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The View from Here
When Frances was twenty-two, she was drifting, scraping by giving English lessons in Mexico, when she met up with a glamorous group of vacationing Americans staying in a mansion on a private beach. Two decades later in rural England, she discovers a love letter from a younger woman addressed to her husband almost at the same time as she learns that she’s facing a life-threatening illness.
As her contented existence begins to unravel and she tries to decide how and if she will confront her husband about his infidelity, Frances finds herself haunted by the memory of her heady desert encounter with the charmed circle of the Severance family. That summer in 1976 seemed, until now, like another lifetime. As she recalls this long buried episode from her past, she is forced to face for the first time her own role in an illicit romance and the betrayal and tragedy that marked its ending.
As her contented existence begins to unravel and she tries to decide how and if she will confront her husband about his infidelity, Frances finds herself haunted by the memory of her heady desert encounter with the charmed circle of the Severance family. That summer in 1976 seemed, until now, like another lifetime. As she recalls this long buried episode from her past, she is forced to face for the first time her own role in an illicit romance and the betrayal and tragedy that marked its ending.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
8 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
Deborah McKinlay
16 books54 followersDeborah McKinlay is the author of three novels, 'The View From Here', 'That Part Was True' and 'Lily The Tiller'. She lives in South West England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 27, 2013
"I was a blonde eating an avocado, in a country where avocados were plentiful and blondes were rare, on a hot night over half my lifetime ago.
That evening the restaurant was busy, but I heard American voices and I looked up. They were a dozen or so, adults and children, and people watched as they sat at several tables pushed together, on the open side of the room. One of the women fanned herself with a menu.
The children, who had been noisy, settled suddenly, and it was just as the gabble dipped and a quick, engulfing quiet fell that a voice, still party-pitched, announced: “Sally, I have never slept with your husband.”
A measured, cooler tone answered, “I couldn’t care less, darling. Everybody else has.”
It may be 1976 when Frances meets the privileged, devastatingly desperate couples in Mexico, but the lifestyle they seek is much more reminiscent of the 20s. Booze flows freely. Husbands and wives act nonchalantly while nursing grave hurts, and the sexual energy is tangible. Newly single, young, and unassuming, Frances is enveloped by the group, useful both as entertainment and pawn. Heedless of the barely concealed tensions and anger that exist within the group, she observes each closely, but lacking full understanding, she swiftly gets caught up with one of the women’s husbands, and as she says,
The proximity of my lover’s wife should have deflated the moony bubble of my desire for him. I am aware of that, was aware of it even then, but it did not. There were things that contributed to this, things that are somewhat hard to convey. The times, for instance. It seems feeble now, but there was then, and especially in that detaching, sensual heat, an atmosphere of general disregard, for practicality, for convention.
Older and wiser, Frances begins writing because she is terminally ill, but the acute pain she feels has more to do with the letter she finds that leaves no doubt her husband is in love with another woman. The realization comes shortly before her diagnosis, and Frances watches her husband for subtle changes. At heart, she is an observer, and, wanting to know more, she follows her husband when she knows he will be meeting his lover. She watches them embrace and sees he is obviously explaining he can’t see his lover anymore. She watches as the young woman sits in her car weeping, not altogether unsympathetic, noting she will eventually drive home because “at some point we do those things even when the circumstances constrict us so much that all movement is impossible.”
The View From Here by Deborah McKinlay is a novel of characters, and the character development is so thorough and observant that even when dealing with a tough subject like adultery, McKinlay lends her characters a humanity that is astonishing. Particularly in the character of Phillip, her husband, there is an intricacy to his love for his wife and that of his lover that is heartbreaking even while abject.
However, this is not a book full of well-written characters alone, for Frances’ summer in Mexico ended traumatically, and it is her guilt that needs assuaging. As she comes to terms with her own culpability, both in her youth and in her marriage, Frances welcomes the release and finally allows herself clarity because, as she says:
…day-to-day life has that quality, muddy, while you are still in the process of swimming through it. It is the stored accounts that get polished, tossing about all those years inside the mind.
The View From Here is a remarkably quiet but impactful novel, and oddly enough, I’d recommend it for lovers of The Great Gatsby or Rules of Civility.
February 17, 2011
I liked the book but I didn't find the main character particularly endearing, especially in her younger version. I also felt that the cast of characters was confusing and that the parts of the book that took place in the past could have had so much more detail. A setting like the big house offers so much opportunity for interesting details or stories that would have brought the characters more to life and it just never happens. It is hard to feel anything for characters in a book who are never fully developed. Even the main character in her younger version is devoid of depth and I had a hard time knowing why she did the things she did.
