little book. I don't know how to describe it, or explain what I liked about it. I'd have given it 3 1/2 stars if half-stars were available, but in the meantime it wasn't quite 4 star material, or maybe it was? That's how this book has left me - unable to figure out what I think of it.
The 'heroine', young Coral Glynn, seemed directionless - you know how sometimes you accept an invitation, or agree to do a favor, because of a momentary lapse in your brain during which you can't think of a good reason why not? And then you kick yourself and just not showing up seems the easiest way out? Well, our Coral lives her life this way, and the effect can be maddening.
And then suddenly we flash way way ahead and see that surprising things DO happen. All wrapped up in a neat package...kind of.
It's a well-written, mannered little book with some charm, some wit, and lots of reserve. This book is the equivalent of that really elegant person at the party who doesn't say much, but whom you wish you knew better so you could get him to talk.
(And for some reason it reminds me of Margery Sharp's 'Cluny Brown', which is much more hectic, and also out of print so if you know of it, that dates you as much as it dates me for referring to it.)
March 1, 2012
Peter Cameron has crafted an exquisite book about socially awkward people living in England in the 1950's. Reminiscent of the social examinations of the Bronte sisters, Coral Glynn reveals the solitary life of a shy, young woman working as a visiting nurse. When she suddenly finds herself married and suspected of a hideous crime, she flees to London and unwittingly finds the path to eventual happiness. Wonderfully written and drawn with insight and power.
October 20, 2020
Populated with characters that seem somewhat likeable but also incredibly frustrating, this is a brief look at women’s lives and marriage in post-WWII England. The title character seems to live her life by just drifting wherever the current takes her without stopping to deal with the various issues she encounters, including accepting a marriage proposal from a man she barely knows. A tragedy, however, forces her to confront certain issues, after spending a suitable amount of time avoiding them, of course.
April 21, 2022
Lieve, lieve. Probabilmente se, dopo Un giorno questo dolore ti sarà utile, e Quella sera dorata, non avessi avuto aspettative più alte, mi sarebbe piaciuto di più. Partito bene, a due terzi si rimane perplessi, come se uno o più capitoli si fossero persi per strada e lo scrittore avesse fretta di concludere , oltre a cambiare atmosfera ; sembra un romanzo ( o racconto lungo) rimasto incompiuto e terminato da un’altra persona . Ma non posso dire non sia stata una lettura piacevole.
June 20, 2012
I'm a big fan of Peter Cameron, and I started Coral Glynn with high expectations. Some of my expectations were met, while others were not. The title character is fascinating - somewhat of a cypher, she's an in-home nurse, taking care of the sick and dying, then moving on to her next assignment. The people around her seem to project their own sense of who she is, or who they want her to be, onto her, and for the most part, she allows this. She has an inner life, but Cameron doesn't take the time he needs in order to flesh out her own sense of self. The book is a period piece, set in the English countryside in 1950. There is a somewhat undercooked gay subplot, the murder of a child that acts only as a plot device to move Coral from the country back to the city, and an awkward, though potentially fascinating, romance between Coral and the son of the dying woman for whom she works. This relationship, between Coral and The Major, could have been the centerpiece of the book, but Cameron drops it, literally, on their wedding night. I don't want to say that this is a bad book. I'll say that Cameron has written much better books. Don't bother to buy this one - get it from the library.
April 9, 2012
Set in England during the 1950s, this leisurely-paced novel has a much older feel to it, by virtue of its style and the fact that mid-century technology is either nonexistent or well hidden. In addition, the principal characters are appropriately old-fashioned. Given this context, one jarring element -- a brief Gothic-style scene at the end of Part One, which drives much of the subsequent tale -- seems a bit out of place.
Peter Cameron writes some luminous prose, but it deserves a better plot line than the one he has devised here (the novel takes several abrupt twists and turns that are as unmotivated as they are unexpected). All of the principal characters' relationships get unpredictably reshuffled, sometimes along lines that seem more characteristic of the end than the middle of the twentieth century. Despite being interesting in a clinical sort of way, however, Cameron's characters remain distant, never managing to evoke much of an emotional response on the part of the reader. Since you won't be sitting on the edge of your seat over this, you might as well know that (except for the old woman who is terminally ill as the book opens) everybody ends up living happily ever after, at least once various bits of implausible dust have settled.
