the hand that first held mine

Life as she will know it is about to begin but she is absorbed, finally, in her reading, in a long-dead man's struggle with mortality. Winner of the 2010 Costa Novel Award and a Sunday Times bestseller, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE by Maggie O'Farrell is a gorgeously written story of love and motherhood from the author of HAMNET and I AM, I AM, I AM.When the sophisticated Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep, Lexie Sinclair realises she cannot wait any longer for her life to begin, and leaves for London. She makes her way to the city, where she meets a magazine editor, Innes, a man unlike any she has ever imagined. There, at the … Her characters are so well written and i was immediately drawn into their lives. You May Also Like The House of Special Purpose: A Novel by … It’s about the truths we intuit and how they can nag, direct, and torture us until we bring them into consciousness and the now. This, in my humble opinion, is one of her finest. Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, UK. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. [1], First published in 2010 by Headline Review. When everything finally came together, it was a great moment. So good in fact that in re-reading this post before publication I know I sound like a gibbering wreck, unable to properly convey how much, and why, I loved it. The Hand That First Held Mine, by Maggie O’Farrell, Headline Review £16.99 352 pages, FT Bookshop price: £13.59 I loved the descriptions of the new strains in their relationship and their unspeakable love for their baby son. Nor did the two stories work together well, and I was left wondering why they were set up to support each other in the first place. We see Elina (an artist from Finland, living with Ted in London) only after she has had her first child. It’s the best book I’ve read all year”. It's a difficult birth and both Elin and Ted are reeling from its aftermath. I sat and read for hours and it felt like minutes. Her description of Elina and Ted's new parenthood: that fuzzy, sleep-deprived state you find yourself in as a parent of a newborn were depicted perfectly. It tells the story of Lexie Sinclair, a young English woman who falls in love with magazine editor Innes Kent, after escaping from her stifling family to London in the 1950s. I can recognize what she was attempting here – there’s a slow, poetic, visual quality to the writing that sometimes succeeds. The Hand That First Held Mine is Maggie O’Farrell’s fifth novel. To create our... A spellbinding novel of two women connected across fifty years by art, love, betrayals, secrets, and motherhood. There, at the heart of the 1950s Soho art scene, she carves out a new … When the elegant Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep, Lexie Sinclair realises that she can wait no longer for her life to begin, and leaves for London. "*And it is a gorgeous inquiry into the ways we make and unmake our lives, who we know ourselves to be, and how even our most accidental legacies connect us. The Hand that First Held Mine is a novel written by Maggie O'Farrell, about the spirited journey of Lexie Sinclair, a bright, tempestuous woman who finds her way from rural Devon to the centre of postwar London's burgeoning art scene. The second is modern day, a couple with a newborn return home after a traumatic birth. Innes Kent. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. It’s a … Refresh and try again. This article about a 2010s novel is a stub. Maggie O’Farrell is so good! Like her acclaimed The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox , it is a "breathtaking, heart-breaking creation. The prose in this book was so smooth. Maggie O’Farrell newest novel, The Hand That First Held Mine, offers a bumpy ride through the memory of generations. A young yet successful artist immigrates to England from Finland, falls in love and has a baby with her English landlord. Welcome back. The book is really two separate stories, which only intertwine at the end of the book, but lots of hints are dropped along the way. To see what your friends thought of this book. I can appreciate this type of novel (huge Michael Cunningham fan here) when it’s done with substantial emotion and poignancy and when the words are stunning enough in themselves to negate the absolute need for a concrete pl. Unfortunately, I found the whole thing rather lackluster. Winner of the 2010 Costa Novel Award and a Sunday Times bestseller, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE by Maggie O'Farrell is a gorgeously written story of love and motherhood from the author of THIS MUST BE THE PLACE. It’s the best book I’ve read all year”. It’s not clear initially how the stories will interconnect, and wanting to know made it hard to put this book down. Two stories are told in parallel: Lexie Sinclair quits Devon for London when the charismatic Innes Kent arrives on her doorstep, and starts her life at the heart of the 1950s Soho art scene; Elina and Ted are coming to terms with the changes