The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
- Diane Banks
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Picador, 2022 (first published 2004)
Why?
Tempted by the reviews, I'm keen to read Hollinghurst's new novel Our Evenings but, having never read him before, thought I should start with his Booker-winning 2004 masterpiece.
Enjoyment factor
Not news to anyone, but goodness, what an incredible writer. The Line of Beauty has very little plot in its 528 pages, but I was thoroughly engaged the whole way. A good dose of '80s nostalgia always helps too, along with echoes of Brideshead Revisited.
It left me thinking ...
What a rare pleasure it is to read a novel whose characters you feel that you know personally, to the extend that you miss them when you've finished: Hollinghurst captures both the personalities and the state-of-the-nation so well that a suspsenseful plot isn't necessary. Our Evenings here we come.