Coral Glynn is a quick read, and any pauses that it occasions will be due to admiration of its author's well-crafted sentences, not an encounter with deep or complex material that might require serious pondering. Cameron's sometimes poetic descriptions certainly make the book worth a few hours of a reader's time, but for his next effort one can only hope that he comes up with a less hackneyed story on which to unleash his considerable talent.
Peter Cameron writes some luminous prose, but it deserves a better plot line than the one he has devised here (the novel takes several abrupt twists and turns that are as unmotivated as they are unexpected). All of the principal characters' relationships get unpredictably reshuffled, sometimes along lines that seem more characteristic of the end than the middle of the twentieth century. Despite being interesting in a clinical sort of way, however, Cameron's characters remain distant, never managing to evoke much of an emotional response on the part of the reader. Since you won't be sitting on the edge of your seat over this, you might as well know that (except for the old woman who is terminally ill as the book opens) everybody ends up living happily ever after, at least once various bits of implausible dust have settled.
Coral Glynn is a quick read, and any pauses that it occasions will be due to admiration of its author's well-crafted sentences, not an encounter with deep or complex material that might require serious pondering. Cameron's sometimes poetic descriptions certainly make the book worth a few hours of a reader's time, but for his next effort one can only hope that he comes up with a less hackneyed story on which to unleash his considerable talent.
October 12, 2016
A little gothic, a little sad, but I really enjoyed it. Much different than Cameron's Andorra but I think I liked it just as much.
I re-read this in 2016 and found it even more amazing, and definitely like it better than Andorra.
https://hogglestock.com/2016/05/09/wh...
I re-read this in 2016 and found it even more amazing, and definitely like it better than Andorra.
https://hogglestock.com/2016/05/09/wh...
February 3, 2016
3.5
No me ha disgustado, pero tampoco me ha llegado como hizo Algún día este dolor te será útil. Sé que las comparaciones son odiosas, pero no he podido evitar hacer el ejercicio comparativo. No es una mala novela, ni mucho menos, pero me esperaba más de Cameron.
No me ha disgustado, pero tampoco me ha llegado como hizo Algún día este dolor te será útil. Sé que las comparaciones son odiosas, pero no he podido evitar hacer el ejercicio comparativo. No es una mala novela, ni mucho menos, pero me esperaba más de Cameron.
November 4, 2019
Peter Cameron’s period novel, Coral Glynn, is about people who believe they are out of options and act, or fail to act, out of desperation. In 1950, a young private nurse named Coral Glynn arrives at Hart House in the remote English countryside to care for elderly Edith Hart, who is dying of cancer. Also at Hart House are Major Clement Hart, Mrs. Hart’s middle-age son, who was injured in the recent war, and a surly cook and housekeeper named Mrs. Prence. When Mrs. Hart dies, Clement, faced with a life of solitude, decides that Coral represents his only chance at happiness and asks her to marry him. Coral, utterly alone in the world, having endured an emotionally barren childhood and who was raped at her previous place of employment, comes with issues of her own, mostly having to do with trust and self-worth. With great ambivalence, motivated primarily by the bleak prospects the future holds out to her, she agrees to become Clement’s wife and the mistress of the house. But there has been a gruesome murder in the picturesque forest behind Hart House, a place where Coral was known to take frequent walks, and she comes under suspicion. Rather than see her arrested, Clement helps her flee. She ends up in London, where she tries to put the murder, Major Hart, and the emotional turmoil she suffered behind her. She builds a new life and meets new people. But the past is never far behind, and two years later when Clement tracks her down, she is forced to settle things once and for all. The novel is short, intricately plotted and fast-paced, and though it seems at times to be composed in a kind of narrative shorthand, it is exquisitely written and emotionally complex. Coral is a fascinating but curiously docile creature whose habit of thinking poorly of herself lands her in hot water more than once. It is only when she learns to assert herself with greater confidence that she begins the process of turning her life around. One of Peter Cameron’s great strengths in his fiction is his ability to inhabit the minds of disparate characters and convincingly convey their desires and motivations to the reader, and in this regard the novel is an undoubted success. Even if a couple of plot elements seem a tad sketchy, Coral Glynn remains an emotionally satisfying and solid entertainment.
June 22, 2012
What a whopping disappointment. I thought this would be a delicious English manor period piece – perhaps a Secret Garden for grownups. Instead, I found myself enduring wooden characters having stilted conversations within banal relationships. The plot plods along, deftly side-stepping any hint of development, inserting and removing characters with mechanical disinterest. I’m still not sure why I took the time to finish it.
