Howards End is on the Landing
Susan Hill
288 pages
October 2009
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While I bought this book, I bought it from Book Depository, so the FTC might be a little irked that I spent my money overseas. But it was still my money!
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You may have seen the varied opinions on this one. Some have loved it. Others weren’t as fond of it. I fall somewhere in the middle. And I think that’s because I expected something different. Here’s the blurb from Amazon:
This is a year of reading from home, by one of Britain’s most distinguished authors. Early one autumn afternoon in pursuit of an elusive book on her shelves, Susan Hill encountered dozens of others that she had never read, or forgotten she owned, or wanted to read for a second time. The discovery inspired her to embark on a year-long voyage through her books, forsaking new purchases in order to get to know her own collection again. A book which is left on a shelf for a decade is a dead thing, but it is also a chrysalis, packed with the potential to burst into new life. Wandering through her house that day, Hill’s eyes were opened to how much of that life was stored in her home, neglected for years. “Howard’s End is on the Landing” charts the journey of one of the nation’s most accomplished authors as she revisits the conversations, libraries and bookshelves of the past that have informed a lifetime of reading and writing.
I expected a memoir about a year of reading. What I got was a memoir about an author’s reflections on a lifetime spent in a literary world. I should’ve paid more attention to that last line in the blurb. For me, this ended up being less about the books, and more about the authors Hill had met (or even just encountered) over the years. So it was a little disappointing, but like I said, that’s because I thought it would be more about reading.
Thanks for your review – I do like memoirs, but I’m not sure this one’s for me.
Kathy´s last blog ..Wondrous Words Wednesday
It’s a pretty cover. Since I don’t know anything about Susan Hill, it’s not likely I would care much about this book.
Care´s last blog ..I Nominate My Neighbor for Best of the Year
I just finished this one too and like you I was expecting a very different style of book. Once I had adjusted my expectations though I found I really enjoyed the book that Hill had written – I really liked her writing style – it was like having a conversation in person with another book lover at times.
Karen´s last blog ..The Making of a Marchioness – Frances Hodgson Burnett
I always get sucked into books about reading … and I almost never like them if I haven’t read a lot of the same books as the person writing. I love the cover though.
Jenners´s last blog ..FreeVerse: A Ferlinghetti Christmas Poem
I so want to try this book. I’ve seen it around on several blogs. Thanks for reminding me ….LOL
Wishing you the nicest holiday ever. Happy reading and blogging in 2010.
diane´s last blog ..Happy Holidays to Everyone
Aw, that’s what I would have assumed too. Now it just sounds boring–oh well.
heidenkind´s last blog ..My Year in Reading
The blurb is a bit misleading, isn’t it? I enjoy books like this, but it’s good to know ahead of time what to expect, otherwise, like you, I find myself falling somewhere in the middle in my opinion of the book.
Literary Feline´s last blog ..Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I love books about reading though I do prefer the memoir type slightly more.
Vasilly´s last blog ..Merry Christmas!
Thanks for this review, I was really interested in this but knowing that it is more about a writer’s life makes me think it’s not for me – I was expecting it to be all about the year she spends with her books.
Love your notes for the FTC btw
Joanne´s last blog ..Clearing Out The Cobwebs