The Heat of the Day, (Paperback)

from EadieB

This was a book that was very hard to get into in the beginning. Bowen's language is very flowery and she takes a long time to say anything and she has endless descriptions. After getting used to her writing, I did, however, find the characters interesting and the plot was fascinating. There is a...

from pnorman4345

The book is beautifully written, but ultimately puzzling. The effort to deal only with the ebb and flow of instantaneous pieces of emotion and leave out underlying values, ideas makes decisions and the love which are the central part of the book unbelievable.

from wandering_star

A few months ago I read The Last September, by the same author, and was blown away - I'd barely heard of her before, and I found myself wondering why I ever read any books that were less good. The Heat Of The Day, however, was more of a slow burner for me. Partly this is because less happens - pa...

from wunderkind

Elizabeth Bowen is a very good writer with a propensity for writing about unlikable characters. There are some passages in "The Heat of the Day" that get at the heart of an experience the way that Woolf and Proust do, allowing you to see beauty in what seems to be a common occurrence. Then there ...

from stillatim

One of the best books I've read this year, hands down. It's beautifully structured, and gorgeously written- not an easy read by any means, but not quite a Jamesian labyrinth either. I can't really describe it, but the book is wise, and every other good adjective you can think of. "There was nobod...