December 27, 2022
An odd, and strangely affecting, novel.
November 29, 2013
4.5/5
La historia que nos cuenta Peter Cameron en esta novela transcurre en el Londres de los años 50 y tiene como protagonista a Coral Glynn, una enfermera itinerante que llega a casa de la anciana señora Hart, aquejada de una grave dolencia. Con ella vive su hijo el coronel Clement Hart, un militar retirado y un tanto retraído que aún convalece de sus heridas causadas durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Propiciado por el frío ambiente de la casa, entre ambos se producirá un progresivo acercamiento tan tierno como efímero, obstaculizado a veces por las extrañas circunstancias que los rodean, la soledad descarnada que tanto tiempo llevan arrastrando y las restrictivas convenciones sociales de la época.
Y así es como de repente te ves envuelto en una fascinante historia de amor, desamor, amistad, traición, tristeza y mucha melancolía que no sabes en qué preciso momento aprieta el acelerador para no volver a pisar nunca más el freno. La belleza de los gestos cotidianos, el vacío abismal que se cierne sobre unos personajes cuyo futuro se sabe incierto, la irreprimible fuerza de atracción que hace al ser humano orbitar entorno a lo desconocido. Todo un abanico de sentimientos abiertos en canal ante nuestros propios ojos. Y muchos mazazos argumentales que resuenan con fuerza en el corazón del lector. Todo ello es solo una pequeña muestra de lo que encontrarás entre las páginas de Coral Glynn, una novela muy bien estructurada, exquisita, inteligente y brillante, cuya extensión se ajusta de forma milimétrica a las exigencias de la trama y no solo realza la hermosura implícita en cada pasaje, sino que provoca una avidez lectora bastante difícil de controlar.
Reseña completa: http://generacionreader.blogspot.com....
La historia que nos cuenta Peter Cameron en esta novela transcurre en el Londres de los años 50 y tiene como protagonista a Coral Glynn, una enfermera itinerante que llega a casa de la anciana señora Hart, aquejada de una grave dolencia. Con ella vive su hijo el coronel Clement Hart, un militar retirado y un tanto retraído que aún convalece de sus heridas causadas durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Propiciado por el frío ambiente de la casa, entre ambos se producirá un progresivo acercamiento tan tierno como efímero, obstaculizado a veces por las extrañas circunstancias que los rodean, la soledad descarnada que tanto tiempo llevan arrastrando y las restrictivas convenciones sociales de la época.
Y así es como de repente te ves envuelto en una fascinante historia de amor, desamor, amistad, traición, tristeza y mucha melancolía que no sabes en qué preciso momento aprieta el acelerador para no volver a pisar nunca más el freno. La belleza de los gestos cotidianos, el vacío abismal que se cierne sobre unos personajes cuyo futuro se sabe incierto, la irreprimible fuerza de atracción que hace al ser humano orbitar entorno a lo desconocido. Todo un abanico de sentimientos abiertos en canal ante nuestros propios ojos. Y muchos mazazos argumentales que resuenan con fuerza en el corazón del lector. Todo ello es solo una pequeña muestra de lo que encontrarás entre las páginas de Coral Glynn, una novela muy bien estructurada, exquisita, inteligente y brillante, cuya extensión se ajusta de forma milimétrica a las exigencias de la trama y no solo realza la hermosura implícita en cada pasaje, sino que provoca una avidez lectora bastante difícil de controlar.
Reseña completa: http://generacionreader.blogspot.com....
February 24, 2016
At last my curiosity has been satisfied. This has been on a to-read list for a few years now, though I'm wondering now how it got there. Suggested because I liked "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier? Perhaps to the impatient extrovert, Coral Glynn and the second Mrs. de Winter are similar characters and marry alike aloof but secretly affectionate husbands. But "Coral Glynn" is no thriller; the plot is not a mystery, just a gradual reveal of random salacious secrets. Two subplots with real potential for suspense are resolved tidily, in a character's exposition after the fact. The only way this is a mystery is that the characters' motivations are so well hid from the reader that the ending seems tacked on by someone who skimmed the rest of the book.
In the hands of a mystery writer, Dolly would have been the main character and the plot would have followed through on the violent crime rather than absconded to London, and one of Coral's antagonists would have taken center stage as a real villain and not *just* a jerk. And Coral would have gotten into real trouble for acting like such a helpless Bella Swan. Or maybe Coral should have turned out to be the villain; as duplicitous a turn that would be from the author, it's hardly third person omniscient so it could have worked. It's a strange turn of events, to start hoping that the protagonist is the villain and possibly a murderer. But when so little happens (past events and side plots mostly occurring offstage excepted) you grow desperate for anything and hope for the worst.
