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The Weekend
Three women in their seventies reunite for one last, life-changing weekend in the beach house of their late friend.
Four older women have a lifelong friendship of the best kind: loving, practical, frank, and steadfast. But when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.
They are Jude, a once-famous restaurateur; Wendy, an acclaimed public intellectual; and Adele, a renowned actress now mostly out of work. Struggling to recall exactly why they've remained close all these years, the grieving women gather at Sylvie's old beach house--not for festivities this time, but to clean it out before it is sold. Can they survive together without her?
Without Sylvie to maintain the group's delicate equilibrium, frustrations build and painful memories press in. Fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface--and threatens to sweep away their friendship for good.
The Weekend explores growing old and growing up, and what happens when we're forced to uncover the lies we tell ourselves. Sharply observed and excruciatingly funny, this is a jewel of a book: a celebration of tenderness and friendship from an award-winning writer.
Four older women have a lifelong friendship of the best kind: loving, practical, frank, and steadfast. But when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.
They are Jude, a once-famous restaurateur; Wendy, an acclaimed public intellectual; and Adele, a renowned actress now mostly out of work. Struggling to recall exactly why they've remained close all these years, the grieving women gather at Sylvie's old beach house--not for festivities this time, but to clean it out before it is sold. Can they survive together without her?
Without Sylvie to maintain the group's delicate equilibrium, frustrations build and painful memories press in. Fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface--and threatens to sweep away their friendship for good.
The Weekend explores growing old and growing up, and what happens when we're forced to uncover the lies we tell ourselves. Sharply observed and excruciatingly funny, this is a jewel of a book: a celebration of tenderness and friendship from an award-winning writer.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2019
1,314 people are currently reading
16.1k people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Wood
23books869followersCharlotte Wood is the author of six novels and two books of non-fiction. Her new novel is The Weekend.
Her previous novel, The Natural Way of Things, won the 2016 Stella Prize, the 2016 Indie Book of the Year and Novel of the Year, was joint winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction.
Her non-fiction works include The Writer’s Room, a collection of interviews with authors about the creative process, and Love & Hunger, a book about cooking. Her features and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Literary Hub, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Saturday Paper among other publications. In 2019 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant services to literature, and was named one of the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence.
Her latest project is a new podcast, The Writer's Room with Charlotte Wood, in which she interviews authors, critics and other artists about the creative process.
Her previous novel, The Natural Way of Things, won the 2016 Stella Prize, the 2016 Indie Book of the Year and Novel of the Year, was joint winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction.
Her non-fiction works include The Writer’s Room, a collection of interviews with authors about the creative process, and Love & Hunger, a book about cooking. Her features and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Literary Hub, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Saturday Paper among other publications. In 2019 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant services to literature, and was named one of the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence.
Her latest project is a new podcast, The Writer's Room with Charlotte Wood, in which she interviews authors, critics and other artists about the creative process.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,709 reviews
February 4, 2020
Firstly, this book is really depressing.
It's about old people, and as a 34 year-old who likes to complain about being old while secretly appreciating that I've still got a fairly long life ahead of me, this was a terrifying glimpse of a future I DO NOT WANT.
I'm gonna be straight up: getting old scares the crap out of me. But it scares me more to think that I could wind up like these old ladies, full of regrets and missed chances. Still waiting for my big break. Having forfeited true love. Wishing for times long past. THIS IS MY NIGHTMARE.
This book revolves around three friends - Jude, Wendy and Adele- who come together one weekend to clear out the house of their fourth friend, Sylvie, who has recently passed. We come to learn quite quickly that perfect Sylvie was sort of the glue who held them all together, and made them feel better about the lives they lived. Without her, they're starting to fall apart and their friendship is being tested.
These are very real characters. This is not a book about action, or about unexpected occurrences, or even second chances - it's just about life, and how sometimes it can get away from you faster than you realise. It's about three perfectly ordinary old women who are STILL trying to make sense of the world.
Like I said: depressing.
Yet at the same time there is realness here, and you know they're flawed but you also know they're stronger than they realise and they are going to be okay. I never really liked any of them, but I was definitely rooting for them because they are resilient and fiercely loyal. Remember back in the day how you'd talk smack about your siblings (perhaps you still do) but then one of your friends would insult the same sibling and you'd have none of it? 'Only I get to talk smack about my siblings!' That is the vibe with these three. I kinda liked that.
I wonder how older readers will receive this one. Will the way these characters talk about their aches and pains, their bodies, their memories, resonate? Will it be considered more humourous to those who relate? I once saw this movie, Something's Gotta Give, with my mum and my aunt, and it was about old people (and their sex lives) and it scarred me for life. I found it horrifying. But my mum and my aunt loved it, so much so that they STILL rave about it. I feel like this book might be a bit like that. Like, for me, it's a terrifying possibility of a future I don't want, but for others it may just be a comical, insightful story about ageing. Anyone wanna weigh in on that for me?
This is one of those rare times that I didn't really like the story or the characters all that much, but I really enjoyed the writing. I connected to it, and I felt honest feelings reading about these people. And Finn! OMG FINN! I am a dog person but I actually despised this stupid, pathetic dog, and I despise myself for despising him. So it's that kind of book, folks.
There's some really interesting ideas here but ultimately it's about friendship and solidarity, and figuring out what's important in life. It may have been depressing, but it's certainly inspired me to try and live a little harder.
With thanks to A&U for my ARC
It's about old people, and as a 34 year-old who likes to complain about being old while secretly appreciating that I've still got a fairly long life ahead of me, this was a terrifying glimpse of a future I DO NOT WANT.
I'm gonna be straight up: getting old scares the crap out of me. But it scares me more to think that I could wind up like these old ladies, full of regrets and missed chances. Still waiting for my big break. Having forfeited true love. Wishing for times long past. THIS IS MY NIGHTMARE.
This book revolves around three friends - Jude, Wendy and Adele- who come together one weekend to clear out the house of their fourth friend, Sylvie, who has recently passed. We come to learn quite quickly that perfect Sylvie was sort of the glue who held them all together, and made them feel better about the lives they lived. Without her, they're starting to fall apart and their friendship is being tested.
These are very real characters. This is not a book about action, or about unexpected occurrences, or even second chances - it's just about life, and how sometimes it can get away from you faster than you realise. It's about three perfectly ordinary old women who are STILL trying to make sense of the world.
Like I said: depressing.
Yet at the same time there is realness here, and you know they're flawed but you also know they're stronger than they realise and they are going to be okay. I never really liked any of them, but I was definitely rooting for them because they are resilient and fiercely loyal. Remember back in the day how you'd talk smack about your siblings (perhaps you still do) but then one of your friends would insult the same sibling and you'd have none of it? 'Only I get to talk smack about my siblings!' That is the vibe with these three. I kinda liked that.
I wonder how older readers will receive this one. Will the way these characters talk about their aches and pains, their bodies, their memories, resonate? Will it be considered more humourous to those who relate? I once saw this movie, Something's Gotta Give, with my mum and my aunt, and it was about old people (and their sex lives) and it scarred me for life. I found it horrifying. But my mum and my aunt loved it, so much so that they STILL rave about it. I feel like this book might be a bit like that. Like, for me, it's a terrifying possibility of a future I don't want, but for others it may just be a comical, insightful story about ageing. Anyone wanna weigh in on that for me?
This is one of those rare times that I didn't really like the story or the characters all that much, but I really enjoyed the writing. I connected to it, and I felt honest feelings reading about these people. And Finn! OMG FINN! I am a dog person but I actually despised this stupid, pathetic dog, and I despise myself for despising him. So it's that kind of book, folks.
There's some really interesting ideas here but ultimately it's about friendship and solidarity, and figuring out what's important in life. It may have been depressing, but it's certainly inspired me to try and live a little harder.
With thanks to A&U for my ARC
December 19, 2019
In
The Weekend
, three 70-something women come together over Christmas to clean out the beach house of their recently deceased friend. Tensions rise, secrets bubble to the surface, things get angsty (so just a typical Chrissy really).
