Comments on: Review: The Road Home, Rose Tremain

By: Anne H

Anne H — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 07:57:33 +0000

I found The Road Home ages ago in a charity shop and bought it for $1.50 because I enjoyed Restoration (and the movie wasn’t crap, as I recall) and Music and Silence. One of the panel on the First Tuesday Book Club, on ABC TV Australia, mentioned this one favourably so I retrieved it from the TBR pile and it is excellent. As are all the characters, especially Lydia.
I can recommend it. Yes, I read more crime fiction than mainstream and comment on it on various sites, and am picky about fiction, but this one has the supreme virtue of readability and it touches the heart.

By: Fiona

Fiona — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:34:32 +0000

I don’t know why this review didn’t turn up in my blog feed thing or maybe it did and somehow I missed it.

I’m glad you read it Jenny and that you liked it (just enough).

Her name is somewhat recognisable – maybe for no reason at all because I had the same feeling when I first saw one of her books (Music and Silence) in the charity shop.

It could be that she’s won the Orange Prize… been longlisted for the Man Booker (Trespass, not one of her best) and a long time ago they made a movie of her book “Restoration” which I haven’t seen. And I don’t want to see it either as it looks crap.

The Road Home was written in a much more ‘normal’ way – she often writes in a style that is much more… off-key and foggy.

By: BuriedInPrint

BuriedInPrint — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:55:07 +0000

I absolutely loved this novel but, admittedly, I struggled with it for quite awhile (persisting because I was doing one of my All-Orange-Prize-Longlist things).

Likely I’d been expecting something different, but once I settled into the pace of it (her prose is rather dense, I find, not clunky by any means, rather the opposite, but still stuffed with things I need to slow to take in), I sunk down in.

By the end I was so engrossed in the story that I really didn’t want to leave the characters (and not because I found their situations easy to relate to, simply because RT made me care, despite my initial – seeming – disinterest).

I’ve just finished Sacred Country and I’m actually thinking of re-reading already because I feel like I missed as much as I absorbed (even though I loved it). She’s a real favourite of mine even though I haven’t read that much (these and some short stories).

By: litlove

litlove — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:45:44 +0000

I would like to read Rose Tremain and I don’t know what’s holding me back. I thought she would be more up your street than you think, Jenny, what with Sacred Country being all about mixed-up genders and Music & Silence being all restoration-y and dreamy. But then, what do I know? I’m glad you liked this one – you remind me that I do really want to get around to her novels.

By: Care

Care — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:40:52 +0000

In reply to Jenny. hee hee. I like the sound of 'brain broadening'. especially repeating it over and over. Which probably isn't a very good brain broadening exercise.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:24:55 +0000

In reply to Emily. I know! Brain broadening is the best!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:23:54 +0000

In reply to Megan. Megan, there is just so little chance of my ever becoming wealthy. Which sucks! I'd be good at it! But if I do, I'll have you on a list of book recipients. :p

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:23:05 +0000

In reply to Memory. Yeah, dude, I am ON IT. I will be all over it. I will BUY A LOTTERY TICKET. DONE.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:22:31 +0000

In reply to The Literary Omnivore. I don't think it's obscure though! I think I should have heard of it already! I feel like it maybe won prizes!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:19:45 +0000

In reply to Care. I don't know. I feel that same way about Rose Tremain myself -- her name seems so familiar, and none of her book titles do.