In the hands of a mystery writer, Dolly would have been the main character and the plot would have followed through on the violent crime rather than absconded to London, and one of Coral's antagonists would have taken center stage as a real villain and not *just* a jerk. And Coral would have gotten into real trouble for acting like such a helpless Bella Swan. Or maybe Coral should have turned out to be the villain; as duplicitous a turn that would be from the author, it's hardly third person omniscient so it could have worked. It's a strange turn of events, to start hoping that the protagonist is the villain and possibly a murderer. But when so little happens (past events and side plots mostly occurring offstage excepted) you grow desperate for anything and hope for the worst.
did-not-finish
June 26, 2023Too gothic for me. Even a smidge gothic is too gothic for me but this was more than a smidge. Bailed about a third of the way in.
November 7, 2016
Si hay algo que sobresale en esta novela, es la elegancia magistral de su narración. Cameron se aleja de vanguardias y posmodernismos, formalmente hablando, y entrega una cátedra magistral del arte de la novela.
El narrador de Coral Glynn es capaz de una sutileza asombrosa, va echando luz y haciendo guiños muy tenues al lector; mientras que con un pincel muy fino va delineando el entorno espacial donde se desenvuelve la trama, con un grafito va iluminando y oscureciendo el papel para darnos la profundidad de cada personaje.
Tiene momentos sumamente divertidos que te provocan la risotada, y otros de una oscuridad abismal que te pueden inundar en un terror desolador.
Cada uno de los personajes va evolucionando, va creciendo, con brochazos muy gruesos, pero siempre procurando dar las razones últimas para cada una de sus palabras, de sus actos, y sobre todo: de sus silencios. Tal como en la vida, hay situaciones que creemos comprender del todo, y otras de las que no tenemos ni idea, ni podemos explicarnos. Ni requieren ser explicadas.
Devoré en apenas unas horas esta grandiosa novela. Y sigo feliz y dichoso de haberla leído. En un momento en que temas como el amor, la pareja, las relaciones interpersonales son mi cotidianeidad, esta novela de Cameron me viene a caer como anillo al dedo.
El narrador de Coral Glynn es capaz de una sutileza asombrosa, va echando luz y haciendo guiños muy tenues al lector; mientras que con un pincel muy fino va delineando el entorno espacial donde se desenvuelve la trama, con un grafito va iluminando y oscureciendo el papel para darnos la profundidad de cada personaje.
Tiene momentos sumamente divertidos que te provocan la risotada, y otros de una oscuridad abismal que te pueden inundar en un terror desolador.
Cada uno de los personajes va evolucionando, va creciendo, con brochazos muy gruesos, pero siempre procurando dar las razones últimas para cada una de sus palabras, de sus actos, y sobre todo: de sus silencios. Tal como en la vida, hay situaciones que creemos comprender del todo, y otras de las que no tenemos ni idea, ni podemos explicarnos. Ni requieren ser explicadas.
Devoré en apenas unas horas esta grandiosa novela. Y sigo feliz y dichoso de haberla leído. En un momento en que temas como el amor, la pareja, las relaciones interpersonales son mi cotidianeidad, esta novela de Cameron me viene a caer como anillo al dedo.
August 14, 2019
Forse leggero, ma quel leggero... che si fa leggere, volentieri.
July 16, 2023
Il mio giudizio é di 3.5/5.⭐
Mi é piaciuto, ed infatti l'ho divorato. Credo peró che la storia manchi di "quel qualcosa" che ti faccia dire "uo, che bella pensata che ha avuto Cameron in questo libro".
Stile e linguaggio sono sempre chiari e fluenti cosí come in "Un giorno questo dolore ti sará utile". Penso che questi siano i motivi principali per cui io apprezzo molto Peter Cameron come scrittore.
Ció che manca, a mio parere, sono creatività e un pochino di genialità.
Ma recupereró tutti gli altri libri mooolto presto.
Mi é piaciuto, ed infatti l'ho divorato. Credo peró che la storia manchi di "quel qualcosa" che ti faccia dire "uo, che bella pensata che ha avuto Cameron in questo libro".
Stile e linguaggio sono sempre chiari e fluenti cosí come in "Un giorno questo dolore ti sará utile". Penso che questi siano i motivi principali per cui io apprezzo molto Peter Cameron come scrittore.
