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The Eloquence of Desire by Amanda Sington-Williams (view source)
Revision as of 13:15, 10 May 2010
, 13:15, 10 May 2010no edit summary
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|name=Stephen Wyatt
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|comment=Having just finished reading The Eloquence of Desire, I find myself in disagreement with the bookbag reviewer.
I found the descriptions of Malaya very vivid in their evocation of the people, climate and landscape, where the the writer makes the sounds and smells almost tangible . There's much more to this than moaning Brits in their enclaves.
It's true that there is no Somerset Maugham-like melodrama in the central story but that seems to me a strength rather than a weakness. Sington-Williams has a wonderfully compassionate view of her all too human and believable characters. This is particularly true with George. On one level, this man is a selfish serial adulterer but we are lead to understand his motives and he emerges as a complex, if fallible, human being. The same understanding is offered to all the characters, major and minor.
I very much hope bookbag's readers will not be put off reading this accomplished and engrossing novel.
Stephen Wyatt
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