Melvyn Bragg

I've read and enjoyed the previous books in this trilogy - though a long time ago. This third book particularly interested me because Joe, the boy around whom the story is woven, is an exact contemporary of my husband. Joe too is a working class boy who has the chance of a grammar school education followed by university. The picture of 50's town life, with all its restrictions and post-war gloom, and the characters of Joe and his girlfriend Rachel were well-drawn, as well as some of the more minor characters such as his parents and Rachel's father, among others. A few seemed to have no real place in the narrative, such as Joe's school friend Alistair. The period detail and real feel for this period of post-war Britain, the slow unfolding of the narrative, the respect Bragg shows for each of the characters makes for an absorbing read.… (mere)

I thought this was going to be 'Notes on a Scandal' (Zoe Heller) for men. I thought it was going to be a slightly sordid tale of a Pooterish older man lusting after a teenage girl.

Well, our retired bank official did begin in a slightly risible way, making lists, checks and balances, coming over as slightly fussy and old-fashioned. Long married to a now sick and bed-ridden woman for whom he still has much affection, he meets and falls in love with Bernadette, clever and insightful, but definitely from the wrong side of the tracks. Little by little, Bragg helps us believe in the quickly-developing love affair. Our nameless hero manages to convince as the lover of the younger woman. She manages to convince us too that her feelings are real and lasting. The reasons why it all goes wrong seem horribly real too. At the end, we're not sure what will happen after we've turned the final page. A satisfying read.… (mere)