≡ Descargar Free THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX M O'Farrell 9780755308446 Books

THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX M O'Farrell 9780755308446 Books

Download As PDF : THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX M O'Farrell 9780755308446 Books

THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX M O'Farrell 9780755308446 Books

I'd probably give this book three and a half stars. It's not a great literary masterpiece but it's a good story. I don't normally like stories that jump back and forth in time but it worked for me here. If I'm going to be critical I would say it was strange that someone who 'needed' to be in an institution for the best part of 60 years could be let out into the community just because it was closing down. Equally Esme appeared to have no anxieties or be phased by the modern world once she stepped out of the door. The story is tragic and real. I think many women ended up in mental institutions for various reasons: because they had a baby out of wedlock, had post natal depression, were outspoken or 'difficult to manage' by their husbands. Once inside on medication they had very little chance of ever being normal again. Esme was outspoken and unusual for her time and part of me wished she had conformed a little for her own sake. That aside I think she did have mild issues that would have required some mental support had she been born in modern times.I was surprised at the ending, I didn't see that coming. I thought Esme would have been grateful for the actions of her sister (it seemed a far kinder option to the alternative given the circumstances). The concurrent theme of Iris and the relationship with her step-brother was unnecessary and did nothing for this story.


Tags : THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX [M O'Farrell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include companion materials, may have some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes,M O'Farrell,THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX,Headline Review,0755308441,Fiction,General,Modern fiction

THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX M O'Farrell 9780755308446 Books Reviews

I don't normally pay much attention to the accolades in the first pages of pocket books, but this one opens so splendidly that I wanted to share it with you the Boston Globe called the author `a feminist avenging angel who wields the modern Gothic like a gleaming sword'.
The book was recommended to me (and others) by more than one friend, so I went for it and did not regret it. Normally my liking or disliking of a book is determined first and foremost by the language, i.e. the `style', the words, the sentences, the verbal images, etc. You know. On that basis, O'Farrell won me over quickly. She might be among the writers who could recite me a telephone book and keep me interested.
The story, the content, the subject are often secondary for me. Of course a well written book about absolutely nothing is of limited attraction, though it will surely find a market. An interesting subject that is badly written about will have lost me quickly. I will look for another source or just give up on books and go to the net. O'Farrell writes well about a high interest story.

Her story could be told in a dozen different ways, and some of those would make it trivial, trashy, boring, or sensationalist. It is quite sensational, actually an old woman is released from a mental asylum after 60 years, because the place shuts down. She is released to a grandniece who never knew that her grandmother had a sister. The woman, the Esme of the title, lives in the past, which she revisits in bits and pieces of memory, like film scenes, but she is also awake to the here and now.
The story is set in Scotland, with a past in India and present tentacles (family) in Australia. It was published in 2006. It is hard to believe that such cases could happen, but the author is positive about it. What has poor Esme done? When she was sixteen, she had unusual opinions and ideas, and she was in the way of an elder sister about boys, and had too much of an own mind for her parents' taste anyway. Was it really so easy to get rid of someone?

The narrator takes multiple standpoints in the present time with either the grandniece (Iris) or with Esme; in the past with either Esme or her sister Kitty (Iris' now demented grandmother). The narrative complexity is not over-done, O'Farrell is not out to confuse you. Her style and narrative structure have turned a potentially pulpy story into an excellent concise thriller. Its main strength is its courage to not explain everything (which is frequently the main mistake of bad writers).
I liked this book, which concerns itself with mental illness, family relations, self image, independence, and bullying at school. It is the story of two sisters and of of a young woman who suddenly finds she has a great aunt who she has never heard of, a "brother" who is not a blood relation, and a lying lover. In this story beware, no one is who they appear to be. I liked it. I liked the way different character's thoughts and stories intermingled. It is a good read for any student of human nature.
A friend recommended this book to me, and I knew very little about it, other than various voices tell the story over multiple periods of time.

This book is told through the eyes of Esme Lennox, who has been in an asylum for over 60 years, her older sister Kitty, who is slipping away due to Alzheimer's, and Iris. Iris is Kitty's granddaughter and is shocked to learn that Kitty had a sister. While growing up, Iris always thought that Kitty was an "only." The asylum housing Esme is closing and Iris is contacted as the person responsible for Esme's care.

O'Farrell's uses language the way a painter applies paint to a canvas. To me, Esme was a child who loved life and did not enjoy the rules that applied to a girl from a well-bred family. She was her own person, and that ended up causing trouble and heartbreak.

The men in Iris' life also bring her own personal issues to the forefront. The story unfolds and folds back upon itself until it all makes sense. There are hints throughout that other issues are at play, and one must read carefully to see them all.

I don't like to give spoilers, so am not willing to give more plot points. I do say that this is one book that hovered over me for days after I finished reading it. It was bittersweet and heart breaking in so many ways, but I know I will read it again.
I'd probably give this book three and a half stars. It's not a great literary masterpiece but it's a good story. I don't normally like stories that jump back and forth in time but it worked for me here. If I'm going to be critical I would say it was strange that someone who 'needed' to be in an institution for the best part of 60 years could be let out into the community just because it was closing down. Equally Esme appeared to have no anxieties or be phased by the modern world once she stepped out of the door. The story is tragic and real. I think many women ended up in mental institutions for various reasons because they had a baby out of wedlock, had post natal depression, were outspoken or 'difficult to manage' by their husbands. Once inside on medication they had very little chance of ever being normal again. Esme was outspoken and unusual for her time and part of me wished she had conformed a little for her own sake. That aside I think she did have mild issues that would have required some mental support had she been born in modern times.I was surprised at the ending, I didn't see that coming. I thought Esme would have been grateful for the actions of her sister (it seemed a far kinder option to the alternative given the circumstances). The concurrent theme of Iris and the relationship with her step-brother was unnecessary and did nothing for this story.