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After her mother dies, Rice, an awkward but highly imaginative teenager, is sent to live at the Water's Edge, a gloriously ramshackle Bournemouth hotel. There she meets Beatrice, an old school friend of her mother's, and her witchily beautiful daughter, Esther. Rice gradually falls for the world of the hotel - its rhythms and routines, its eccentric guests, and its rich history, which touches upon her own identity. She also begins to fall for Esther. Watching over her like a guardian angel is the figure of Persephone, who each year is washed up to Bournemouth from Hades, and who finds herself equally seduced by the Water's Edge, which for her offers an intriguing window on the mortal world.… (meer)
I found this book great company: the unusually named Rice loses her mother at the age of 13 and has to go and live with one of her mother's old friends in a hotel she runs in Bournemouth. This had a certain nostalgic appeal for me - I arrived in Bournemouth in 1987 as a student; in the days before the university had its own halls of residence we were all billeted in local hotels and guesthouses. I ended up just a few streets away from the fictional "Waters Edge", according to the hand-drawn map the author had added at the front of my copy. I was constantly reminded of those days as the novel plotted its gentle course through the 1980s and 1990s and the cast visited places I recognised, and it was quietly instructive as to the ins and outs of running a hotel where everyone has to muck in.
The local appeal was enough for me to pick the book up in the first place, but the reason to read on was the consistently excellent standard of the writing. The portrayal of Rice in the early stages of the story where she is understandably disorientated and wanders around in a cloud of pyjama-clad truculence/apathy is really well done. And at all points there is just enough mystery to keep the reader wanting to know more.
There is a surreal element woven into the story which sees a character from Greek mythology popping up from the underworld every year and knocking around in the hotel under an assumed identity. It's an odd and somewhat brave inclusion by the author and quite a contrast with the realism of the rest of the novel. It certainly makes a change from the bog standard omniscient narrator when it comes to delving into the characters' pasts. At one point we are presented with the vision of Poseidon driving a stolen car to Bournemouth and arriving "at Bournemouth Beach, near to the gateway to hell". Not something I'm expecting to see on any leaflets in the Tourist Info centre any time soon.
Oddly enough - because a hint of magical realism in a book usually has me running for the hills - I thought the Persephone sections contained some of the best writing - there was a fluidity and a poetry to it that really elevated it and took the text to a new level. All in all a really good, pleasantly quirky read. ( )
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou, That notwithstanding thy capacity Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there, Of what validity and pitch soe’er, But falls into abatement and low price, Even in a minute!
Twelfth Night William Shakespeare
Opdracht
Eerste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
My name is Rice.
Citaten
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
It was raining on the day I arrived at The Water’s Edge. The hotel stood on top of the cliff at the end of a gradually climbing road. I recognised it straight away from Beatrice’s description. It was a large red brick building and the windows were at odds with each other as if most of the rooms had been added as an after thought. Other buildings on the road looked neater, I noted them as I went past, modern flats, a sea food restaurant and a shop selling things for the beach. At the front of the hotel was a gravel car park and several cars were parked there already when I arrived. I got out and watched as the taxi turned left out of the drive and swept down towards the pier. Then I stood by the front door with my suitcase in my hand and my stomach felt like lumpy mashed potato. Before I could ring the doorbell, the door was opened by a girl, about my age, maybe a bit older. She didn’t smile but I wanted to take her photo as soon as I saw her. She was unusual - she had green eyes and red hair.
Laatste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
I was sure I caught a glimpse of the woman in the green dress walking steadily into the sea, as if she was on her way to somewhere. I thought I saw a green light shining around her head like a halo but I could have been seeing things. When I stopped the car again and got out to look she wasn’t there.
After her mother dies, Rice, an awkward but highly imaginative teenager, is sent to live at the Water's Edge, a gloriously ramshackle Bournemouth hotel. There she meets Beatrice, an old school friend of her mother's, and her witchily beautiful daughter, Esther. Rice gradually falls for the world of the hotel - its rhythms and routines, its eccentric guests, and its rich history, which touches upon her own identity. She also begins to fall for Esther. Watching over her like a guardian angel is the figure of Persephone, who each year is washed up to Bournemouth from Hades, and who finds herself equally seduced by the Water's Edge, which for her offers an intriguing window on the mortal world.
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(4.13)
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The local appeal was enough for me to pick the book up in the first place, but the reason to read on was the consistently excellent standard of the writing. The portrayal of Rice in the early stages of the story where she is understandably disorientated and wanders around in a cloud of pyjama-clad truculence/apathy is really well done. And at all points there is just enough mystery to keep the reader wanting to know more.
There is a surreal element woven into the story which sees a character from Greek mythology popping up from the underworld every year and knocking around in the hotel under an assumed identity. It's an odd and somewhat brave inclusion by the author and quite a contrast with the realism of the rest of the novel. It certainly makes a change from the bog standard omniscient narrator when it comes to delving into the characters' pasts. At one point we are presented with the vision of Poseidon driving a stolen car to Bournemouth and arriving "at Bournemouth Beach, near to the gateway to hell". Not something I'm expecting to see on any leaflets in the Tourist Info centre any time soon.
Oddly enough - because a hint of magical realism in a book usually has me running for the hills - I thought the Persephone sections contained some of the best writing - there was a fluidity and a poetry to it that really elevated it and took the text to a new level. All in all a really good, pleasantly quirky read. (