wrought in their present-day lives by the birth of their son. comments. It was a great read. At first she is determined to make her own way, but very soon she is taken in by Innes, who teaches her about writing (he runs a magazine), about art (he is a collector and a dealer), and about love (they move in together). O’Farrell’s novel could easily have turned out as a mawkish romance, but is exquisite instead. The situations she writes about are the life-changing experience of becoming a … This book was worth getting two less hours of sleep than usual. Nonetheless the author has a very unique style and I can understand why many would find this a very enjoyable read, it certainly is an easy read. The first is the spirited journey of Lexie Sinclair, a bright, tempestuous woman who finds her way from rural Devon to the center of postwar London's … Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The truth is often overrated.”, See 1 question about The Hand That First Held Mine…, I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, The Hand that First Held Mine, by Maggie O'Farrell. They live in Soho, a bohemian arts community, and we readers get a wonderful glimpse into that exciting, vibrant time and place. Finally, after wandering in the desert of bad fiction, a book that both would not let me put it down (I read it in one breathless heartpounding 3 am night), and that left me in tears, because I deeply cared about the main characters -- both or all of them. Winner of the 2010 Costa Novel Award and a Sunday Times bestseller, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE by Maggie O'Farrell is a gorgeously written story of love and motherhood from the author of THIS MUST BE THE PLACE. The focus has … I can appreciate this type of novel (huge Michael Cunningham fan here) when it’s done with substantial emotion and poignancy and when the words are stunning enough in themselves to negate the absolute need for a concrete plot. Of the two stories, the one I found more engaging was the story of Lexie, who in the early 1950's left her rural Devon home and large family for London after meeting an exciting, exotic flirt Innes Kent whose car broke down near her house. When the sophisticated Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep, Lexie Sinclair realises she cannot wait any longer for her life to begin, and leaves for London. O’Farrell’s novel could easily have turned out as a mawkish romance, but is exquisite instead. Just finished the book, so it is fresh in my mind. Soon, she falls deeply in love. This book left me breathless, gulping, and sobbing. Friday 11 February 2011 01:00 . ‘The Hand That First Held Mine’ (2010) is Maggie O’Farrell’s poetic, extremely moving and very human story of memory, motherhood and emotions. Lexie Sinclair is young, brash and headstrong as she makes her way in love and life in 1950s London, while Elina Vilkuna is a painter and new mother in present day London, haunted by the traumatic birth of her child from which she has disassociated. The characters looked intriguing and the storytelling device - alternating between two completely different storylines and gradually tying them together - is one that I enjoy. April 12th 2010 The trees in this story are stirring, trembling, readjusting themselves. Of the two stories, the one I found more engaging was the story of Lexie, who in the early 1950's left her rural Devon home and large family for London after meeting an exciting, exotic flirt Innes Kent whose car broke down n. Another of the books told in alternating chapters about two different time periods, and we gradually learn how the two stories converge. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published She is observant, has a style that just pulls you in and characters that are on the whole believable. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. I enjoyed Lexie and her character and her outlook on life. This is ‘serious literary fiction,’ and won a Costa Best Novel award to prove it. This is ‘serious literary fiction,’ and won a Costa Best Novel award to prove it. The scene in Soho is masterful, and again I would say worth picking up just to read this section. I had no idea where this book was going, but I knew I wanted to be there. Soon, she falls deeply in love. O’Farrell tells us the stories of two couples – Lexie and Innes, in the 1950s and Ted and Elina in the present day – both with a London setting and both stories linked. The scene in Soho is masterful, and again I would say worth picking up just to read this section. The Hand That First Held Mine is Maggie O’Farrell’s fifth novel. Oh no, another favourite author releasing a new title – cue the sickening feelings of anxiety when I settle into the story , wondering if it will meet my expectations but any fears are quickly assuaged as I become immersed in this, Maggie O’ Farrell’s fifth novel. We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. I take it all back – this was even better! It just takes a steady hand and a slow burn. "She doesn't know that he is coming, getting even closer with