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The Stranger's Child - Community Reviews back

by Alan Hollinghurst
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Words of a Bibliophile
Words of a Bibliophile rated it 10 years ago
The Stranger's Child is divided into five parts taking place in different eras spanning over a century. It concerns itself with the mystery surrounding the life of Cecil Valance, a young poet whose life was cut short in World War I but who was made famous posthumously by his poem "Two Acres". For wh...
KatieMc
KatieMc rated it 11 years ago
It was not perfect, but it was lovely. A tale told in five loosely connected parts, all linked by one character who did not even live to see the second act. Cecil Valance, while very young when killed in the great war, managed to touch many lives both directly [spoiler] he slept with many men and e...
KatieMc
KatieMc rated it 11 years ago
It was not perfect, but it was lovely. A tale told in five loosely connected parts, all linked by one character who did not even live to see the second act. Cecil Valance, while very young when killed in the great war, managed to touch many lives both directly he slept with many men and even so...
Under The Mountain
Under The Mountain rated it 11 years ago
Reminds me of Brideshead Revisited, no?
Bettie's Books
Bettie's Books rated it 12 years ago
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/666788474
daisyq
daisyq rated it 12 years ago
Hollinghurst writes so beautifully, and does especially good party scenes. I loved the first three sections of this, while the final two (no parties) I thought were only okay. The book didn't quite come together as a whole as much as [b:The Line of Beauty|139087|The Line of Beauty|Alan Hollinghurst|...
the reader of books
the reader of books rated it 12 years ago
I kept putting this down & never wanting to pick it up again, but I was determined to finish & I finally did! The writing is lovely but the plot was not engaging me at all. I liked the first two sections, heavily featuring the Valance/Sawle families, but the rest was just so meh.
Clodia's Book Blog
Clodia's Book Blog rated it 12 years ago
n 1912 youthful poet Cecil Valance spends a weekend at the family home of his close friend George Sawle. It is a weekend that is destined to become a minor footnote of literary history when a poem is dedicated to Daphne the teenage daughter of the house, a poem that takes on a life of its own follow...
Cecily's book reviews
Cecily's book reviews rated it 12 years ago
This tells a riveting and complex saga with profound insight, plenty of intrigue and dashes of wit. From the first dozen pages, even the first few sentences, I was drawn into a love affair with the writing of this book. I read large chunks more than once because the writing is breathtaking, but leis...
Michelle CH
Michelle CH rated it 13 years ago
This reminded me of The Children's Book a similar mood and cast of characters. Secret relationships, betrayals and poetry are at the center. Cecil Valance is a guy for every occasion and is loved by everyone, drawing them in with his charisma and sexual magnetism. He visits his lover's home, Two Acr...
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