Angels at the Ritz. [Paperback]

William. TREVOR (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: The Bodley Head Ltd (1975)
• ASIN: B000OW9Z4G
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

More About the Author

William Trevor was born in Mitchelstown, County Cork. He has written many novels, and has won many prizes including the Hawthornden Prize, the Yorkshire Post Book of the Year Award, and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. His most recent novel Love and Summer was longlisted for the Booker Prize. He is also a renowned short-story writer, and his two-volume Collected Stories was published by Viking Penguin in 2009. In 1999 William Trevor received the prestigious David Cohen Literature Prize in recognition of a lifetime's literary achievement, and in 2002 he was knighted for his services to literature. He now lives in Devon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everyone Switch, September 2, 2001

By 

taking a rest - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Angels at the Ritz and Other Stories (Hardcover)

"Angels At The Ritz" is the third collection of short stories by William Trevor that I have read. Much like the previous volumes, many of the stories share similar feelings if not the same theme, and are all generally very good.

The dozen stories here range from locales within Isfahan in Iran/Persia, to an office and the relationships that can develop, which could take place virtually anywhere. Relationships in all their disordered states are what struck me about this collection. If this were a puzzle, the reader could place the pieces together from various tales and create successful relations as opposed to the ones we are presented with. There are examples of couples that never started, those that never should have started, those that are growing old and contemplate events to make them interesting once again, and finally those of regret for what might have been, and others for what could have been but for an action taken or omitted.

Delusion of one's self or the view that another is believed to hold also is a frequent participant. The result is primarily about people that either are unhappy, should be happy, or could be, but for decisions that at times are quite minor. There is only one story that actually contemplates the swapping of spouses, however it never gets beyond G-Rated action, and perhaps PG-13 thoughts.

So if human studies interest you, William Trevor has once again supplied a variety of situations. You can experience these people within stories like, "Angels At The Ritz", "Mrs. Silly", "The Tennis Court", and "Last Wishes". Mr. Trevor is a meticulous observer and recorder of human nature, and his stories are generally very worthwhile.