It was a quick and enjoyable read but not a story that stays with you.
It was a quick and enjoyable read but not a story that stays with you.
June 1, 2011
A hauntingly beautiful story, balancing a carefree hedonistic past with the mortal gravity of maturity and remorse. I found McKinley's book explored the weight of betrayal and it's consequences with a steady hand; the lapses into the past were as refreshing as diving into a pool on a hot summer's day... Until of course, things got a little murky. I couldn't wait to dive in each night!
April 6, 2016
I was expecting a book similar to her second book, which I loved and it just wasn't what I thought it would be. I do like Ms. McKinlay's writing, so I enjoyed that, but this story didn't grab me. I did finish it and I will read more books by this author.
From Amazon:
When Frances was twenty-two, she was drifting, scraping by giving English lessons in Mexico, when she met up with a glamorous group of vacationing Americans staying in a mansion on a private beach. Two decades later in rural England, she discovers a love letter from a younger woman addressed to her husband almost at the same time as she learns that she’s facing a life-threatening illness.
As her contented existence begins to unravel and she tries to decide how and if she will confront her husband about his infidelity, Frances finds herself haunted by the memory of her heady desert encounter with the charmed circle of the Severance family. That summer in 1976 seemed, until now, like another lifetime. As she recalls this long buried episode from her past, she is forced to face for the first time her own role in an illicit romance and the betrayal and tragedy that marked its ending.
From Amazon:
When Frances was twenty-two, she was drifting, scraping by giving English lessons in Mexico, when she met up with a glamorous group of vacationing Americans staying in a mansion on a private beach. Two decades later in rural England, she discovers a love letter from a younger woman addressed to her husband almost at the same time as she learns that she’s facing a life-threatening illness.
As her contented existence begins to unravel and she tries to decide how and if she will confront her husband about his infidelity, Frances finds herself haunted by the memory of her heady desert encounter with the charmed circle of the Severance family. That summer in 1976 seemed, until now, like another lifetime. As she recalls this long buried episode from her past, she is forced to face for the first time her own role in an illicit romance and the betrayal and tragedy that marked its ending.
October 3, 2011
I can not rave enough about this book. This is high class, intelligent writing and I was completely intrigued. This novel is written in a captivating and riveting telling of two stories intertwined - one in which the narrator is young and one is which she is old. It bounces back and forth and the ending tidies the reason for this into a shocking, twisting, neat little bow. I had no idea what hit me. A twist that I did not expect and loved wholeheartedly. This is one book that I stared at for a long time after, and I only do that with books I truly, truly love. Excellent. I would love, love, love to see this made into a film.
October 15, 2011
This story of a young girl drawn into a group of hedonistic American socialites while in Mexico, is interesting but lacking in depth. The book seemed a little trite and didn't strike any deep chords with this reader. I did find it however, to be somewhat reminiscent of "The Great Gatsby". There were a little a lot of parallels between the story of Nick and the story of Frankie. Both were seduced by the glitz and glamour only to quickly discover the not so attractive underbelly of a life of hedonism. This book was okay and I read it through pretty quickly but I would only recommend with reservations.
March 16, 2019
A story within a story, The View From Here takes the reader to the past and back to the present, side by side, with little explanation of how the two relate until the very end. To be honest, I found neither the past nor the present to be very engaging. To me, the first line of the book was the best. I should have stopped there.
June 26, 2017
I enjoyed The View From here, but it was sometimes difficult to follow the back and forth timelines of the younger & older version of the main character. I also wish that it had delved into more of what was causing her chronic illness. I felt like it would have been even better as two different books where the first book focused on the younger version and the second book focused on the older version.
September 30, 2017
both betraying & betrayed + a stunning conclusion
•
"I knew I was going to die, and although I do not believe as some people do that life hands out justice in fair measure, that suffering is related to one's past sins, it did seem logical, understandable that I should not live a long life."
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instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
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"I knew I was going to die, and although I do not believe as some people do that life hands out justice in fair measure, that suffering is related to one's past sins, it did seem logical, understandable that I should not live a long life."
•
instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
August 30, 2020
Just can’t do it: this book jumps time periods with only a small break, there are a ton of characters and I don’t think any of them is particularly well developed, I’m calling it quits!