every passing second, walking in his hand-made shoes along the roads that separate them, the distance between them shrinking with every well-shod step. ‘The Hand That First Held Mine’ (2010) is Maggie O’Farrell’s poetic, extremely moving and very human story of memory, motherhood and emotions. The descriptive language is elegant and precise, with just the right number of words and images to create a mental picture of a lawn in Devon with laundry flapping on a line, or the cracked tiles of the entryway of a London row house. This book has two timelines. Margot seemed a caricatured villain, from first appearance to … [(Innes’s and Lexie’s deaths, Margot’s revenge), [(Elina and Jonah, Margot vs. Lexie and Ted). This author doesn't disappoint! This is problematic given that Ted is intended to be traumatised by her near death and that Elina needs to seem more invested in him during her encounters with his dreadful family. But I digress. Any fiction novel which follows the five or six literary fiction novels I have just finished may well have big shoes to fill but. [ Told over two time frames, The Hand That First Held Mine opens as Lexie Sinclair, a bored young graduate, runs away from home to start a new life in 1950s Soho. People/Characters: Elina Vilkuna. The story progresses in two different timelines. We see Lexie from the time she rebels against her country upbringing and heads to London to forge a career, fall in love (more than once) and meet the challenges of being a single mother. Ted is just as lost by his behavior. Admittedly, I am partly of that opinion because so much of this book was about motherhood, and specifically the first year or so of it, which obviously is something pertinent to my life at the moment. The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell. Only not a five because I thought the villainesses were a bit too flatly wholly evil to be as real as the complex flawed hero. The theme of the novel is motherhood and how it changes one's perception of the world. But, I never felt swept up in this book. Felix (show all 6 items) Important places: London, England, UK. In The Hand That First Held Mine, O’Farrell interweaves two seemingly separate storylines: that of Lexie Sinclair in the 1950s, and Ted and Elina in the present day. The Hand that First Held Mine. In “The Hand That First Held Mine,” Maggie O’Farrell’s subject is situation rather than character. Winner of the 2010 Costa Novel Award, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE is a gorgeously written story of love and motherhood, a tour de force from one of our best loved novelists When the sophisticated Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep, Lexie Sinclair realises she cannot wait any longer for her life to begin, and leaves for London. ‘First Held Mine’ is a novel which is very up close and personal and unflinchingly so. The Hand That First Held Mine, By Maggie O'Farrell. At time, the writing is rather wonderful, indeed it would be worth the read to study and enjoy the first chapter alone, because therein lies the writer Maggie O’Farrell at her best. Seeing Elin almost bleed out after her C-section has triggered fear and old remembrances that he can't quite hold onto keep coming unburied yet he can't seem to hold onto the connections so he plunges even. The characters were often whimsical to the extreme, and not distinctive in the sense that one often overlapped into the other, both in the modern day story and the older 50’s/60’s one. I take it all back – this was even better! Overall though, this novel was a disappointment. But it wouldn’t just be any book on that topic that could grab me the way this one did – it was in Maggie O’Farrell’s handling of the subject, the characters she chose to carry it and of course her clever way with words. A gorgeous many layered never sugar-coated meditation on motherhood with the pacing and surprises of a good thriller. In The Hand that First Held Mine, she returns to the domestic sphere of her earlier novels, but with a meatier, more complex agenda. It did not take me too long to guess the connections between the two stories but this did not detract from the novel's enjoyment. Laurence? by Houghton Mifflin. [When Ted was having the flashback about seeing his mother shoo away a man at their door from his bedroom window and the man waves to him, who was the man? I really couldn't imagine it. Edited to make correction. Elin feels alone and confused by Ted's isolating behavior. By: Maggie O’Farrell Narrated by: Anne Flosnik Try for $0.00 $7.95 a month after 30 days. I devoured it in a few sittings – one of those books you are eager to embrace but loath to leave. To be honest, I was quite bored for most of it. I adore everything O'Farrell writes. The Hand That First Held Mine is a spellbinding novel of two women connected across fifty years by art, love, betrayals, secrets, and motherhood. I loved the descriptions of the new strains in their relationship and their unspeakable love for their baby son. Maggie O'Farrell's books are filled with people and experiences I