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41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, July 30, 2007
This review is from: Consequences (Hardcover)
Normally, I never read other reviews before writing my own, for fear they will inadvertently change what I am going to say. This time, for some reason, I read the "Editorial Reviews," and I am horrified. "Consquences" is not meant to be a "sweeping saga of several generations of women." Instead, it is the measured, thoughtful look at people, men and women, whose entire lives are changed by chance--a rest on a park bench, a chance meeting at a job, a problem at a poetry reading. And in each case, the protagonists themselves, and yes, particularly the women, realize that if not for this tiny happenstance, their lives would have been that of somebody else. For instance, if you make a mistake in sleeping with a man you do not really love, but that relationship results in a beloved daughter that you cherish forever, was the initial situation truly a mistake? If a bored young woman hadn't run out of the house in tears after a fight with her mother, would she have met the love of her life? And so on and so forth. Woven throughout the novel are the stories of four women, beginning with Lorna as mentioned above, who escapes her rigidly upper-class family in pre-war England to settle down with an equally young artists in a bare-bones cottage. They have a daughter, whose fate is similarly sealed, as is that of HER daughter...and all of these quick quirks of time, so fleeting, have changed every life. I found the book well-written as always, and absolutely fascinating. It is well worth the read and leaves one thinking in the end.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fate is Formulaic but fine reading too, January 2, 2008
I had a flu; it was New Years' Eve and everyone was out having fun or no fun. I had to admonish myself not to go the route of self-pity and so I read Consequences right through, losing myself to Penelope Lively's three decades cast of characters. Although falling in love via Lively is somewhat formulaic I found this book's characters quite wonderful. From Lorna and Matt, whose romance is the first and very well developed, to daugher Molly, who finds love rather later in life, to the granddaughter Ruth, whose story was most obviously plotted, I felt all were interesting people, living from 1935-2001+ and it kept my interest on a pretty hot boil. Though as David Denby, the film critic observed about the popular Mexican film (name?) that you can't have fate and formulaic together, I will post the film's name when it comes to me: I also enjoyed said unnamed film as much as I did this novel. It was in fact rather comforting to see how falling in love via this author is so very sweet even as it has consequences and I also liked very much arriving back at the beginning here with the third generation living in the same place with the same art we saw being made at the beginning. I highly recommend this book and once "in" it is pretty great and definitely involving, many well drawn bohemian characters.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Consequences: Something Logical or Naturally That Follows, July 11, 2007
This review is from: Consequences (Hardcover)
4.5 stars "Consequences: Something that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition. The relation of a result to its cause. A logical conclusion or inference." Dictonarly.com "The women are buffeted by events but do not break. The consequences come from their refusal to conform; which generally leads to happiness." Ruaridh Nicoll. Penelope Lively manages to tell a story of three generations of women, from the early 1930's to the present. The book is always emotionally full. Each sentence gives the feel of conveying the story and emotions of the moment; it's describing without being fussed over. The combination of personal life and historical events is Penelope Lively's forte in fiction This latest story begins in 1935, with an unhappy rich girl, Lorna, sits weeping on a bench in St James's Park. Nearby, a young man, Matt, sketches the ducks. "Their accidental meeting will later be described as the opening of a game of consequences, from which flows a long, rich narrative." Livley. Lorna and Matt and their child, Molly. Molly develops into a a beautiful young woman and has a child out of wedlock. Later on Molly marries and her life begins again. Ruth, the daughter carries on the tradition of independence and marries, has children and the natural consequences follow. 'Consequences' has a great feel and story lines. For me,it falls short of developing the characters in depth. The story jumps from one decade to the next. Penelope Lively replays memories. Penelope Lively sets her novel in the lovely lands of England. "And "Consequences," despite its shadows, is also a joyous ever-widening dance. At its center shimmers the idea of resiliency, of the continuity of humankind as embodied in one family, shattered and reconstituted, fragile, stubborn, enduring." Nancy Kline I often speak of a novel that affected me as a journey. Penelope Lively's 'Consequence' is a return for me of the storyline that brings me great satisfaction. Her prose and her style bring me to a new place each read. A traditional novel that equates great love to great happiness. Highly Recommended. prisrob 07-11-07
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