Wood really nails the group’s dynamics after the loss of their linchpin member. It’s a particularly rich vein to explore, the kind of relationships that evolve between friends over four decades, and the events that cause them to fracture. There are some wonderful, incisive moments, observations about ageing and ageism, about how we carry on through times of great change.
I did, however, struggle to connect with this. Much of it—the comedy, the drama, the characterisations—was too broadly drawn for my taste, and veers into cliché (the fading actress, the long-time mistress, the slovenly intellectual). At a certain point I realised this novel would make a fantastic play, with its confined setting and small cast of characters, which helped me to appreciate it more. The broad brushstrokes would be right at home on the stage, and with a trio of fabulous theatre doyennes in the main parts this story would come to life in a way that (for me) it just doesn’t on the page.
Wood really nails the group’s dynamics after the loss of their linchpin member. It’s a particularly rich vein to explore, the kind of relationships that evolve between friends over four decades, and the events that cause them to fracture. There are some wonderful, incisive moments, observations about ageing and ageism, about how we carry on through times of great change.
I did, however, struggle to connect with this. Much of it—the comedy, the drama, the characterisations—was too broadly drawn for my taste, and veers into cliché (the fading actress, the long-time mistress, the slovenly intellectual). At a certain point I realised this novel would make a fantastic play, with its confined setting and small cast of characters, which helped me to appreciate it more. The broad brushstrokes would be right at home on the stage, and with a trio of fabulous theatre doyennes in the main parts this story would come to life in a way that (for me) it just doesn’t on the page.
December 28, 2024
*** Shortlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize ***
”People went on about death bringing friends together, but it wasn’t true…�
Reading this book made me think that the loss of a friend isn't all beer & skittles as it's depicted in so many movies. The outpouring of love at the wake - always at a pub, usually Irish - friends getting all misty eyed like on New Year's Eve, arms flung around each other's shoulders. Tears, anecdotes, laughter. Toasts to a great friend, sorely missed. But then the tears dry, and life goes on. Usually with soaring music playing.
This is the aftermath. And much closer to reality. It's just gone twelve months since Sylvie's passing. Her partner Gail, has returned home to Ireland, and has given three of their friends Adele, Jude & Wendy the "opportunity" to clear out their beach house on Sydney's northern beaches before it's put up for sale. The carrot being they could keep whatever they wanted.
But what material goods could they possibly want? Sylvie was the glue that held their friendships together. And without her, it's just a hodge podge of moving chess pieces as the ladies contemplate their lives and what they mean to each other.
Along with all the dust & animal faecal matter that is stirred up as part of this cleanup, so are the friend's relationships.
Resentments, both real & imagined, which have hardened to a callous over the years, are painful to the touch. And surface often. Secrets, lies and betrayals. That's the thing with a humid Sydney summer, you can't help but bare your teeth. Trust me on this.
Hell, even Finn (Wendy's elderly dog) is at a loss. Walking around in circles. Staring blankly into space. This is raw. Life hurts. Often. The pains ooze off the pages. I appreciate how gently the nuances of characters and the story is handled.
Yet despite it all, Adele, Jude & Wendy remain fiercely loyal to each other. Though the elastic of their friendship is stretched it never snaps and breaks. We see glimmers of happier times, good times, from their meeting in their 20s, through to life changes which in turn affected their friendship(s) in their 30s, 40s and beyond. Now in their 70s, each of the women remaining in this friendship circle cannot help but take stock.
� …my life has not been what I believed it to be.�
This is a weekend you will not forget. We gain insights into these women's psyches, their triumphs and losses. What's brought them to this point. And how damn hard it is to grow old.
"Nobody wants you when you're old. You have to shore things up before this point. You have to face up to the future, to the worst possibilities, you have to prepare yourself. Anticipate, adapt, accept."
This made me ponder the imponderables. The big questions, for which there are no answers. The stuff that keeps you awake at nights. I kept thinking which of these women I’m most like. The good bits, the aggravating, the quirks.
”At times she felt on the edge of discovering something very important � about living, about the age beyond youth and love, about this great secret time of a person’s life.�
I really loved this book. I mean really loved. It spoke to me on so many levels. I shed a tear. I smiled. I recognized people and events. I know the cleansing effects of the sea. It's so real. What seems like a deceptively simple story, is way more complex due to the characters being portrayed with such honesty and compassion.
I truly wish I'd had the opportunity to read this in one sitting as I felt so invested in the characters. I can absolutely imagine just sitting back for an arvo with a big cuppa at the ready, and reading it from cover to cover. That's how it made me feel. Loved 💜 Absolutely.
The ending is perfection.
Longlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize. Good luck!
*** Buddy read with the wonderful, talented Mr.Neale-ski. Our first of many for 2020. Make sure you check out his fab & insightful review, as it’s truly something special
/review/show... ***
”People went on about death bringing friends together, but it wasn’t true…�
Reading this book made me think that the loss of a friend isn't all beer & skittles as it's depicted in so many movies. The outpouring of love at the wake - always at a pub, usually Irish - friends getting all misty eyed like on New Year's Eve, arms flung around each other's shoulders. Tears, anecdotes, laughter. Toasts to a great friend, sorely missed. But then the tears dry, and life goes on. Usually with soaring music playing.
This is the aftermath. And much closer to reality. It's just gone twelve months since Sylvie's passing. Her partner Gail, has returned home to Ireland, and has given three of their friends Adele, Jude & Wendy the "opportunity" to clear out their beach house on Sydney's northern beaches before it's put up for sale. The carrot being they could keep whatever they wanted.
But what material goods could they possibly want? Sylvie was the glue that held their friendships together. And without her, it's just a hodge podge of moving chess pieces as the ladies contemplate their lives and what they mean to each other.
Along with all the dust & animal faecal matter that is stirred up as part of this cleanup, so are the friend's relationships.
Resentments, both real & imagined, which have hardened to a callous over the years, are painful to the touch. And surface often. Secrets, lies and betrayals. That's the thing with a humid Sydney summer, you can't help but bare your teeth. Trust me on this.
Hell, even Finn (Wendy's elderly dog) is at a loss. Walking around in circles. Staring blankly into space. This is raw. Life hurts. Often. The pains ooze off the pages. I appreciate how gently the nuances of characters and the story is handled.
Yet despite it all, Adele, Jude & Wendy remain fiercely loyal to each other. Though the elastic of their friendship is stretched it never snaps and breaks. We see glimmers of happier times, good times, from their meeting in their 20s, through to life changes which in turn affected their friendship(s) in their 30s, 40s and beyond. Now in their 70s, each of the women remaining in this friendship circle cannot help but take stock.
� …my life has not been what I believed it to be.�
This is a weekend you will not forget. We gain insights into these women's psyches, their triumphs and losses. What's brought them to this point. And how damn hard it is to grow old.
"Nobody wants you when you're old. You have to shore things up before this point. You have to face up to the future, to the worst possibilities, you have to prepare yourself. Anticipate, adapt, accept."
This made me ponder the imponderables. The big questions, for which there are no answers. The stuff that keeps you awake at nights. I kept thinking which of these women I’m most like. The good bits, the aggravating, the quirks.
”At times she felt on the edge of discovering something very important � about living, about the age beyond youth and love, about this great secret time of a person’s life.�
I really loved this book. I mean really loved. It spoke to me on so many levels. I shed a tear. I smiled. I recognized people and events. I know the cleansing effects of the sea. It's so real. What seems like a deceptively simple story, is way more complex due to the characters being portrayed with such honesty and compassion.
I truly wish I'd had the opportunity to read this in one sitting as I felt so invested in the characters. I can absolutely imagine just sitting back for an arvo with a big cuppa at the ready, and reading it from cover to cover. That's how it made me feel. Loved 💜 Absolutely.
The ending is perfection.
Longlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize. Good luck!
*** Buddy read with the wonderful, talented Mr.Neale-ski. Our first of many for 2020. Make sure you check out his fab & insightful review, as it’s truly something special
/review/show... ***
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 9, 2020dnf @20% - I'll just say this book was not for me at this time so I'm setting it aside for now.
