I started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it...
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This tale of fifties suburbia, with all of its double standards and repressed desires, is absolutely magical.
Alice Hoffman handles her portrayal of a young divorcee trying to fit into a neighborhood that doesn't want "her kind" without making one misstep along the way.
The unfolding of Nora's story is beautifully told, more like poetry than prose. It's long been one of my favorites, for although it deals with a painful subject it does so with shining grace, dignity and hope.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
This charming yet realistic look into the travails of growing old is an unsentimental tale brimming with true to life characters.
Mrs. Palfrey, a widow, has moved into the Claremont Hotel--a rather rundown establishment whose staff looks down its noses at the elderly residents it houses year round.
Tedium and heavy loneliness loom over the lives of these forgotten souls who must somehow find the courage day after day to deal with their lot in life.
When Mrs. Palfrey meets a handsome young man who is everything her grandson isn't, she hatches a plot to bring him to the Claremont and introduce him as her grandson. This causes a little stir of excitement and envy; certainly none of her fellow residents can now look down on her with pity, for she has proven that not all of her relations have forgotten her.
As time goes on, however, she becomes increasingly emotionally dependent on Ludo, her grandson's stand-in.
This is a poignant look at aging with its own unique brand of loneliness, written with the author's typically wry, compassionate humor.
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(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
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debdobalina has commented on (2) products.
Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman
debdobalina, February 26, 2008
This tale of fifties suburbia, with all of its double standards and repressed desires, is absolutely magical.Alice Hoffman handles her portrayal of a young divorcee trying to fit into a neighborhood that doesn't want "her kind" without making one misstep along the way.
The unfolding of Nora's story is beautifully told, more like poetry than prose. It's long been one of my favorites, for although it deals with a painful subject it does so with shining grace, dignity and hope.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
debdobalina, February 26, 2008
This charming yet realistic look into the travails of growing old is an unsentimental tale brimming with true to life characters.Mrs. Palfrey, a widow, has moved into the Claremont Hotel--a rather rundown establishment whose staff looks down its noses at the elderly residents it houses year round.
Tedium and heavy loneliness loom over the lives of these forgotten souls who must somehow find the courage day after day to deal with their lot in life.
When Mrs. Palfrey meets a handsome young man who is everything her grandson isn't, she hatches a plot to bring him to the Claremont and introduce him as her grandson. This causes a little stir of excitement and envy; certainly none of her fellow residents can now look down on her with pity, for she has proven that not all of her relations have forgotten her.
As time goes on, however, she becomes increasingly emotionally dependent on Ludo, her grandson's stand-in.
This is a poignant look at aging with its own unique brand of loneliness, written with the author's typically wry, compassionate humor.
(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)