On Chesil Beach: A Novel by Ian McEwan Reviewed by Jonathan Yardley
Washington Post Book World
[Ed. Note. Between June 13-19, booksellers in fifty-four cities around the United States (including, of course, Portland) will host screenings of Ian McEwan: On Chesil Beach, a 28-minute film produced by Powell's Books. Shot over four days in England and the United States, the film includes interviews with McEwan in London, on-location footage from Chesil Beach, an original soundtrack, commentary from peers and critics, one perplexing glimpse at British media, and much more. "Very smart and engaging," the Portland Mercury calls it. Watch the trailer now and find a screening near you!]
"In the summer of 1962, Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting are married in the English university city of Oxford. The wedding 'had gone well; the service was decorous, the reception jolly, the send-off from school and college friends raucous and uplifting.' Now they are alone, dining 'in a tiny sitting room on the first floor of a Georgian inn' at Chesil Beach, on the English Channel. They are happy, yet almost indescribably nervous: 'They were young, educated, and both virgins on this, their wedding night, and they lived in a time when conversation about sexual difficulties was plainly impossible....'" Read the entire Washington Post Book World review.