* I received a digital copy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
* I received a digital copy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
July 8, 2024
This was full of synchronicity. So beautiful.
What a wonderful book. I listened in a day, doing the same task as the wonderful group of flawed women, who merged on their friend’s property to undertake the clean up after her death. I was cleaning cupboards for hours as these women were doing the same. Thinking about life and the shedding of things, not just inanimate.
Charlotte Wood tells a story of older women, women I related to so much � I did not have to be seventy years old as they were. I heard their internal plights, their feelings of distress, contemplation and reflection. The way they saw themselves. The way they saw others see them.
As each woman is tasked with a room each, we begin to realise how much their lives are intertwined, the foibles, the bickering and the possible end of the road of this friendship.
Even before they converge, the trip each one takes, the mode of transport, the observations of the women on the train, or in the car as they internally berate the other women, and reflect on their past. The reader understands the comparisons to others are really comparisons to themselves, and where they have wound up in life and how the bloody hell they got there.
Each woman is constructed deftly, differing personalities bringing separate quirks to the friendship group. The characters all drawn remarkably well, I love to know the feelings of fictional characters. The author has done her job when this is how a reader feels.
This is not a large book, therefore the depth of feeling I captured and the changing of connection and disconnection the characters had was acute. The questions each raise as the state of the friend group seems to be in complete tatters, the lies kept for decades, and the intricate assessment of what is to be at the end of their friend’s life is a layered and intricate finale. There is so much in this book, quietly and brilliantly presented. I realise I need to read more of this author's work.
I listened to this via the BorrowBox app and my public library.
What a wonderful book. I listened in a day, doing the same task as the wonderful group of flawed women, who merged on their friend’s property to undertake the clean up after her death. I was cleaning cupboards for hours as these women were doing the same. Thinking about life and the shedding of things, not just inanimate.
Charlotte Wood tells a story of older women, women I related to so much � I did not have to be seventy years old as they were. I heard their internal plights, their feelings of distress, contemplation and reflection. The way they saw themselves. The way they saw others see them.
As each woman is tasked with a room each, we begin to realise how much their lives are intertwined, the foibles, the bickering and the possible end of the road of this friendship.
Even before they converge, the trip each one takes, the mode of transport, the observations of the women on the train, or in the car as they internally berate the other women, and reflect on their past. The reader understands the comparisons to others are really comparisons to themselves, and where they have wound up in life and how the bloody hell they got there.
Each woman is constructed deftly, differing personalities bringing separate quirks to the friendship group. The characters all drawn remarkably well, I love to know the feelings of fictional characters. The author has done her job when this is how a reader feels.
This is not a large book, therefore the depth of feeling I captured and the changing of connection and disconnection the characters had was acute. The questions each raise as the state of the friend group seems to be in complete tatters, the lies kept for decades, and the intricate assessment of what is to be at the end of their friend’s life is a layered and intricate finale. There is so much in this book, quietly and brilliantly presented. I realise I need to read more of this author's work.
I listened to this via the BorrowBox app and my public library.
January 25, 2020
From the winner of the 2016 Stella Prize comes 'The Weekend', a tedious drama rife with clichés older than its walking-framedcast. When three caricatures and a heavy-handed canine metaphorcome together in the wake of the novel'ssole plot-point - a friend's death - they spend a weekend womansplaining the faults of their so-called friends. The story sizzles with mundane conflict - a dog coming indoors, a dog coming off its leash, a dog coming to the beach,stale bread- between characters who lean on one-dimensional personalities as though they are walking canes.
Wood flouts the opportunity to establish any form ofconnection with her reader, maintaining a third-person narration that acquires the opinions of its subjectswithout changing its timbre. The same voice that criticises Jude with Wendy's thoughts criticises Wendywith Adele's thoughts, creating a soulless parade of vacuous nit-picking that fails to culminate meaningfully. Sprinkled throughout, the reader is forced toencountergratuitous appraisals of feminism,modernity, misogyny and ageism;Wood enfeebles her own story in order to say nothing new or worthwhile about them. Meanwhile, name-droppedAustralian suburbs are used as substitutionsfor character development and cursory profanities - piss and tits, mostly - are sore thumbs hoping to propel the story forward.
The underwhelming Christmas setting is neglected until a cheesy final chapter rediscovers it, trembling. Rather than providing a backdrop against which emotions are pitted, the festive season is a half-baked blanket character trait, undercutting human complexity in favour of I Love Christmas/I Hate Christmas filler. The book has little to say about its primary theme of grief, instead spending its time fiddling with repulsive and ultimately meaninglessmetaphors: the hibiscus flower is a blood clot in her drink, the waves do not retrieve a dead creature from the shore,the room is a dark cave (tautology, anyone?).
Excruciatingly derivative, 'The Weekend' is written like mass market crime fiction but lacks the depth of characterand plot you might expect in such a book.
1.5 stars, rounded down.
Wood flouts the opportunity to establish any form ofconnection with her reader, maintaining a third-person narration that acquires the opinions of its subjectswithout changing its timbre. The same voice that criticises Jude with Wendy's thoughts criticises Wendywith Adele's thoughts, creating a soulless parade of vacuous nit-picking that fails to culminate meaningfully. Sprinkled throughout, the reader is forced toencountergratuitous appraisals of feminism,modernity, misogyny and ageism;Wood enfeebles her own story in order to say nothing new or worthwhile about them. Meanwhile, name-droppedAustralian suburbs are used as substitutionsfor character development and cursory profanities - piss and tits, mostly - are sore thumbs hoping to propel the story forward.
The underwhelming Christmas setting is neglected until a cheesy final chapter rediscovers it, trembling. Rather than providing a backdrop against which emotions are pitted, the festive season is a half-baked blanket character trait, undercutting human complexity in favour of I Love Christmas/I Hate Christmas filler. The book has little to say about its primary theme of grief, instead spending its time fiddling with repulsive and ultimately meaninglessmetaphors: the hibiscus flower is a blood clot in her drink, the waves do not retrieve a dead creature from the shore,the room is a dark cave (tautology, anyone?).
Excruciatingly derivative, 'The Weekend' is written like mass market crime fiction but lacks the depth of characterand plot you might expect in such a book.
1.5 stars, rounded down.
February 18, 2020
Longlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize.
Buddy read 8 with Nat K.
Sylvie’s death has left Jude contemplating her own steady decline. She thinks that her frontal lobe is inevitably shrinking, she wonders what will happen if she dies in her sleep, in her bed.
Sylvie had been buried eleven months ago. They used to be a quartet, but Sylvie’s death has transformed them into a triumvirate. Jude is not even sure the three surviving members of the friendship can survive without Sylvie. Jude was a restaurateur and quite a famous one. Wendy is a well known opinionated intellectual, and Adele a once famous theatre actress.
The memorial for Sylvie had been in the restaurant. Wendy, naturally being a well-known public speaker gave a wonderfully, honest poetic speech. Jude catches herself wondering how long it takes a corpse to rot and realises that Sylvie would be horrified at such a thought.
The title of the book is called “The Weekend� because the threesome left from the quartet are going to spend the weekend going through Sylvie’s stuff and clean up her beach house before it goes up for sale. It is Christmas weekend. Adele catches herself again wondering morbid thoughts, this time which of the three remaining friends would be the next to go. Although Wendy and Adele are her closest friends now, she still feels that Sylvie was the glue that kept the group from splintering apart, an integral cog in the machine of their friendship. She wonders how this weekend is going to go without Sylvie there, well maybe in spirit form. Jude puts it best herself,
“Sylvie’s death had opened up strange caverns of distance between them�.
Without Sylvie there we find the girls constantly bickering and easily antagonised. Simple quips morph into horrible accusations resulting in heated arguments. Each woman wants Sylvie back, but for different reasons.
The perspective will change between the three women, sometimes mid chapter, but it is written very well and works superbly. The change in perspective gives the reader not only access to the characters thoughts about Sylvie, but their thoughts about each other.
