The Bay of Noon: A Novel [Paperback]

Shirley Hazzard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

Long out of print, Shirley Hazzard's classic novel of love and memory

A young Englishwoman working in Naples, Jenny comes to Italy fleeing a history that threatened to undo her. Alone in the fabulously ruined city, she idly follows up a letter of introduction from an acquaintance and so changes her life forever. Through the letter, she meets Giocanda, a beautiful and gifted writer, and Gianni, a famous Roman film director and Giocanda’s lover. At work she encounters Justin, a Scotsman whose inscrutability Jenny finds mysteriously attractive. As she becomes increasingly involved in the lives of these three, she discovers that the past--and the patterns of a lifetime--are not easily discarded.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Drawn so perfectly that it seems to breathe." --The New York Times Book Review

"Hazzard's prose is clean, witty, playful, and economical. It weaves an armchair traveler's dream landscape." --The New York Times

"Hazzard applies her intelligence to produce a shock of recognition in the reader. . .and she has succeeded brilliantly." --The New Yorker

About the Author

Born in Sydney, Australia, Shirley Hazzard has lived in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Italy, and the United States. She is the author of the acclaimed novel, The Transit of Venus (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award), as well as several other works of fiction, and most recently a memoir of Graham Greene, Green on Capri.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Picador; First Edition. first thus edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312422873
• ISBN-13: 978-0312422875
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A slice of Perfection, March 24, 2004

By 

Booksthatmatter "Booksthatmatter" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bay of Noon: A Novel (Paperback)

This is a subtle whisper of a book. It is about the eddies and torrents of personal relationships that flow beneath the unreadable surfaces of many people. The Bay of Noon is beautifully observed, wry and sad in equal parts. Set in Naples during the 1960s, it spans love, loss and betrayal but never, ever falls into melodrama. Shirley Hazzard is the most subtle of novelists and I passionately love this slender novel.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing, deeply known characters, January 26, 2004

By 

J. Rosenberg "reggieroy" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bay of Noon: A Novel (Paperback)

I checked this book out of the library simply because Hazzard won the 2003 National Book Award for The Great Fire which I have not read. This is a tightly written short novel with excellent characterization and a complex, slowly evolving plot. The setting, Naples, Italy, in about 1952, is different and mysterious to me. The story said a lot about human nature and the peculiar ways that love and friendship evolve. I recommend it highly.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book, April 11, 2006

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bay of Noon: A Novel (Paperback)

Shirley Hazzard has an original voice. I am aware from some comments that her prose is challenging to some readers but for many others her words flow beautifully; it is the kind of writing that one loves to speak aloud.

I had previously read a non-fiction book - Greene On Capri - and that led me to The Bay of Noon. The story is a simple one of people relating to each other. Jenny comes to Naples alone to work at an English mission after the Second World War. She has an introduction to Gioconda, a lovely woman who is a writer and her lover, a film director named Gianni. At her place of work she meets a Scotsman named Justin the three of them become more and more involved with Jenny, and how each changes in their relationships.

I must confess that one of the reasons why I selected this book is the setting of Naples. Having visited the city, I particularly enjoyed Ms. Hazzard's descriptions of the streets and buildings of Naples and, of course, the wonderful bay. Chapter seven is particularly evocative of Naples where Jenny relates her growing love of the city. Ms. Hazzard follows the development of Jenny from a girl evacuated to Africa, to a young woman experiencing love for the first time to a mature woman who has acquired wisdom over time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a writer who weaves a beautiful tapestry of words and delves deeply into the psyche of her characters.