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Brief Lives

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Brief Lives

By: Anita Brookner
Narrated by: Anna Massey
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About this listen

Fay Langdon and Julia Morton might have met far earlier, since Fay was once a successful singer and Julia a famous diseuse. From the outset, theirs is a precarious friendship, both out of step with their times, allied by the disappointments that age brings.

©1990 Anita Brookner (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction

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Anna Massey's mellifluous narration entirely matches this gentle, reflective novel by Anita Brookner. This book, like her others, is an inner exploration of the thoughts and dreams of post war middle-aged, white, middle class women. Loneliness, and adapting to the modern world, rather than worries about money, are the main issues affecting Brookner's characters.

Wonderful narration

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Beautifully written and skilfully read - overall a worthwhile read.

However, the entire novel is filtered solely through the eyes of the narrator, which means we never know how the other characters think or feel or perceive things. This causes the book to lack dimension somewhat. The narrator's viewpoint is contained and self-focussed and maybe not expansive enough to carry the entire novel.

A somewhat disheartening view of what old age means for women and a disconcerting perspective on the need for a man to give value to a woman's life.

The prose is exquisite, however, the domestic detail precise and the experience of listening a real pleasure.

A small canvas

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I struggle to think of the heroine's name. 'Jul yah' leaves her very little space.

Is this all there is?

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