All three women are completely different, but they share one common trait. In their halcyon years they all were strong dominant women, all were major identities in their field of work and lives. However now they are in their seventies, the halcyon years a distant memory.
Jude’s first thought as she is the first to arrive at the house is “Typical�. Of the three, she has always been the most practical, the most grounded, the one to turn to in a storm. It appears that nobody has been there since Sylvie died. The air in the house is dank and whiffs of mildew assail the nose.
On the way to the house Wendy’s old car breaks down and she finds herself thinking about Sylvie. It is obvious that all these three women not only loved her very much, but raised her to almost mythical status, placed her on a pedestal. Whenever a problem arose, they would all think, what would Sylvie do, or if Sylvie was here, she would take care of it.
Adele who is still on the train in transit is thinking about a show she saw on tv about elderly homeless people forced to sleep in their cars. She frets that she may soon become one of these people and yet she does not even own a car. On the surface Adele is self-absorbed and vain, still the prima donna artist, picking on the appearance of the lady who takes a seat next to her. She appears to be about the same age as Adele, but she is dressed so plainly. Adele would not be caught dead in the dress this lady wears. Yet inside, behind the brightly coloured titanium outer shell now lives an insecure frightened woman.
In her youth, Adele was a theatre star, her face adorned posters everywhere, her face recognised by just about everybody she passed in the street. And yet now, at 72, things have changed dramatically. Adele was an artist and lived the life of an artist, spending her money as soon as it was in her hands, not once giving a thought for the future. Adele used to live in her own world where she is still the theatre darling. But more and more the walls of this world are being shattered and reality seeping through. She has come to realise that the current generation do not even know who she is. Adele is passing her days living in the moment hoping her financial problems will just somehow miraculously fix themselves.
However. it is not just Adele who has problems, all the women are plagued by anxiety and insecurities. Wendy is lonely and is desperately worried, knowing that the death of her beloved dog Finn is approaching fast. She berates herself for not having the courage to have him put to sleep, fearing that he is in pain. Finn is a wonderful character, and yes, he is an old dog on his last legs.
At times Finn feels like a metaphor for the relationship that now exists between the three women minus Sylvie. A relationship that is breaking down and close to expiring.
Jude is still the rock of the friends, but she is not without her demons either. She frets, there is a lot of fretting going on in this novel, about an affair that she is in, and when it will end.
Once they have all arrived and start cleaning the house, they find that different items, pieces of furniture, records, books, all initiate different memories. Different memories for each woman.
This novel is not just about the three friends dealing with the grief of losing their friend but about each of them dealing with growing older, bodies slowing down, things not working as well as they did, and sadly but inevitably their own mortality. A story about loneliness and the power of friendship. It is beautifully written and the sudden shock revelation of a long held secret leads to a surprisingly climactic ending. Wood also has a talent for hiding parts of the narrative away, luring the reader away from pivotal points, only to bring them back alarmingly later in the story. The metaphorical ending is simply brilliant. A wonderful book. 5 Stars.
This was another buddy read with the wonderful Nat K and she is close to finishing. Please read her review when she posts it, hers are always better than mine.
Buddy read 8 with Nat K.
Sylvie’s death has left Jude contemplating her own steady decline. She thinks that her frontal lobe is inevitably shrinking, she wonders what will happen if she dies in her sleep, in her bed.
Sylvie had been buried eleven months ago. They used to be a quartet, but Sylvie’s death has transformed them into a triumvirate. Jude is not even sure the three surviving members of the friendship can survive without Sylvie. Jude was a restaurateur and quite a famous one. Wendy is a well known opinionated intellectual, and Adele a once famous theatre actress.
The memorial for Sylvie had been in the restaurant. Wendy, naturally being a well-known public speaker gave a wonderfully, honest poetic speech. Jude catches herself wondering how long it takes a corpse to rot and realises that Sylvie would be horrified at such a thought.
The title of the book is called “The Weekend� because the threesome left from the quartet are going to spend the weekend going through Sylvie’s stuff and clean up her beach house before it goes up for sale. It is Christmas weekend. Adele catches herself again wondering morbid thoughts, this time which of the three remaining friends would be the next to go. Although Wendy and Adele are her closest friends now, she still feels that Sylvie was the glue that kept the group from splintering apart, an integral cog in the machine of their friendship. She wonders how this weekend is going to go without Sylvie there, well maybe in spirit form. Jude puts it best herself,
“Sylvie’s death had opened up strange caverns of distance between them�.
Without Sylvie there we find the girls constantly bickering and easily antagonised. Simple quips morph into horrible accusations resulting in heated arguments. Each woman wants Sylvie back, but for different reasons.
The perspective will change between the three women, sometimes mid chapter, but it is written very well and works superbly. The change in perspective gives the reader not only access to the characters thoughts about Sylvie, but their thoughts about each other.
All three women are completely different, but they share one common trait. In their halcyon years they all were strong dominant women, all were major identities in their field of work and lives. However now they are in their seventies, the halcyon years a distant memory.
Jude’s first thought as she is the first to arrive at the house is “Typical�. Of the three, she has always been the most practical, the most grounded, the one to turn to in a storm. It appears that nobody has been there since Sylvie died. The air in the house is dank and whiffs of mildew assail the nose.
On the way to the house Wendy’s old car breaks down and she finds herself thinking about Sylvie. It is obvious that all these three women not only loved her very much, but raised her to almost mythical status, placed her on a pedestal. Whenever a problem arose, they would all think, what would Sylvie do, or if Sylvie was here, she would take care of it.
Adele who is still on the train in transit is thinking about a show she saw on tv about elderly homeless people forced to sleep in their cars. She frets that she may soon become one of these people and yet she does not even own a car. On the surface Adele is self-absorbed and vain, still the prima donna artist, picking on the appearance of the lady who takes a seat next to her. She appears to be about the same age as Adele, but she is dressed so plainly. Adele would not be caught dead in the dress this lady wears. Yet inside, behind the brightly coloured titanium outer shell now lives an insecure frightened woman.
In her youth, Adele was a theatre star, her face adorned posters everywhere, her face recognised by just about everybody she passed in the street. And yet now, at 72, things have changed dramatically. Adele was an artist and lived the life of an artist, spending her money as soon as it was in her hands, not once giving a thought for the future. Adele used to live in her own world where she is still the theatre darling. But more and more the walls of this world are being shattered and reality seeping through. She has come to realise that the current generation do not even know who she is. Adele is passing her days living in the moment hoping her financial problems will just somehow miraculously fix themselves.
However. it is not just Adele who has problems, all the women are plagued by anxiety and insecurities. Wendy is lonely and is desperately worried, knowing that the death of her beloved dog Finn is approaching fast. She berates herself for not having the courage to have him put to sleep, fearing that he is in pain. Finn is a wonderful character, and yes, he is an old dog on his last legs.
At times Finn feels like a metaphor for the relationship that now exists between the three women minus Sylvie. A relationship that is breaking down and close to expiring.
Jude is still the rock of the friends, but she is not without her demons either. She frets, there is a lot of fretting going on in this novel, about an affair that she is in, and when it will end.
Once they have all arrived and start cleaning the house, they find that different items, pieces of furniture, records, books, all initiate different memories. Different memories for each woman.
This novel is not just about the three friends dealing with the grief of losing their friend but about each of them dealing with growing older, bodies slowing down, things not working as well as they did, and sadly but inevitably their own mortality. A story about loneliness and the power of friendship. It is beautifully written and the sudden shock revelation of a long held secret leads to a surprisingly climactic ending. Wood also has a talent for hiding parts of the narrative away, luring the reader away from pivotal points, only to bring them back alarmingly later in the story. The metaphorical ending is simply brilliant. A wonderful book. 5 Stars.
This was another buddy read with the wonderful Nat K and she is close to finishing. Please read her review when she posts it, hers are always better than mine.
