On Chesil Beach - A Novel By Ian McEwan
"On Chesil Beach" is a novel by multi-award winning author, Ian McEwan first published in 2007
On a summer evening in 1962, two newlyweds sit down to dinner in the honeymoon suite of a Dorset hotel. Edward and Florence are both aged 22, both virgins and both are anticipating the consummation of their marriage with anxiety.
Edward is enthusiastic, if a little worried about his lack of experience, but is determined not to let his worries spoil an event he has been anticipating for so long.
Florence, on the other hand is terrified and rather revolted by the thought of what is going to happen. She has read a "bride's handbook" which described the sexual act in purely medical terms and this has merely served to add to her fears and feelings of disgust.
The events of their wedding night will have a profound impact of the future happiness of Edward and Florence...
"McEwan has written a story rich in psychological insight and deep compassion for his characters".
"On Chesil Beach" was shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize in 2007
"On Chesil Beach" - Table of Contents
Ian McEwan - On Chesil Beach
- "On Chesil Beach" Trailer
- "On Chesil Beach" On Wikipedia
- Excerpt From "On Chesil Beach" By Ian McEwan
- Have You Read "On Chesil Beach"?
- Reviews Of "On Chesil Beach" By Ian McEwan
- Interview With Ian McEwan - "On Chesil Beach"
- Where Is "Chesil Beach"?
- On Chesil Beach On Twitter
- "On Chesil Beach" On Amazon UK
- "On Chesil Beach" On Amazon USA
- Ian McEwan Talks About His Book "On Chesil Beach"
- More About The Author Of "On Chesil Beach" - Ian McEwan
- "On Chesil Beach" Feedback
- Calling All Book Fans!
"On Chesil Beach" Trailer
Video trailer for Ian McEwan's novel, "On Chesil Beach"
Out of the Book Films: Ian McEwan (Trailer)
Powell's Books introduces a groundbreaking series of compelling short films about authors. Out of the Book™ delivers engaging portraits of writers and their work. More expansive than traditional readings, the project aims to generate spirited discussion about great new books and their impact on readers' lives. Out of the Book's first edition features bestselling British author Ian McEwan and his novel, On Chesil Beach. Directed by Doug Biro (Herbie Hancock: Possibilities) and shot over four days in England and the United States, the film includes interviews with McEwan in London, on-location footage from Chesil Beach, an original soundtrack, commentary from peers and critics, and more.
Runtime: 116
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"On Chesil Beach" On Wikipedia
Wikipedia article about "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan
On Chesil Beach (ISBN 0385522401) is a 2007 novel by the Booker Prize-winning British writer Ian McEwan. The novel was selected for the 2007 Booker Prize shortlist.The Washington Post and Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic Jonathan Yardley placed On Chesil Beach on his top ten for 2007 and praises its author: "McEwan's fiction just gets better and better, and even when he's in a minor mode, as he is here, he is nothing short of amazing.". Fellow Washington Post book critic and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Dirda also cites it as a favourite 2007 read: "Excellent novel of lost opportunities and sex (or lack of) in the pre-sex revolution '60s. Think partly of Larkin's famous poem!"
Plot summary of On Chesil Beach
In July, 1962, Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting, young people deeply in love and of drastically different backgrounds (he's the son of a schoolmaster and a brain-damaged woman, whereas she is the musically gifted daughter of a wealthy industrialist and an Oxford philosophy lecturer), have just been married and are spending their honeymoon in a small hotel on the Dorset seashore.
During the course of an evening, both reflect upon their upbringing and the prospect of their futures. Edward is sexually motivated and though intelligent has a taste for rash behaviour and Florence, bound by the social code of another era, is terrified of sexual intimacy: eventually this leads to an experience that will change their relationship irrevocably.
The novel focuses upon the couple's different personalities and attitudes and the development of their love in the dawning of a sexual awakening in 1960s Britain.
Controversy
In a BBC Radio 4 interview, McEwan admitted to taking a few pebbles from Chesil Beach and keeping them on his desk while he wrote the novel. Protests by conservationists and a threat by Weymouth and Portland borough council to fine him £2,000 led the author to return the pebbles. "I was not aware of having committed a crime," he said. "Chesil Beach is beautiful and I'm delighted to return the shingle to it."
Read the whole article on Wikipedia at On Chesil Beach
Excerpt From "On Chesil Beach" By Ian McEwan
Extract from "On Chesil Beach" By Ian McEwan...
- NPR: Ian McEwan's 'On Chesil Beach'
- Though it's set in the bygone pre-Sexual Revolution era of 1962, British novelist Ian McEwan says his latest book, about a disastrous wedding night, still manages to connect with a younger generation of readers.
Have You Read "On Chesil Beach"?
