Lisa

I liked the way in which the mysteries were revealed and then resolved throughout the story. All of the characters are believable and their stories plausible. A very satisfying book.

This wonderful novel explores the lives and relationships of a handful of women and men in post-war London. The writer has created very realistic, believable characters; as a reader I felt I really got to know them and cared about them. The structure of the book is very effective, as it moves backwards in time to reveal how the characters met and what has brought them to this point in the story. This adds a nice touch of suspense. Sarah Waters brilliantly recreates the atmosphere of London during the blitz and in the years immediately following the war. I didn’t want the book to end, which for me is always a good measure of a novel.

This is one of the best works of fiction I have ever 'read'. Nabokov's use of language and style is faultless. The book is funny, sad, grotesque, repugnant, suspenseful, disturbing, mysterious - sometimes all in the same paragraph! The ending is unbearably poignant. I rushed out to buy a printed copy of the annotated version just so I could see the words for myself. Jeremy Irons as narrator is perfect. I own a copy of the James Mason film on DVD but now I have to rent the Jeremy Irons version (again) just so I can decide which is the better adaptation.

This is my favourite book of all time and Anna Massey's reading of it is sublime. Her tone, pitch and pace are faultless. A perfect experience.