Ció che manca, a mio parere, sono creatività e un pochino di genialità.
Ma recupereró tutti gli altri libri mooolto presto.
August 18, 2020
Partivo con delle aspettative molto basse, dalle recensioni lette qua e là sembrava fosse il romanzo meno riuscito di Cameron. Niente di più falso. Delicato e struggente, divorato in una notte
May 2, 2012
I am very fond of gothic elements in my novels and also enjoy books about manners. Coral Glynn: A Novel by Peter Cameron is rife with both. It is dark, brooding and has an eerie sensibility.
The novel begins in 1952 with Coral Glynn, a visiting nurse, arriving at Hart House to care for the aging and dying Mrs. Hart. She has terminal cancer and is not expected to live very long. The house is also inhabited by her son, Major Clement Hart, who was seriously burned and had his legs injured in World War II. Also residing there is a sour-mannered housekeeper and cook named Mrs. Prence. Shortly after Mrs. Hart dies, Clement begins a relationship with Coral and they decide to marry quickly.
On a walk in the woods near Hart House, Coral runs into two children playing a 'game' that is very sadistic. A girl is tied up to a tree with her hands and legs bound. A 10 year-old boy is throwing acorns and pine cones at her. She has abrasions on her face and body. Coral is drawn to the scene by the animalistic cries of the girl. When Coral arrives there, the children state that they are just playing and that she has nothing to be concerned about. Unfortunately, Coral does not report this to the police and this has dire consequences for her.
Clement has a close friend, Robin, a man he has known since childhood, who is in love with him. It is alluded that the two of them had a homosexual affair when they were younger. However, Robin is married to an exuberant woman named Dolly who tries to take Coral under her wing. Coral confides in her and the advice she gets is not helpful to her well-being. There is the air of repressed sexuality between Robin and Clement throughout the book though Clement refuses to discuss the past and Robin wants to bring it up.
The marriage goes as planned but shortly afterwards everything goes awry and, because of the incident in the woods and a past incident in Coral's life, she gets in trouble with the police. Clement and she agree that it is best for her to go to London immediately and correspond with him through Dolly and Robin.
Coral is not a vivacious woman nor does she have the qualities that draw people to her emotionally. She is lonely, frightened and all alone in the world. She is an orphan and her brother was killed in World War II. She is, however, attractive. Basically, she is a lost soul. "Who knew what one wanted and what one didn't want?" Coral devotes most of her life to nursing and appears to have no other interests. Her relationship with Clement is dry and malnourished. There is no passion nor is there any drive.
The book has a very unexpected ending which I loved. It put things more into perspective regarding Coral and showed a part of her personality that was not in evidence during the rest of the book.
I enjoyed the book quite a bit but I had to ask myself at the end, what does this all mean? What is the lesson I am learning and what is the intent of the author? Perhaps the intent of Mr. Cameron is to tell his story and no more. The story speaks for itself and leaves the reader scratching his head but smiling at the same time because of the enjoyment gleaned from the telling.
The novel begins in 1952 with Coral Glynn, a visiting nurse, arriving at Hart House to care for the aging and dying Mrs. Hart. She has terminal cancer and is not expected to live very long. The house is also inhabited by her son, Major Clement Hart, who was seriously burned and had his legs injured in World War II. Also residing there is a sour-mannered housekeeper and cook named Mrs. Prence. Shortly after Mrs. Hart dies, Clement begins a relationship with Coral and they decide to marry quickly.
On a walk in the woods near Hart House, Coral runs into two children playing a 'game' that is very sadistic. A girl is tied up to a tree with her hands and legs bound. A 10 year-old boy is throwing acorns and pine cones at her. She has abrasions on her face and body. Coral is drawn to the scene by the animalistic cries of the girl. When Coral arrives there, the children state that they are just playing and that she has nothing to be concerned about. Unfortunately, Coral does not report this to the police and this has dire consequences for her.
Clement has a close friend, Robin, a man he has known since childhood, who is in love with him. It is alluded that the two of them had a homosexual affair when they were younger. However, Robin is married to an exuberant woman named Dolly who tries to take Coral under her wing. Coral confides in her and the advice she gets is not helpful to her well-being. There is the air of repressed sexuality between Robin and Clement throughout the book though Clement refuses to discuss the past and Robin wants to bring it up.
