Two Lives: Reading Turgenev and My House in Umbria [B2116]

1991 HCDJ in nice clean condition. Irish author William Trevor's astonishing range as a writer--his humor, subtlety, and compassionate grasp of human behavior--is fully demonstrated in these two short novels featuring two women who retreat further into the realm of the imagination until the boundaries between what is real and what is not become blurred. In Reading Turgenev, a lonely country girl escapes her loveless marriage in the arms of a bookish young man. In My House in Umbria, a former madam befriends the other survivors of a terrorist bombing with surprising results. Nominated for the Booker Award.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "William Trevor is an outstanding writer. His prose is elegant, absolutely pitch perfect."; "These two sad little novellas are both about unreliable (or are they?) female narrators and both deal in the stories we tell ourselves about others. Trevor is a haunting writer. I'll return to him again."; "William Trevor's books whether short stories, novellas or full length novels are always to be savored. Along with the sadness, abuse, loneliness and lost opportunities, Trevor injects quite a lot of humor into each of these two stories. Overall an expertly written pair of contrasting stories which confirm William Trevor as one of my favorite writers."; "Why haven't I already read William Trevor's work before? I'm now a big fan. I love the way Trevor is able to convey so much in such a few number of words. His prose has a constrained elegance that is stunning, making it a pleasure to spend time in his company. I marveled at his skill on every page."