About this title: In the aftermath of a tragedy, a young man named Jed Parry falls in love with Joe Rose, a science writer with a girlfriend he adores, and against all evidence insists that Joe loves him in return. Parry's obsession--a behavior pattern invented by McEwan, and called De Clérambault's Syndrome--becomes increasingly intense, culminating in what seems to be a murder attempt. A New York Times Notable Book for 1998.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780385494144ISBN:0385494149
Description: cover gloss scuffed & shelfworn from storage, front cover creased & curled at lower corner, lower spine tattered, copy corners have some dogearing & light tattering, pages yellowing due to age, good reading copy. Trade PB (US), glued binding, 262 pp, read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780099276586ISBN:0099276585
Description: Good. 0099276585 Trade paperback book, previously read used book in good condition, has some bends or tears, moderate shelf wear, all pag..._ read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780385494144ISBN:0385494149
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Several pages at the back of the book have a water mark on the bottom edge. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 272 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780385494144ISBN:0385494149
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Pages are tanning. Has used stickers on cover. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 272 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Dust Cover Missing. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 6/1/1998
ISBN-13:9780099276586ISBN:0099276585
Description: Very Good. 0099276585 May show signs of shelf wear. Choose EXPEDITED shipping, receive in 2-5 business days. Please email with questions. read more
Description: Acceptable. 1998-Paperback---Used-Acceptable. Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780385494144ISBN:0385494149
Description: Very Good. Slight cover wear with minor scuffing to edges. Age toning. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
"This was the first Ian McEwan novel I ever read, and it remains one of the best. I read it long before the film of the same name, and needless to say it is head and shoulders above that.
A McEwan novel works on any number of levels, but when he is at his best, he can entertain, educate and discomfit, all on a single page. Enduring Love is the perfect example, making it a compelling read and an enduring (sorry) story long after the final page.
Enduring Love combines some of the best techniques of literary style with great story telling, as witnessed by the opening chapter. As I have noted in other reviews (e.g. "Atonement"), McEwan likes to use a pivotal event to shape the rest of his novel, and this is certainly the case here.
It takes a gifted writer to elicit genuine sympathy for the hero of a book, but it takes considerably more skill to do so for the supposed villain as well. McEwan manages both in equal measure, which is why the ending does not simply satisfy - it also provokes the reader, leaving them feeling slightly restless and unsure of their own feelings towards what has taken place and the people involved."
"While I find that sometimes McEwan's pace slows mid-book, I really do like his writing. This is the second book I've read by him (the other one was "Atonement") and both are insightful, thought-provoking books about unforeseeable consequences of our actions. In each of these books, the author also grapples with the darker and or weaker side of his characters, the nature of truth and reality, and the human drive to impart meaning and narrative to the events of our lives. I wouldn't say reading this book was enjoyable, per se. It is a suspenseful book and at times, chilling, which is usually not a style I enjoy (being very easily scared, even by reading something scary!) However, I found myself compelled to finish it and spent several days afterward thinking about the various issues raised. If you are in the mood for reading an author who is more "literary" than mass market, and who will make you think, you will probably enjoy this book."
"Let me first get this off my chest: Clarissa Rose is a shallow, self-absorbed twit! In short a fool! (but I'll return to this)
Most lit watchers know this book provides a gusty wallop of a beginning. Natural fascination with human tragedy held me close and propelled me through the early pages. However, it was Ian McEwan's finely distilled writing and the emerging sense of terror he creates that roped me in and would not let go.
Clearly, this is foremost an eery tale of obsession. This story also conjures the randomness of life, our often fragile and easily unraveled relationships, and how ultimately alone we sometimes find ourselves when facing our demons.
Joe Rose's rising horror of being stalked prompts much self-doubt and second guessing. His very real fears immediately spark frictions in his marriage. Much to his dismay (and this reader's initial annoyance), Clarissa dismisses his worries as paranoia, suggests that Joe is the fixated one, and generally abandons his pleas for support.
Joe finds virtually no assistance from the police, even after the Rose's witness an apparently botched "hit" on him at a restaurant. This leaves him no choice but to face his tormentor, and torments, alone. From this point, the novel ventures deeper into Joe's mental state and growing panic (Joe narrates the story), which carries through successfuly to denouement.
And, with objective distance I have to hand credit to McEwan-Clarissa's so easily "letting go" of their pristine love is reflective, it seems to me now, of Joe's similar response to his own moment of decision under fire.
This was my first McEwan. I already anticipate the next. M"
"I didn't like the "hero" of this book, Joe Rose, and I suspect after reading a long portrait of Ian McEwan in the New Yorker that the reason is that Rose is a lot like McEwan. It is true this book's opening portrait is extremely well done, but the rest of the book has almost none of the attraction of Atonement. Rose is a self-centered scientist who is quite boring and unattractive, and McEwan so wants you to believe the conceit of the book -- that Rose's nemesis is suffering from an actual behavioral syndrome that makes his future actions quite predictable -- that he prints the case history at the end. Like his girlfriend, I wanted to leave him well before the story came to an end."
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