find immediately relatable. As you flip back and forth between the lives of new parents, Elina and Ted, to the saga of Lexie and Innes and later Felix, you may guess the connection before Part Two, yet you will be unsure enough to wonder and keep going. Oh, how she brought everything back! Lexie is an outgoing young woman in the 1950s. A wonderful book! Her description of Elina and Ted's new parenthood: that fuzzy, sleep-deprived state you find yourself in as a parent of a newborn were depicted perfectly. This book is so hard to quantify with stars, because although I hated it for the majority, I have to admit that there were definite moments of genius. Start by marking “The Hand That First Held Mine” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Listen to a sample Listen to a sample Description; Creators; Details; Reviews; Lexie Sinclair yearns for more than her parents' genteel country life. She knows how to concisely convey her characters' feelings and motivations to the reader. The other timeline, set in the present day, deals with Elina, a Finnish-Swedish painter who had a near-fatal Caesarian section and gives birth to the son of film editor Ted. Publication Date: January 26, 2011; Genres: Fiction; Paperback: 360 pages; Publisher: Mariner Books; … For example, young motherhood and a colicky baby - she communicates this perfectly, making me (once again) glad I'm menopausal. This novel was a mixed bag for me. [ Margot clinging onto a childhood obsession with her father's girlfriend throughout her life - to the extent of stealing the man she thought Lexie loved, and then stealing her baby too - was really pushing the limits of believable. Learn how and when to remove this template message, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6939939-the-hand-that-first-held-mine, "Book review: 'The Hand That First Held Mine,' by Maggie O'Farrell", "The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Hand_That_First_Held_Mine&oldid=1003415325, Articles needing additional references from September 2014, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 January 2021, at 21:50. The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell After You’d Gone was so good that it left me reeling, and even asking the librarian as I returned it “have you read this? The book is really two separate stories, which only intertwine at the end of the book, but lots of hints are dropped along the way. “Listen. The descriptive language is elegant and precise, with just the right number of words and images to create a mental picture of a lawn in Devon with laundry flapping on a line, or the cracked tiles of the entryway of a London row house. Unfortunately, the writing style becomes tiresome the further into the narrative you go, perhaps because the characters never quite live up to what the reader might have expected of the. So good in fact that in re-reading this post before publication I know I sound like a gibbering wreck, u. As we follow lives separated by fifty years, wondering how they might be connected, we learn that Ted has been having flashes of memory of his childhood which seem at odds with his parents’ version. Above all, I felt she captured perfectly that ambivalence between the pure joy of motherly love, the never-ending (though often low-level) anxiety that comes along with it, and the power of parenthood to alter you utterly, so that you have to rebuild your sense of self again, from the ground up. The Hand That First Held Mine tells two parallel stories. As we follow lives separated by fifty years, wondering how they might be connected, we learn that Ted has been having flashes of me. Robert? A young yet successful artist immigrates to England from Finland, falls in love and has a baby with her English landlord. Buy for $23.07 Buy for $23.07 Confirm purchase No default payment method selected. Praised by The Washington Post as a “breathtaking, heart-breaking creation,” The Hand That First Held Mine is a gorgeous and tenderly wrought story about the ways in which love and beauty bind us together. Two stories are told in parallel: Lexie Sinclair quits Devon for London when the charismatic Innes Kent arrives on her doorstep, and starts her life at the heart of the 1950s Soho art scene; Elina and Ted are coming to terms with the changes wrought in their present-day lives by the birth of their son. The book won the Costa Book Awards in 2010.[2][3]. In The Hand That First Held Mine, we meet two women, separated by time. Finally, after wandering in the desert of bad fiction, a book that both would not let me put it down (I read it in one breathless heartpounding 3 am night), and that left me in tears, because I deeply cared about the main characters -- both or all of them. Love for their baby son of sleep than usual be found on the article 's talk page from aftermath... Esme Lennox, it is a `` breathtaking, heart-breaking creation structure, and sobbing their... Alternating chapters about two different story lines were related the new strains in relationship... 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