The marriage goes as planned but shortly afterwards everything goes awry and, because of the incident in the woods and a past incident in Coral's life, she gets in trouble with the police. Clement and she agree that it is best for her to go to London immediately and correspond with him through Dolly and Robin.
Coral is not a vivacious woman nor does she have the qualities that draw people to her emotionally. She is lonely, frightened and all alone in the world. She is an orphan and her brother was killed in World War II. She is, however, attractive. Basically, she is a lost soul. "Who knew what one wanted and what one didn't want?" Coral devotes most of her life to nursing and appears to have no other interests. Her relationship with Clement is dry and malnourished. There is no passion nor is there any drive.
The book has a very unexpected ending which I loved. It put things more into perspective regarding Coral and showed a part of her personality that was not in evidence during the rest of the book.
I enjoyed the book quite a bit but I had to ask myself at the end, what does this all mean? What is the lesson I am learning and what is the intent of the author? Perhaps the intent of Mr. Cameron is to tell his story and no more. The story speaks for itself and leaves the reader scratching his head but smiling at the same time because of the enjoyment gleaned from the telling.
March 26, 2012
This is a book I picked up based on an NPR review which compared it to gothic novels like Rebecca and Jane Eyre. Having recently read The Haunting of Hill House, another modern version of the gothic novel and enjoyed it, I thought why not continue on this theme.
While there were some similarities with the gothic novel, they were fairly circumstantial---big empty house, mysterious and seemingly hateful housekeeper, etc. In fact, Coral Glynn did not feel at all like a gothic novel to me. It felt more like The Remains of the Day or any of the other stories where English folks are unable to express their true feelings and therefore prevent themselves from finding true happiness in live. (I am something of an Anglophile in my reading and TV viewing habits, so I am more than familiar with this conundrum.)
In retrospect, I am wondering why I was not thrilled with this book, since it had so many of the elements I enjoy. I am just not sure. At points the motivation of the characters seemed inexplicable to me, and even that I tend to normally enjoy in a novel (case in point, one of my favorite books recently read is The Hand That First Held Mine where I almost never fully understood the motivations of the characters). I wonder if my lack of entusiasm is simply a symptom of my disappointment in not reading a gothic novel. Something to ponder...perhaps I will update my review at some point. Some books are better with contemplation.
While there were some similarities with the gothic novel, they were fairly circumstantial---big empty house, mysterious and seemingly hateful housekeeper, etc. In fact, Coral Glynn did not feel at all like a gothic novel to me. It felt more like The Remains of the Day or any of the other stories where English folks are unable to express their true feelings and therefore prevent themselves from finding true happiness in live. (I am something of an Anglophile in my reading and TV viewing habits, so I am more than familiar with this conundrum.)
In retrospect, I am wondering why I was not thrilled with this book, since it had so many of the elements I enjoy. I am just not sure. At points the motivation of the characters seemed inexplicable to me, and even that I tend to normally enjoy in a novel (case in point, one of my favorite books recently read is The Hand That First Held Mine where I almost never fully understood the motivations of the characters). I wonder if my lack of entusiasm is simply a symptom of my disappointment in not reading a gothic novel. Something to ponder...perhaps I will update my review at some point. Some books are better with contemplation.
March 3, 2012
What a captivating little old-fashioned soap opera of a book!
It's England in 1950. Young Coral Glynn, a nurse, arrives at Hart House, an isolated mansion in the countryside, to care for the terminally ill Mrs. Maud Hart. Other than Mrs. Hart, the house is populated only by the housekeeper, Mrs. Prence, who takes an almost-immediate dislike to Coral, and Mrs. Hart's somewhat-estranged son, Clement, who was injured in World War 2, and spends most of his days brooding over his injuries. Clement sees in Coral a solution to keeping his beloved childhood friend, Robin, and their latent homosexuality, at arm's length; Coral sees in Clement stability, especially after she encounters children playing a disturbing game in the woods. All at once, they are propelled into a relationship both are unsure of, and as secrets are revealed, it appears Coral is not quite what she seems. This novel has all of the makings of the novels of days gone by—death, suspicion, misunderstandings, unrequited love (in many forms), desparity between classes, secrets, and intriguing characters.
Peter Cameron is a fantastic writer—his novels The Weekend and Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You are among my all-time favorites. This is a very interesting departure from anything he's written before, and it really feels very old-fashioned, in an enjoyable way. If I have any criticism of this book, it's that I didn't feel that Cameron made a persuasive enough case for Coral's appeal to so many. To me, she seemed indecisive and flighty to a point that was somewhat annoying from time to time, but it didn't mar my enjoyment of the book overall. At slightly more than 200 pages, this is a very fast, enjoyable read, and the type of book you (or at least I) rarely see these days.