Read
October 27, 2012It may be 1976 when Frances meets the privileged, devastatingly desperate couples in Mexico, but the lifestyle they seek is much more reminiscent of the 20s. Booze flows freely. Husbands and wives act nonchalantly while nursing grave hurts, and the sexual energy is tangible. Newly single, young, and unassuming, Frances is enveloped by the group, useful both as entertainment and pawn. Heedless of the barely concealed tensions and anger that exist within the group, she observes each closely, but lacking full understanding, she swiftly gets caught up with one of the women’s husbands, and as she says,
The proximity of my lover’s wife should have deflated the moony bubble of my desire for him. I am aware of that, was aware of it even then, but it did not. There were things that contributed to this, things that are somewhat hard to convey. The times, for instance. It seems feeble now, but there was then, and especially in that detaching, sensual heat, an atmosphere of general disregard, for practicality, for convention.
Older and wiser, Frances begins writing because she is terminally ill, but the acute pain she feels has more to do with the letter she finds that leaves no doubt her husband is in love with another woman. The realization comes shortly before her diagnosis, and Frances watches her husband for subtle changes. At heart, she is an observer, and, wanting to know more, she follows her husband when she knows he will be meeting his lover. She watches them embrace and sees he is obviously explaining he can’t see his lover anymore. She watches as the young woman sits in her car weeping, not altogether unsympathetic, noting she will eventually drive home because “at some point we do those things even when the circumstances constrict us so much that all movement is impossible.”
The View From Here by Deborah McKinlay is a novel of characters, and the character development is so thorough and observant that even when dealing with a tough subject like adultery, McKinlay lends her characters a humanity that is astonishing. Particularly in the character of Phillip, her husband, there is an intricacy to his love for his wife and that of his lover that is heartbreaking even while abject.
However, this is not a book full of well-written characters alone, for Frances’ summer in Mexico ended traumatically, and it is her guilt that needs assuaging. As she comes to terms with her own culpability, both in her youth and in her marriage, Frances welcomes the release and finally allows herself clarity because, as she says:
…day-to-day life has that quality, muddy, while you are still in the process of swimming through it. It is the stored accounts that get polished, tossing about all those years inside the mind.
The View From Here is a remarkably quiet but impactful novel, and oddly enough, I’d recommend it for lovers of The Great Gatsby or Rules of Civility.
The proximity of my lover’s wife should have deflated the moony bubble of my desire for him. I am aware of that, was aware of it even then, but it did not. There were things that contributed to this, things that are somewhat hard to convey. The times, for instance. It seems feeble now, but there was then, and especially in that detaching, sensual heat, an atmosphere of general disregard, for practicality, for convention.
Older and wiser, Frances begins writing because she is terminally ill, but the acute pain she feels has more to do with the letter she finds that leaves no doubt her husband is in love with another woman. The realization comes shortly before her diagnosis, and Frances watches her husband for subtle changes. At heart, she is an observer, and, wanting to know more, she follows her husband when she knows he will be meeting his lover. She watches them embrace and sees he is obviously explaining he can’t see his lover anymore. She watches as the young woman sits in her car weeping, not altogether unsympathetic, noting she will eventually drive home because “at some point we do those things even when the circumstances constrict us so much that all movement is impossible.”
The View From Here by Deborah McKinlay is a novel of characters, and the character development is so thorough and observant that even when dealing with a tough subject like adultery, McKinlay lends her characters a humanity that is astonishing. Particularly in the character of Phillip, her husband, there is an intricacy to his love for his wife and that of his lover that is heartbreaking even while abject.
However, this is not a book full of well-written characters alone, for Frances’ summer in Mexico ended traumatically, and it is her guilt that needs assuaging. As she comes to terms with her own culpability, both in her youth and in her marriage, Frances welcomes the release and finally allows herself clarity because, as she says:
…day-to-day life has that quality, muddy, while you are still in the process of swimming through it. It is the stored accounts that get polished, tossing about all those years inside the mind.
The View From Here is a remarkably quiet but impactful novel, and oddly enough, I’d recommend it for lovers of The Great Gatsby or Rules of Civility.