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Reviews Of "On Chesil Beach" By Ian McEwan
On Chesil Beach book reviews
- On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan | The digested read | Guardian Unlimited Books
- Guardian Unlimited review
- Review: On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan | By genre | Guardian Unlimited Books
- Another Guardian Unlimited review
- Book Review: On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
- Blogcritics is an online magazine, a community of writers and readers from around the globe.
- London Review Of Books
- Dissecting the Body - Colm Tóibín
- The New York Times - On Chesil Beach
- The New York Times review
Interview With Ian McEwan - "On Chesil Beach"
Ian Mc Ewan interview about On Chesil Beach
- IAN MCEWAN: A ‘first time’ as awesome as Booker night
- Ian McEwan on why human nature never changes
Where Is "Chesil Beach"?
Chesil Beach, Dorset, England
Chesil Beach is an 18 miles long shingle bank reaching from Portland Bill to Abbotsbury in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The bank protects the land behind it, without it the sea would be further inland.
Chesil Beach is a steep slope of shingle fronted by pebbles which have been polished smooth by the action of the waves.
The word "chesil" means "pebble"!
The 18 mile-long 'Great Beach' is a natural barrier to the Fleet lagoon, a tidal lagoon that is home to a variety of fish, sea anemones, sea grasses and numerous types of seaweed.
Pebbles are larger at the Portland end.
Both the Chesil Bank and the Fleet lagoon are considered nationally important and are protected by international agreements that recognise the importance of the wildlife and geology.
You can see more photographs of Chesil Beach at Cotch.net - photographs of Chesil Beach
On Chesil Beach On Twitter
Tweets about On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
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- Variante în scris a "ce ar fi fostului" din "In the mood for love": L'America de Martha McPhee şi On Chesil Beach de Ian McEwan.
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- Read Ian McEwan's "On Chesil Beach" this weekend...masterful.
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- iTunes UK best selling audiobook #65: "On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan"On Chesil Beach (Unabridged) Ian McEwan ... http://tinyurl.com/nrfbun
"On Chesil Beach" Buzz!
Bloggers write about "On Chesil Beach" By Ian McEwan...
- On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan - Vox
- On our road trip, I had the second audio book choice and I chose On Chesil Beach. While this was incredibly sad, it was also very beautiful. McEwan is able to write about situational conflicts in such a harrowing, haunting...
- On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
- I don't know what it is about Ian McEwan's style but his books are amongst those that stay in your mind long after you have finished reading them. They need lots of processing, even this very small book stayed with me and I carried it ...
- On Chesil Beach : by Ian McEwan
- New book added by fionamctaggart.
- On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
- A mellow, disarmingly direct, almost old-fashioned opening to Ian McEwan's latest book, the 2007 work On Chesil Beach. The year is 1962. The setting is Oxford. Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting have just wed. Now starts the tough part. ...
"On Chesil Beach" On Amazon UK
"On Chesil Beach" book
by Ian McEwan (Author)
"In its precision, scope and force, this is an astounding novel, more tender than anything McEwan has hitherto produced" The Guardian
"On Chesil Beach" On Amazon USA
"On Chesil Beach" book
On Chesil Beach: A Novel
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 12/18/2009)
List Price: $22.00
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"Such is Ian McEwan's genius that, despite rambling nature walks and the naming of birds, his subject matter remains hermetically sealed in the hearts of two people...This beautifully told sad story could have been conceived and written only by Ian McEwan." Valerie Ryan
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Ian McEwan Talks About His Book "On Chesil Beach"
Ian McEwan "On Chesil Beach" Videos
More About The Author Of "On Chesil Beach" - Ian McEwan
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"On Chesil Beach" Feedback
Have you read "On Chesil Beach" By Ian McEwan? Would you like to? Share your thoughts here!
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- whitemoss whitemoss Aug 13, 2009 @ 8:43 am
- Going to my bookclub tonight- On Chesil Beach is this months book, so just checked your site for ideas- Thank you- this is a very informative lens!
I liked the early part of the book, but not the after the day later part so much- felt it sort of drifted a bit.!
Very well written though as usual by him.
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Reply
- CDT CDT Jun 26, 2009 @ 8:00 am
- I don't have any close-ups of Chesil Beach pebbles I can post, but there's LOADS of pebble pics from Chesil Beach at http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/chespeb.htm
:)
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Reply
- NatureMaven NatureMaven Jun 26, 2009 @ 7:31 am
- On Chesil Beach is a good book to bring on a flight- it fits easily into a backpack, doesn't weigh much and is an easy read. Any chance you could show us a close up photo of one of the pebbles from the beach?
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Reply
- spirituality spirituality Jan 14, 2009 @ 3:39 am
- Sounds like an interesting book :) Congrats on being one of the new giant squids!
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