It's England in 1950. Young Coral Glynn, a nurse, arrives at Hart House, an isolated mansion in the countryside, to care for the terminally ill Mrs. Maud Hart. Other than Mrs. Hart, the house is populated only by the housekeeper, Mrs. Prence, who takes an almost-immediate dislike to Coral, and Mrs. Hart's somewhat-estranged son, Clement, who was injured in World War 2, and spends most of his days brooding over his injuries. Clement sees in Coral a solution to keeping his beloved childhood friend, Robin, and their latent homosexuality, at arm's length; Coral sees in Clement stability, especially after she encounters children playing a disturbing game in the woods. All at once, they are propelled into a relationship both are unsure of, and as secrets are revealed, it appears Coral is not quite what she seems. This novel has all of the makings of the novels of days gone by—death, suspicion, misunderstandings, unrequited love (in many forms), desparity between classes, secrets, and intriguing characters.
Peter Cameron is a fantastic writer—his novels The Weekend and Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You are among my all-time favorites. This is a very interesting departure from anything he's written before, and it really feels very old-fashioned, in an enjoyable way. If I have any criticism of this book, it's that I didn't feel that Cameron made a persuasive enough case for Coral's appeal to so many. To me, she seemed indecisive and flighty to a point that was somewhat annoying from time to time, but it didn't mar my enjoyment of the book overall. At slightly more than 200 pages, this is a very fast, enjoyable read, and the type of book you (or at least I) rarely see these days.
June 16, 2012
"Clement reached across and put his hand on Dolly's cheek, which was damp with tears. He let his gentleness and affection be felt and then removed his hand. 'I'm just going out for a little stroll,' he said.
Dolly laughed quietly, and said, 'Isn't that what God said, before he abandoned us all?'"
Thank you NPR for the book recommendation. It was an one Good Read!
The story follows the life of our main character, Coral, a nurse that has come to Harrington,England in the 1950's to take care of a dying woman in a manor in the woods just outside of town. There she meets the womans son, Clement who seems to fancy her. From there, you also follow the lives of Clement and his friends Robin and Dolly, who both hold special places in his heart.
* This is not normally the kind of book I pick up and read but I am so happy I did, because I was extremely surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
* The diction and dialogue were great, very vintage feeling. The characters were very believable and complex and you really got to know them throughout the novel. And probably the best part about this book was the sheer storytelling of it; most books I enjoy have some level of shock value and weird antics going on but this was just pure and very realistic while staying interesting.
Perfect.
Dolly laughed quietly, and said, 'Isn't that what God said, before he abandoned us all?'"
Thank you NPR for the book recommendation. It was an one Good Read!
The story follows the life of our main character, Coral, a nurse that has come to Harrington,England in the 1950's to take care of a dying woman in a manor in the woods just outside of town. There she meets the womans son, Clement who seems to fancy her. From there, you also follow the lives of Clement and his friends Robin and Dolly, who both hold special places in his heart.
* This is not normally the kind of book I pick up and read but I am so happy I did, because I was extremely surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
* The diction and dialogue were great, very vintage feeling. The characters were very believable and complex and you really got to know them throughout the novel. And probably the best part about this book was the sheer storytelling of it; most books I enjoy have some level of shock value and weird antics going on but this was just pure and very realistic while staying interesting.
Perfect.
February 21, 2017
Coral Glynn es una enfermera a domicilio que es contratada por el comandante Hart para cuidar de su madre moribunda. El comandante también está enfermo, tiene la piel quemada por una explosión en la guerra, pero su estado físico no le preocupa. Cuando la señora Hart muere al cabo de tres semanas, el comandante se da cuenta de que se va a volver a quedar solo con la criada (una señora Prence que es una auténtica metomentodo de lo más antipático) y decide proponerle matrimonio a Coral, que acepta aunque apenas conoce al comandante de dos charlas insustanciales. Pero como ella en sí misma también es insustancial, pues qué más da.
El libro es insustancial por cualquier lado que lo veas. La historia es insustancial y absurda. Los amigos del comandante Hart son casi tan raros como el mismo comandante. La vida de Coral es absurda e insulsa, antes y después de su matrimonio. En fin, lo único de interés es el desenlace final, las diez últimas páginas, donde la historia da un giro copernicano. Pero que tampoco es que sea para tirar cohetes. En suma, a mí me ha parecido una historia prescindible. Con la de cosas que hay por leer.
