Binnie BrennanRecensioni
Autore di Harbour View (Quattro Books Novella)
3 opere 9 membri 3 recensioni
Recensioni
Like Any Other Monday di Binnie Brennan
Segnalato
icolford | Apr 1, 2015 | These are stories of longing and loss that aim, sometimes, to tug at heartstrings. Binnie Brennan is not afraid to place emotion at the forefront of her narrative, particularly in cases where a character is mourning the loss of a loved one. But often the crux of these stories can be found in an encounter, the sudden or prolonged intersection of two lives that briefly illuminates a moment in time, shining a light on the past and enriching those lives with new understanding. Brennan's voice in these stories is terse and truthful. The stories are uncompromising. A quick read but one that will get you thinking.
Segnalato
icolford | Nov 3, 2013 | Harbour View, Binnie Brennan's prize-winning novella, closely resembles—in structure if not intent—a collection of linked short stories. The novella’s six untitled chapters are set either completely or in large part in a nursing home overlooking Halifax Harbour. Each of the chapters is narrated from the point of view of a different character: a resident or staff member of the facility. As we might expect from a work of fiction that concerns itself with elderly men and women and those who care for them, memory looms large in these pages. Buddy, who is celebrating his 109th birthday, is consumed by memories of his children, all of whom are dead, and by a unique musical heritage that is embodied in a fiddle constructed by his great grandfather and passed down from one generation to the next. Dahlia, tormented by aches and pains, dreads her bath, finds the chatter of the caregivers irritating and misses her partner Ronnie. Violet is writing down the story of her time as an artists' model for her niece, and Myrna keeps herself busy reading her mother's diary and tries to hide her chagrin when her son and his wife announce they are selling the family home. None of these people are especially unhappy or burdened with regret, but neither are they in a mood to celebrate the days they have left. They are simply aware that their best years are behind them and have grown accustomed to the indignities of old age and living in the shadow of death. Brennan is an observant, pragmatic and sympathetic writer who treats her characters with respect even as she zeroes in on their weaknesses and vulnerabilities—this is true as well of the two chapters that focus on staff of the nursing home. Throughout the book the writing is plain but effective and conveys deep emotion with great subtlety. In her debut work of fiction Binnie Brennan finds drama in small things and grants a voice to a group that doesn’t often get to speak for itself. Her triumph is that she does so with compassion while avoiding sentimentality.
Segnalato
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