January 5, 2020
This novel explores how the death of a fourth friend impacts the lives and friendships of three remaining older women. I found it to be a difficult read, but not how you might think. I could not summon the ability to care at all and was immensely bored; it was impossible to identify with the two-dimensional stereotypes (slovenly academic, washed-up actress and someone who seemed to be so wholly defined by the fact they are a mistress) and even more difficult to try to retain interest in the plot.
There was quite a bit of buzz around this one when it came out that I had high hopes, which may account (in part) to how underwhelming I found this read. I don’t really recommend it and have no quotes.
There was quite a bit of buzz around this one when it came out that I had high hopes, which may account (in part) to how underwhelming I found this read. I don’t really recommend it and have no quotes.
November 8, 2019
Oh I would give this quick read 6 stars, if I could. So topical for me at 73. Reminded me of being in my 40's and finding Fay Weldon showed me how to be that, then. Not a wasted word, totally cinematic from start to finish. I KNOW these people.. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
January 27, 2020
Three friends spend the weekend clearing out the beach house of their dear deceased friend Sylvie. And oh how I loved these women (and that poor dog). This book will appear ‘lighter� and ‘easier� than Wood’s previous novel The Natural Way of Things but that’s misleading. Wood has packed the very fabric and tenderness/cruelty of life and female friendship into this slight novel and I laughed and cried my way through it. I gravitate to books like this and when I come across something this good it feels like a gift.
December 7, 2023
‘Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.�
Why is there so much anger in this book? And self-indulgence and a relentlessly demanding sense of expectation? If this is how forty years of friendship looks, god help the enemies of these three women. To be fair, the last fifty pages are unexpectedly refreshing, but, sadly, too little and too late after what’s gone before. Book club readers, beware. Enter at your peril.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.�
Why is there so much anger in this book? And self-indulgence and a relentlessly demanding sense of expectation? If this is how forty years of friendship looks, god help the enemies of these three women. To be fair, the last fifty pages are unexpectedly refreshing, but, sadly, too little and too late after what’s gone before. Book club readers, beware. Enter at your peril.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
January 15, 2020My DNF streak continues with another highly anticipated release that I am just not clicking with.
I expected something literary but so far it's a lot of uninteresting history about a recently deceased Sylvie and people going through her house talking about what is in her cupboards. WTF?
DNF 37%
I expected something literary but so far it's a lot of uninteresting history about a recently deceased Sylvie and people going through her house talking about what is in her cupboards. WTF?
DNF 37%
August 19, 2024
I sought out this book because I wanted to read a novel focused on older women. I think this representation is a strength of The Weekend, that it portrays three women in their 70’s navigating both their friendship with one another and a host of other issues (e.g., health concerns, career struggles, romantic relationships, etc.) Media and society so often erases older women/femmes and I liked getting an at least somewhat realistic glimpse into what this stage of life may look like.
That said, the execution of this story left something to be wanted. First, I found the characters pretty hostile toward one another throughout the book. While I can understand wanting conflict and tension to move the story forward, at many points I was left wondering why these characters had been friends with one another for 30+ years � perhaps more flashbacks or kinder moments would have explained this. Each character’s development also felt a tad narrow, such that they each fit a somewhat two-dimensional box (e.g., fading actress, woman with a love affair). Maybe the book would have benefitted from more of the passages about why they disliked one another being redirected into more robust characterizations.
Anyway, I think I can see what this book was going for but the delivery wasn’t the greatest. Onto the next!
That said, the execution of this story left something to be wanted. First, I found the characters pretty hostile toward one another throughout the book. While I can understand wanting conflict and tension to move the story forward, at many points I was left wondering why these characters had been friends with one another for 30+ years � perhaps more flashbacks or kinder moments would have explained this. Each character’s development also felt a tad narrow, such that they each fit a somewhat two-dimensional box (e.g., fading actress, woman with a love affair). Maybe the book would have benefitted from more of the passages about why they disliked one another being redirected into more robust characterizations.
Anyway, I think I can see what this book was going for but the delivery wasn’t the greatest. Onto the next!
November 4, 2019
Wood is a wonderful writer and this is a short, sharp look at women's lives with a very different atmosphere to The Natural Way of Things. It tackles friendship, grief, loneliness and aging and is insightful, funny and sometimes cruel. A friend noted that it would make a good play, and I think that's bang on - it's all dialogue and set pieces and the three main characters would work perfectly on the stage.
November 3, 2019
Three and a half stars.
Three older women with a long-standing friendship come together over Christmas at the old beach house belonging to Sylvie, who has died. Sylvie was the fourth friend in this group. But without Sylvie there, the friendship appears strained and fragile. All of these women have had substantial careers. Jude as a famous restauranteur, Wendy an academic and Adele as an acclaimed actress. Now though Adele is finding work is non-existent for an older actress. This time as they gather at Sylvie’s old beach house it is not to celebrate Christmas but to clean the place out before it is sold. But over this working weekend tensions flare, secrets are revealed and aggravations mount. That Wendy has brought her old and infirm canine companion Finn with her only adds to the tension.
This is an unflinching look at the issue of growing older and being forced to face the truth. The story presents an acerbic look at these women and the issues involved in the friendship. Despite the women being well portrayed and even though I am an older woman, I never really connected with any of them. Perhaps because their experience of life was so different to mine? At one stage Jude reflect on herself and her attitudes, ‘Jude knew she had cruel in her, but she didn’t care.� Seems to me in wasn’t just in Jude but each of the women. They each had a barb evident at times.
Some of the writing is beautiful and insightful. Other parts not so much. Despite some mixed thoughts. I was interested in the book throughout and very glad I read it. Without doubt this is a character driven story, although the beach place is well depicted. My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my uncorrected proof copy to read and review. I have no doubt this would be an excellent choice for a book club and would provide lots of discussion.
Three older women with a long-standing friendship come together over Christmas at the old beach house belonging to Sylvie, who has died. Sylvie was the fourth friend in this group. But without Sylvie there, the friendship appears strained and fragile. All of these women have had substantial careers. Jude as a famous restauranteur, Wendy an academic and Adele as an acclaimed actress. Now though Adele is finding work is non-existent for an older actress. This time as they gather at Sylvie’s old beach house it is not to celebrate Christmas but to clean the place out before it is sold. But over this working weekend tensions flare, secrets are revealed and aggravations mount. That Wendy has brought her old and infirm canine companion Finn with her only adds to the tension.
This is an unflinching look at the issue of growing older and being forced to face the truth. The story presents an acerbic look at these women and the issues involved in the friendship. Despite the women being well portrayed and even though I am an older woman, I never really connected with any of them. Perhaps because their experience of life was so different to mine? At one stage Jude reflect on herself and her attitudes, ‘Jude knew she had cruel in her, but she didn’t care.� Seems to me in wasn’t just in Jude but each of the women. They each had a barb evident at times.
Some of the writing is beautiful and insightful. Other parts not so much. Despite some mixed thoughts. I was interested in the book throughout and very glad I read it. Without doubt this is a character driven story, although the beach place is well depicted. My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my uncorrected proof copy to read and review. I have no doubt this would be an excellent choice for a book club and would provide lots of discussion.
December 6, 2020
I should have loved this book. I like Charlotte Wood, as an author.
It was shortlisted for the 2020 Australian prime ministers literary award.
It’s endorsed by readers I respect.
The book cover alone, was a seductive draw.
But....
.....this book didn’t ‘wow� me. I liked it, enough, some parts more than others, but it’s not a book I’d rave about.
It’s being compared to ‘The Big Chill�....but for me, that’s a little bit of a stretch. The only similar theme was that old friends were reuniting over a long weekend ( a Christmas weekend in Bittoes, Australia).
Jude, Adele, and Wendy, lost their friend, Sylvie� they set out to meet at Sylvie’s beach house - stay the weekend- to clean it out before Sylvie’s partner sells it.
At times - I felt as much time was given to driving in the cars—as anything else.
I didn’t ‘feel� enough emotional investment� one way or another towards the characters.
The descriptions were good - visual ( like peeking into another friends toiletry bag when in the bathroom)...etc. but even topics that were close to home for me ( estrangement), didn’t fully grab me.