February 26, 2011
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it!
p.113 "So, by committing all this to paper I am willingly exposing it, to myself and possibly to others, because I do know that despite my conviction that writing is easier somehow, less inflammatory than affording the words oxygen, stories on pages, unless speedily reduced to ashes, have a far longer and more potent life than any given up to air and others' ears."
p. 117 "It was a wonderful day. Not too hot and with just enough breeze. I remember thinking, seating myself near Mason on a bamboo beach mat, that this was happiness. That I knew it, right then. That I wouldn't need to look back from some distant future to realize it."
p.153 "But day-to-day life has that quality, muddy, while you are still in the process of swimming through it. It is the stored accounts that get polished, tossing about all those years inside the mind."
p.113 "So, by committing all this to paper I am willingly exposing it, to myself and possibly to others, because I do know that despite my conviction that writing is easier somehow, less inflammatory than affording the words oxygen, stories on pages, unless speedily reduced to ashes, have a far longer and more potent life than any given up to air and others' ears."
p. 117 "It was a wonderful day. Not too hot and with just enough breeze. I remember thinking, seating myself near Mason on a bamboo beach mat, that this was happiness. That I knew it, right then. That I wouldn't need to look back from some distant future to realize it."
p.153 "But day-to-day life has that quality, muddy, while you are still in the process of swimming through it. It is the stored accounts that get polished, tossing about all those years inside the mind."
August 10, 2014
Deborah McKinlay's "The View From Here" show show adultery touched a woman's life twice in her lifetime. Frances has been diagnosed with cancer and she knows the end is near, and at the same time she recalls an affair she had during her younger and more hedonistic days. The author toggles the two stories and it's done with great effect, but the earlier story is a little more convoluted and suffers from too much detailing. (I never got some of the characters straight) The story heartbreakingly ends both ways, but it just sometimes too much labour getting there.
April 12, 2016
Library Request. Very 1950's era read, the hole vibe felt retro to me, the affair the entire relationships over the summer in Mexico felt surreal in the story telling and not sure for the revisiting of her past when the protagonist was facing death with cancer. In all of this devastation, she finds out her husband has been keeping a secret, I hate that she had to have found out but I'm really glad she let her husband know she knew about his secret. It looked good on him, didn't it. Anyway the story left off some important pieces in the end, he seems the reason for the two star rating.
February 26, 2014
Frances finds out her husband is having an affair as she is facing some type of possibly terminal health crisis. I didn't read far enough to figure out what that was. She has to face her own actions from decades earlier when she was involved with a married man.
Lots of characters and not as interesting as the summary and reviews made it seem. Lots of jumping back and forth in time.
I abandoned it after about fifty pages.
Lots of characters and not as interesting as the summary and reviews made it seem. Lots of jumping back and forth in time.
I abandoned it after about fifty pages.
August 16, 2013
Frances is dying when she finds a letter to her husband from another woman. The story is told back and forth from the present to back when she was in Mexico during her twenties. She had an affair with a wealthy married man and another woman who was also having an affair with him commits suicide. Kind of what goes around comes around.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2012
At 46, Frances has a short time to live when she discovers that her husband is having an affair with a work colleague. She remembers when she was 23, living in Mexico, and herself having an affair with a married man. Those days are still alive in her memory as she deals with her situation in the present.
October 7, 2014
The synopsis sounded intriguing but the story disappointed me. The book switched from a young 22 year old Francis living In Mexico to a 40 something France's living in London and dealing with cancer. I didn't feel a connection to the younger women. There is adultery in both stories that are told which I dislike and find hard to relate to.
May 13, 2011
I liked the book but I found the younger year story a little hard to believe. Not that it couldn't happen in real life but not all of it seemed believable. I was surprised at the final part of her younger year as well...
September 11, 2011
I wasn't expecting much from this book, but it actually turned out to be a quiet but haunting and memorable read. It's slow like a hot summer day, but the characters come alive with their infuriating, flawedness. I have a feeling this book will toss around in my head for a long time.
December 13, 2011
I had to get used to the style of the storytelling, with the flashbacks. The main character I liked so I kept reading, but really the story, kind of not that interesting to me. It took forever to get to the point of her time in Mexico, and really I just did not care.
December 7, 2011
I was very intrigued by the story and enjoyed reading the book. I had a hard time though believing the young and older version of the narrator were the same woman. Yet the book keeps you interested until the final twist. Original story. Would recommend.
March 6, 2011
I was restless reading this and skipped ahead to the end. Now I wish I had read it more closely!
June 5, 2011
This was a rather depressing novel of a dying woman who remembered a long ago affair and the resulting death of the wronged woman. Yuck!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2011
Really have to concentrate to follow the multiple story lines of this story. Lots of twists and turns.
Read
August 14, 2011Really well written.
August 22, 2011
Okay, but not great.
December 2, 2011
Really enjoyable, escape-type read. The character seems a little too naive as a young woman given her insights as an adult; however, it was a good book to just get into.
March 14, 2012
Like THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY set in Mexico in the 1970s...except even more shocking.
unfinished
June 28, 2012Read a few pages and wasn't really feeling it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews