Book reviews of mainly modern & contemporary fiction
A Year With William Trevor | #WilliamTrevor2023 Fiction – Kindle edition; Penguin; 252 pages; 2008. To kick off ‘A Year With William Trevor‘ — which I am co-hosting with Cathy from 746 Books — I randomly selected Cheating at Canasta, a collection of short stories that were first published in the Guardian, the New Yorker,… Continue reading ‘Cheating at Canasta’ by William Trevor
A Year With William Trevor | #WilliamTrevor2023 William Trevor (1928-2016) was an Irish writer who left behind an amazing legacy — dozens of novels, novellas, short stories and plays — for us to enjoy. In 2023, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of his birth, what better way to celebrate his work than by… Continue reading A Year With William Trevor
As the end of the year fast approaches, this is just a quick reminder that it’s time to dust off your William Trevor books (or buy or borrow them) in preparation for “A Year with William Trevor”, which kicks off in January 2023. Together with Cathy from 746 Books, we will be working our way… Continue reading ‘A Year with William Trevor’ is almost here!
William Trevor (1928-2016) was an Irish writer who left behind an amazing legacy — dozens of novels, novellas, short stories and plays — for us to enjoy. On the occasion of the 95th anniversary of his birth, what better way to celebrate William Trevor’s work than by spending a year reading it? That’s why in… Continue reading Introducing a Year With William Trevor
Fiction – hardcover; Viking; 224 pages; 2018. Willam Trevor’s Last Stories are literally that: the last short stories he penned before his death in 2016. They were published posthumously as a handsomely bound collection by Viking last year, and have now been reissued as a paperback by Penguin. As you may know, Trevor is one… Continue reading ‘Last Stories’ by William Trevor
Fiction – paperback; Penguin; 272 pages; 2014. As you may have noticed, I’ve been reading a lot of William Trevor’s novels lately — and here’s another one. First published in 1966, The Love Department was his third novel. Like his two earlier novels — The Old Boys and The Boarding House — it is set… Continue reading ‘The Love Department’ by William Trevor
Fiction – paperback; Penguin; 272 pages; 2014. The Boarding House is one of William Trevor’s early novels, having been originally published in 1965. Set in suburban Wimbledon during the 1950s, it tells the story of a disparate group of eccentrics and oddballs living under the one roof who must band together following the death of… Continue reading ‘The Boarding House’ by William Trevor
Fiction – paperback; Penguin; 176 pages; 2014. The Old Boys was William Trevor’s first novel. It was published in 1964. Having read several of his later novels, such as Death in Summer (1999) and Love and Summer (2009), I can safely say it wasn’t quite what I expected. For a start, it’s set in suburban London… Continue reading ‘The Old Boys’ by William Trevor
Fiction – paperback; Penguin; 103 pages; 2015. William Trevor’s Nights at the Alexandra is a bittersweet novella about love, longing and devotion. Brimming with nostalgia, it is told through the eyes of Harry, a 58-year-old bachelor looking back on his teenage years in provincial Ireland during the “Emergency” (Second World War). Through Harry’s reminiscences, we… Continue reading ‘Nights at the Alexandra’ by William Trevor
Fiction – paperback; Penguin; 221 pages; 2009. The oppressive nature of village life — in which privacy is virtually non-existent — comes to the fore in William Trevor’s 2009 novel, Love and Summer, which also explores guilt, forbidden love and the strength we all require to rise above our circumstances. Set in Rathmoye, a small Irish town “some years… Continue reading ‘Love and Summer’ by William Trevor
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