I was more a fly on the wall - slightly interested � but not enthralled or deeply submerged with the entire story itself.
Finn, a sick aging dog was the most likable character.
Even though I wasn’t ‘wild� about this novel...( but also didn’t hate it) > kinda neutral about it.
I still admire Charlotte Wood....and would read her again.
It was shortlisted for the 2020 Australian prime ministers literary award.
It’s endorsed by readers I respect.
The book cover alone, was a seductive draw.
But....
.....this book didn’t ‘wow� me. I liked it, enough, some parts more than others, but it’s not a book I’d rave about.
It’s being compared to ‘The Big Chill�....but for me, that’s a little bit of a stretch. The only similar theme was that old friends were reuniting over a long weekend ( a Christmas weekend in Bittoes, Australia).
Jude, Adele, and Wendy, lost their friend, Sylvie� they set out to meet at Sylvie’s beach house - stay the weekend- to clean it out before Sylvie’s partner sells it.
At times - I felt as much time was given to driving in the cars—as anything else.
I didn’t ‘feel� enough emotional investment� one way or another towards the characters.
The descriptions were good - visual ( like peeking into another friends toiletry bag when in the bathroom)...etc. but even topics that were close to home for me ( estrangement), didn’t fully grab me.
I was more a fly on the wall - slightly interested � but not enthralled or deeply submerged with the entire story itself.
Finn, a sick aging dog was the most likable character.
Even though I wasn’t ‘wild� about this novel...( but also didn’t hate it) > kinda neutral about it.
I still admire Charlotte Wood....and would read her again.
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 6, 2020I got up to 37% and just couldn't read any more. It was depressing and dreary. Not a bit of humor and the characters were joyless. A big UGH for this one.
December 30, 2019
Don't waste your time reading this book. Worst book I've read for 2019. I don't understand why this book was so hyped up. So much rubbish that made no sense, boring characters that obviously had nothing in common. A poor dog that should be dead. It was just a boring read, thank goodness it was short.
August 17, 2020
Tre amiche settantenni, Wendy, Jude e Adele si ritrovano in occasione della morte della quarta amica Sylvie: il collante che le aveva unite in tutti quei decenni.
Siamo in Australia ed è il periodo di Natale.
Cosa sarà adesso della loro amicizia? Come faranno a essere ancora unite, se Sylvie non c'è più?
Le tre amiche si ritrovano, in occasione del funerale di Sylvie, a trascorrere del tempo insieme nella casa dell'amica scomparsa, che è metafora della loro amicizia.
"Ma come si erano ritrovate insieme? Wendy aveva conosciuto Sylvie a Oxford, e il ristorante di Jude era a due passi dal teatro... Adele non ricordava altro � forse lei aveva incontrato Sylvie a una delle famose feste di Jude? � ma erano state attratte dalle rispettive orbite, era nato l’amore e non si erano più lasciate. Eppure quella forza di gravità si era piano piano affievolita. E adesso vagavano alla deriva.
Da quando Sylvie non c’era più, era come se Adele, Wendy e Jude fossero male assortite. Prima erano in quattro, c’era una simmetria."
Un quarto personaggio è il cane malandato di Wendy, Finn: il veterinario le aveva detto di abbatterlo, ma Wendy non era mai riuscita a prendere quella decisione.
E sarà proprio Finn lo specchio attraverso cui le tre donne saranno costrette a guardarsi per fare i conti con il proprio passato, il proprio presente e le loro emozioni: "C’era una vita visibile a tutti, che si svolgeva nel mondo materiale, e un’altra, più intima: il regno dell’emozione, in cui si acquisivano le conoscenze davvero importanti e aveva luogo la vita vera."
"I gabbiani volavano in cerchio sulle loro teste, stridendo. Finn russava piano. Gli animali erano semplicemente se stessi, obbedivano all’istinto. Solo Wendy comprendeva che erano animali anche loro, lei e Jude e Adele. Erano lì perché si sentivano in dovere di farlo. Per Sylvie e per Gail. Perché lo avrebbero fatto in ogni caso. Perché cos’era l’amicizia, dopo quarant’anni? Cosa sarebbe stata dopo cinquanta, o sessanta? Era un mistero. Qualcosa di immutabile, una forza profonda e ineludibile come la vibrazione dell’oceano che sentiva sotto la sabbia."
Con un crescendo di intimità tra il lettore e le tre donne, pian piano i segreti vengono a galla e Charlotte Wood è bravissima nel non svelare i fatti salienti prima del tempo. E tutti i nodi alla fine vengono al pettine e la loro amicizia sembra così giunta al capolinea.
Ed è la volta dell'entrata in scena del quinto personaggio: l'oceano, che fa da collante tra le donne.
"Adele sentì l’acqua salata tirarle la pelle. Sylvie era morta, Liz non la voleva, il futuro era ignoto. Le sembrava di aver perso tutto. Ma lì nell’acqua c’erano le sue amiche spaventate a tenerle la mano. A tenerla a galla a tutti i costi. La mareggiata cresceva sempre di più. Jude e Wendy temevano il suo arrivo, temevano il dispiegarsi di quell’enorme parete d’acqua, ma Adele continuò a stringere le loro mani e urlò: «Non vi preoccupate. Andate sott’acqua quando ve lo dico io». Usò il corpo come uno strumento di persuasione per convincerle ad aspettare, poi contò e disse: Ora. Mollarono la presa, si immersero e si sentirono trasportate, sollevate nell’impeto dell’acqua, e poi � con incredibile delicatezza � ridepositate in piedi. Respirarono, asciugarono gli occhi e si cercarono di nuovo con le mani, in attesa della prossima onda."
Con una prosa asciutta e al tempo stesso poetica, Charlotte Wood ci trasporta nel mondo degli anziani, per farci vedere che non davvero non si smette mai di crescere.
Bello!
Siamo in Australia ed è il periodo di Natale.
Cosa sarà adesso della loro amicizia? Come faranno a essere ancora unite, se Sylvie non c'è più?
Le tre amiche si ritrovano, in occasione del funerale di Sylvie, a trascorrere del tempo insieme nella casa dell'amica scomparsa, che è metafora della loro amicizia.
"Ma come si erano ritrovate insieme? Wendy aveva conosciuto Sylvie a Oxford, e il ristorante di Jude era a due passi dal teatro... Adele non ricordava altro � forse lei aveva incontrato Sylvie a una delle famose feste di Jude? � ma erano state attratte dalle rispettive orbite, era nato l’amore e non si erano più lasciate. Eppure quella forza di gravità si era piano piano affievolita. E adesso vagavano alla deriva.
Da quando Sylvie non c’era più, era come se Adele, Wendy e Jude fossero male assortite. Prima erano in quattro, c’era una simmetria."
Un quarto personaggio è il cane malandato di Wendy, Finn: il veterinario le aveva detto di abbatterlo, ma Wendy non era mai riuscita a prendere quella decisione.
E sarà proprio Finn lo specchio attraverso cui le tre donne saranno costrette a guardarsi per fare i conti con il proprio passato, il proprio presente e le loro emozioni: "C’era una vita visibile a tutti, che si svolgeva nel mondo materiale, e un’altra, più intima: il regno dell’emozione, in cui si acquisivano le conoscenze davvero importanti e aveva luogo la vita vera."
"I gabbiani volavano in cerchio sulle loro teste, stridendo. Finn russava piano. Gli animali erano semplicemente se stessi, obbedivano all’istinto. Solo Wendy comprendeva che erano animali anche loro, lei e Jude e Adele. Erano lì perché si sentivano in dovere di farlo. Per Sylvie e per Gail. Perché lo avrebbero fatto in ogni caso. Perché cos’era l’amicizia, dopo quarant’anni? Cosa sarebbe stata dopo cinquanta, o sessanta? Era un mistero. Qualcosa di immutabile, una forza profonda e ineludibile come la vibrazione dell’oceano che sentiva sotto la sabbia."
Con un crescendo di intimità tra il lettore e le tre donne, pian piano i segreti vengono a galla e Charlotte Wood è bravissima nel non svelare i fatti salienti prima del tempo. E tutti i nodi alla fine vengono al pettine e la loro amicizia sembra così giunta al capolinea.
