132,957
edits
Changes
The Standing Pool by Adam Thorpe (view source)
Revision as of 09:33, 26 September 2020
, 09:33, 26 September 2020no edit summary
{{infoboxsort infobox1
|title=The Standing Pool
|author=Adam Thorpe
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=432
|publisher= Vintage
|date=June 2009
|isbn=978-0099503651
|sort= Standing Pool
|cover=0099503654
|aznuk=0099503654
|aznus=0099503654
}}
The writing is rich and complex but never overly purple. Thorpe's descriptions of the farmhouse and the landscape and of French rural life are both recognisable and quietly impressive. As a fan of his earlier work, [[Ulverton by Adam Thorpe|Ulverton]], I have come to expect a real understanding of place and I wasn't disappointed. Anyone visiting rural France will recognise the omnipresent evidence of history, through monuments, plaques and cemeteries, and the feeling of timelessness and of scores not quite settled. That feeling of unease behind what we as visitors see as a rural idyll is palpable and made more complex for not having a full grasp of what has gone before. I have also stayed in similar rented properties (without a handyman!) and have experienced the ''pleasant woody smell, along with a hint of mice'', cool powdery walls, strange animal rustlings outside and the enveloping darkness and quiet of the deep countryside.
On the down sidedownside, some of the symbolism I felt was a little heavy -handed at times, particularly the theme of the pool of the title. However, overall, I would say that the book is well worth reading and I would also encourage readers to tackle [[Ulverton by Adam Thorpe|Ulverton]], a marvellous book about the English landscape. You might also appreciate [[The Mouseproof Kitchen by Saira Shah]].
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag. We also have a review of [[Hodd by Adam Thorpe]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0099503654}} {{waterstonestextamazonUStext|waterstonesamazon=64211960099503654}}
{{commenthead}}