El libro es insustancial por cualquier lado que lo veas. La historia es insustancial y absurda. Los amigos del comandante Hart son casi tan raros como el mismo comandante. La vida de Coral es absurda e insulsa, antes y después de su matrimonio. En fin, lo único de interés es el desenlace final, las diez últimas páginas, donde la historia da un giro copernicano. Pero que tampoco es que sea para tirar cohetes. En suma, a mí me ha parecido una historia prescindible. Con la de cosas que hay por leer.
February 19, 2012
The beginning of my review, in The Nervous Breakdown:
Why would Peter Cameron, a twenty-first century American living in Manhattan, write a period piece set in postwar provincial England? I was intrigued. Coral Glynn, Cameron’s sixth novel, is a departure from his most recent work, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You. That critically acclaimed book is a smart, quirky first-person coming-of-age story about an urban teenager filled with postmodern angst, written with the edgy nerve befitting our post-terrorism, neo-Prozac age. I first discovered Someday through my now-teenage son, since it was originally marketed for young adults. If it is not on your radar, it should be.
For the rest of the review, see:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/sh...
Why would Peter Cameron, a twenty-first century American living in Manhattan, write a period piece set in postwar provincial England? I was intrigued. Coral Glynn, Cameron’s sixth novel, is a departure from his most recent work, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You. That critically acclaimed book is a smart, quirky first-person coming-of-age story about an urban teenager filled with postmodern angst, written with the edgy nerve befitting our post-terrorism, neo-Prozac age. I first discovered Someday through my now-teenage son, since it was originally marketed for young adults. If it is not on your radar, it should be.
For the rest of the review, see:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/sh...
April 20, 2020
Un libro la cui lettura fa passare un eventuale blocco del lettore.
Scrittura fluida, mai banale né spicciola, una storia raccontata con delicatezza, senza giudizi, con la giusta enfatizzazione di sentimenti male espressi o non espressi affatto.
La storia di Coral Glynn si svolge in Inghilterra, nel secondo dopoguerra, dal 1950 in poi. E' una infermiera a domicilio, assiste malati gravi, terminali e/o non autosufficienti. Prende servizio presso Mrs. Hart, malata in fase terminale, e qui conosce il figlio, Clement e una coppia di amici, Robin e Dolly. Varie vicissitudini e incomprensioni la porteranno lontano da lì; a Londra comincerà una nuova vita con un'ancora nel passato. Bel libro. Voto: 7
Scrittura fluida, mai banale né spicciola, una storia raccontata con delicatezza, senza giudizi, con la giusta enfatizzazione di sentimenti male espressi o non espressi affatto.
La storia di Coral Glynn si svolge in Inghilterra, nel secondo dopoguerra, dal 1950 in poi. E' una infermiera a domicilio, assiste malati gravi, terminali e/o non autosufficienti. Prende servizio presso Mrs. Hart, malata in fase terminale, e qui conosce il figlio, Clement e una coppia di amici, Robin e Dolly. Varie vicissitudini e incomprensioni la porteranno lontano da lì; a Londra comincerà una nuova vita con un'ancora nel passato. Bel libro. Voto: 7
March 9, 2012
Peter Cameron is such a great writer of fiction. He'll take a serious premise and tell a story using language that's lyrical, poignant, intelligent, and occasionally hilarious. I love his YA book Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, and this one is as good, maybe better. Coral Glynn is a nurse without a home, staying in the homes of her (usually terminal) patients, then moving on. When she comes to Hart House and meets her patient's war-injured son, everything changes. A one-day read -- short but packing a punch.
March 17, 2012
Very good book. Written in a lyrical style, the book draws you in to a world (English countryside after WWII) unlike ours today. Large estates fall to disrepair; men drink too much but mostly keep a stiff upper lip and don't say much. The main female character suffers (no surprise there), but the book has a few twists and turns that you won't expect. I look forward to reading other books by this author.
December 8, 2012
I loved this odd little book with its fifties setting and the weirdest bunch of characters. It is about loneliness, repressed (homo)sexuality and death but it is never grim or harsh. It is hard to say what the fascination is about but I quess it is a mixture of some film noir elements; some Agatha Christie and of course some Daphne DuMaurier. I have a strong feeling that this book will be made into a film.
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