Ed è la volta dell'entrata in scena del quinto personaggio: l'oceano, che fa da collante tra le donne.
"Adele sentì l’acqua salata tirarle la pelle. Sylvie era morta, Liz non la voleva, il futuro era ignoto. Le sembrava di aver perso tutto. Ma lì nell’acqua c’erano le sue amiche spaventate a tenerle la mano. A tenerla a galla a tutti i costi. La mareggiata cresceva sempre di più. Jude e Wendy temevano il suo arrivo, temevano il dispiegarsi di quell’enorme parete d’acqua, ma Adele continuò a stringere le loro mani e urlò: «Non vi preoccupate. Andate sott’acqua quando ve lo dico io». Usò il corpo come uno strumento di persuasione per convincerle ad aspettare, poi contò e disse: Ora. Mollarono la presa, si immersero e si sentirono trasportate, sollevate nell’impeto dell’acqua, e poi � con incredibile delicatezza � ridepositate in piedi. Respirarono, asciugarono gli occhi e si cercarono di nuovo con le mani, in attesa della prossima onda."
Con una prosa asciutta e al tempo stesso poetica, Charlotte Wood ci trasporta nel mondo degli anziani, per farci vedere che non davvero non si smette mai di crescere.
Bello!
June 29, 2022
Igyekszem elkerülni, hogy közvetlen egymás után hasonló témájú könyveket olvassak, de úgy alakult, hogy zsinórban két öregedésről szóló regény került a kezembe. Most keresnem kéne valamit a fiatalodásról is.
Wood kötetének kiindulópontja, hogy négy elválaszthatatlan barátnő közül az egyik meghal, a többiek pedig elindulnak kitakarítani annak tengerparti vityillóját. No most a takarítás (ezt Knausgard-nál már láthattuk) nem pusztán praktikus tevékenység ilyenkor, hanem spirituális is: egyfajta szembenézés, felszámolás, búcsúzás. Például szembenézés azzal, hogy Sylvie nélkül a három maradék barátnő bizony már nem is annyira barátnő, csak három asszony, aki nem különösebben passzol egymáshoz. Talán mert mind azt látja a másik kettőben, amitől legjobban fél. A test és az elme szétesését, az ezzel vívott szánalmas és reménytelen küzdelmet, összefoglalva: a halál elkerülhetetlen settenkedését. (Mert a halál manapság ritkábban rohamoz. A fejlett fogyasztói kapitalizmusban elmúltak a daliás idők, amikor a Kaszás egy viking horda vagy a Második Ukrán Front képében gázol át rajtunk � ehelyett tűrhetetlen lassúsággal közelít, kering körülöttünk egyre szűkülő gyűrűben, mint egy hiéna.)
Itt az öregedés más arcát mutatja, mint Roth könyvében, A haldokló állat-ban. Abban az elmúlás az egyén és teste közötti viszony megbomlását jelenti, aminek lakmusza a szexuális lehetőségek beszűkülése. Woodnál viszont az öregedés egyfajta társadalmi eltávolodás: a kor előrehaladtával az ember átkerül a páriák csoportjába, olyasvalaki lesz, akire már nincs szükség, akinek nincs más dolga, mint megtanulni csendesnek lenni � és ha jól megtanulta, akkor végleg elhallgathat. Száműzetés, ez a jó szó. Valami szomorú, vizes síkra. És hogy társaink is vannak a száműzetésben, néha nem sokat segít � inkább csak emlékeztet minket saját száműzött voltunkra.
Különben megtanultam becsülni azokat a könyveket, amiben a konfliktus nem a tragédia előszobája, hanem lehetőség a megoldásra azáltal, hogy elfogadjuk és felvállaljuk a problémát. Szerintem ez a fajta gondolkodás képes megmenteni az emberiséget � és elégedettséggel tölt el, ha egy regényben ezt a filozófiát látom visszatükröződni. Ez pedig egy ilyen könyv.
Wood kötetének kiindulópontja, hogy négy elválaszthatatlan barátnő közül az egyik meghal, a többiek pedig elindulnak kitakarítani annak tengerparti vityillóját. No most a takarítás (ezt Knausgard-nál már láthattuk) nem pusztán praktikus tevékenység ilyenkor, hanem spirituális is: egyfajta szembenézés, felszámolás, búcsúzás. Például szembenézés azzal, hogy Sylvie nélkül a három maradék barátnő bizony már nem is annyira barátnő, csak három asszony, aki nem különösebben passzol egymáshoz. Talán mert mind azt látja a másik kettőben, amitől legjobban fél. A test és az elme szétesését, az ezzel vívott szánalmas és reménytelen küzdelmet, összefoglalva: a halál elkerülhetetlen settenkedését. (Mert a halál manapság ritkábban rohamoz. A fejlett fogyasztói kapitalizmusban elmúltak a daliás idők, amikor a Kaszás egy viking horda vagy a Második Ukrán Front képében gázol át rajtunk � ehelyett tűrhetetlen lassúsággal közelít, kering körülöttünk egyre szűkülő gyűrűben, mint egy hiéna.)
Itt az öregedés más arcát mutatja, mint Roth könyvében, A haldokló állat-ban. Abban az elmúlás az egyén és teste közötti viszony megbomlását jelenti, aminek lakmusza a szexuális lehetőségek beszűkülése. Woodnál viszont az öregedés egyfajta társadalmi eltávolodás: a kor előrehaladtával az ember átkerül a páriák csoportjába, olyasvalaki lesz, akire már nincs szükség, akinek nincs más dolga, mint megtanulni csendesnek lenni � és ha jól megtanulta, akkor végleg elhallgathat. Száműzetés, ez a jó szó. Valami szomorú, vizes síkra. És hogy társaink is vannak a száműzetésben, néha nem sokat segít � inkább csak emlékeztet minket saját száműzött voltunkra.
Különben megtanultam becsülni azokat a könyveket, amiben a konfliktus nem a tragédia előszobája, hanem lehetőség a megoldásra azáltal, hogy elfogadjuk és felvállaljuk a problémát. Szerintem ez a fajta gondolkodás képes megmenteni az emberiséget � és elégedettséggel tölt el, ha egy regényben ezt a filozófiát látom visszatükröződni. Ez pedig egy ilyen könyv.
July 8, 2020
EDITED - I started this book with trepidation. I really disliked The Natural Way of Things and the blurb to this novel didn't appeal either. There seems to be a particular type of novel that is concerned with the intense introspection of every thought/feeling/word that the characters have whilst the action/events are very mundane - think 'Normal People' by Sally Rooney (uugh). The Weekend falls into this category and I'm just not into it. I find it almost disingenuous to ascribe the flurry of emotions/thoughts/feelings to the characters after even the simplest of interactions. It's too much. I guess this is a thing - exploring the mundaneness of life, but just because it's a simple premise doesn't mean it has to be padded out with over-emotion - and that is what I hate. It's not real life, no one thinks like that (IN MY OPINION _ THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THE ERROR OF MY WAYS LIZP), it's stuffy and claustrophobic. And the characters - Holy Dooley what a group of annoying women! I can't believe they could even pretend to be friends - surely by the age of 70 you have the sense to get rid of all your toxic relationships? If I'm still putting up with shit like that when I'm 70 hit me with a club because I deserve it.
LOL hope you enjoyed my review - it feels great to have finished this tiresome novel
THE BIG WORDIES AND HEAVY THOUGHTIES REALLY HURT MY BRAIN - AGAIN, THANK YOU LIZP - I SHALL NOW GO BACK TO THE PROPER GENRE FOR PUNY BRAINS LIKE MINE.
LOL hope you enjoyed my review - it feels great to have finished this tiresome novel
THE BIG WORDIES AND HEAVY THOUGHTIES REALLY HURT MY BRAIN - AGAIN, THANK YOU LIZP - I SHALL NOW GO BACK TO THE PROPER GENRE FOR PUNY BRAINS LIKE MINE.
December 17, 2019
This book is a snap shot insight into the lives of Adele, Wendy and Jude. Three friends who have gathered at Christmas to pack up the beach house of their deceased friend Sylvie. The three friends are now all in the seventies and their insecurities with themselves and each other quickly surface.
This is not a warm and fuzzy gathering, this is a book that exposes their physical and mental weaknesses warts and all.
Adele is a 'has-been' actress who does not appear to be able to switch off the self-indulgent diva act even though she is unemployed, broke and not sure how she will keep going or where she will live.
Jude is a force to be reckoned with, a successful restaurateur who is the mistress of a wealthy business man that she has been with for 40 years. It is an affair not discussed but which everyone is aware exists.
Wendy is an academic dealing with her dog, Finn, who needs to be put down, but Wendy is in denial as Finn has been her loyal companion since she was widowed.
In coming together it seems to bring out the worst in all of them and they start to question how they ever remained friends at all.
A very honest and often brutally told book told in a very human way. I was pleasantly surprised and came to appreciate each of the characters.
Thank you Allen & Unwin for the uncorrected ARC of this book.
This is not a warm and fuzzy gathering, this is a book that exposes their physical and mental weaknesses warts and all.
Adele is a 'has-been' actress who does not appear to be able to switch off the self-indulgent diva act even though she is unemployed, broke and not sure how she will keep going or where she will live.
Jude is a force to be reckoned with, a successful restaurateur who is the mistress of a wealthy business man that she has been with for 40 years. It is an affair not discussed but which everyone is aware exists.
Wendy is an academic dealing with her dog, Finn, who needs to be put down, but Wendy is in denial as Finn has been her loyal companion since she was widowed.
In coming together it seems to bring out the worst in all of them and they start to question how they ever remained friends at all.
A very honest and often brutally told book told in a very human way. I was pleasantly surprised and came to appreciate each of the characters.
Thank you Allen & Unwin for the uncorrected ARC of this book.
November 9, 2019
In the days before Christmas, three women in their 70s - friends for more than four decades - meet at their recently deceased friend's house by the beach, to make it ready for sale. There is Jude, a tall, poised, secretive, authoritative, former restaurateur. Wendy, the compassionate, once striking but now quite large and frumpy, famous intellectual. Finally we have Adele, a childlike, well-preserved, acclaimed actress who hasn't been offered any work in over a year. An unwelcome addition to the group is Wendy's dog, Finn, 17yo, blind, deaf and highly anxious - but she couldn't leave him behind in Sydney.
As you would expect, three vastly different characters are going to have a few flashpoints along the way, and not all of them are caused by the dog. The women are forced to examine their past, expose their insecurities, and by the end they have a better understanding of how their friendship can move forward as a trio rather than their accustomed quartet.
I haven't read anything by Charlotte Wood before, and I found this a pleasant if somewhat forgettable diversion for a couple of days. I may have felt more invested in the story if I was a generation older.
With thinks to Allen & Unwin for an advance copy to read and review.
As you would expect, three vastly different characters are going to have a few flashpoints along the way, and not all of them are caused by the dog. The women are forced to examine their past, expose their insecurities, and by the end they have a better understanding of how their friendship can move forward as a trio rather than their accustomed quartet.
I haven't read anything by Charlotte Wood before, and I found this a pleasant if somewhat forgettable diversion for a couple of days. I may have felt more invested in the story if I was a generation older.
With thinks to Allen & Unwin for an advance copy to read and review.
November 26, 2019
If you are going into this one because you liked The Natural Way of Things, you need to know that The Weekend is entirely different, with one exception: the brilliant writing.
‘This was something nobody talked about: how death could make you petty. And how you had to find a new arrangement among your friends, shuffling around the gap of the lost one, all of you suddenly mystified by how to be with one another.�
This is a novel about female friendship that has been coloured by grief, and although the main characters are each in their seventies, I do feel that this is a story that women of other ages could connect with. I certainly did, and I’m in my forties.
‘At the same instant they each lifted a hand to shade their eyes, in a motion Adele had seen hundreds, thousands of times through all the decades of their friendship. She remembered them from long ago, two girls alive with purpose and beauty. Her love for them was inexplicable.�
Each of these women were likeable and not, in equal measure, like real people, I suppose. Balanced against their grief for Sylvie and their irritations with each other was a very real concern for their own circumstances within the framework of ageing. Overall, I felt as though each character got enough airtime and no one’s issues overshadowed the other. It made for an entertaining read, the shifting perspectives. The weaving into the narrative of their respective as well as mutual histories was also well done.
‘Until now she had never considered that the worn rubber band of their friendship might one day simply disintegrate. It seemed impossible. But a deadness had crept into their feelings for one another and, it seemed now, was spreading.�
I read The Weekend in one day, on the weekend! It was one of those novels that made for easy reading, despite the thought provoking content and heavy themes. Honestly, it was an incredibly uplifting read and I highly recommend it.
‘And each of the three let go, plunged down and felt herself carried, lifted up in the great sweep of the water’s force, and then � astonishingly gently � set down on her feet again. They breathed, and wiped their eyes, reached for each other again, waited for the next wave.�
Thanks extended toAllen & Unwinfor providing me with a copy of The Weekend for review.
‘This was something nobody talked about: how death could make you petty. And how you had to find a new arrangement among your friends, shuffling around the gap of the lost one, all of you suddenly mystified by how to be with one another.�
This is a novel about female friendship that has been coloured by grief, and although the main characters are each in their seventies, I do feel that this is a story that women of other ages could connect with. I certainly did, and I’m in my forties.
‘At the same instant they each lifted a hand to shade their eyes, in a motion Adele had seen hundreds, thousands of times through all the decades of their friendship. She remembered them from long ago, two girls alive with purpose and beauty. Her love for them was inexplicable.�
Each of these women were likeable and not, in equal measure, like real people, I suppose. Balanced against their grief for Sylvie and their irritations with each other was a very real concern for their own circumstances within the framework of ageing. Overall, I felt as though each character got enough airtime and no one’s issues overshadowed the other. It made for an entertaining read, the shifting perspectives. The weaving into the narrative of their respective as well as mutual histories was also well done.
‘Until now she had never considered that the worn rubber band of their friendship might one day simply disintegrate. It seemed impossible. But a deadness had crept into their feelings for one another and, it seemed now, was spreading.�
I read The Weekend in one day, on the weekend! It was one of those novels that made for easy reading, despite the thought provoking content and heavy themes. Honestly, it was an incredibly uplifting read and I highly recommend it.
‘And each of the three let go, plunged down and felt herself carried, lifted up in the great sweep of the water’s force, and then � astonishingly gently � set down on her feet again. They breathed, and wiped their eyes, reached for each other again, waited for the next wave.�
Thanks extended toAllen & Unwinfor providing me with a copy of The Weekend for review.
December 17, 2021
“It was exhausting, being friends. Had they ever been able to tell each other the truth?� It’s the day before Christmas Eve as seventysomethings Jude, Wendy and Adele gather to clear out their late friend’s Sylvie’s house in a fictional coastal town in New South Wales. This being Australia, that means blazing hot weather and a beach barbecue rather than a cosy winter scene. Jude is a bristly former restaurateur who has been the mistress of a married man for many years. Wendy is a widowed academic who brings her decrepit dog, Finn, along with her. Adele is a washed-up actress who carefully maintains her appearance but still can’t find meaningful work.
They know each other so well, faults and all. Things they think they’ve hidden are beyond obvious to the others. And for as much as they miss Sylvie, they are angry at her, too. But there is also a fierce affection in the mix: “[Adele] remembered them from long ago, two girls alive with purpose and beauty. Her love for them was inexplicable. It was almost bodily.� Yet Wendy compares their tenuous friendship to the Great Barrier Reef coral, at risk of being bleached.
It’s rare to see so concerted a look at women in later life, as the characters think back and wonder if they’ve made the right choices. There are plenty of secrets and self-esteem struggles, but it’s all encased in an acerbic wit that reminded me of Emma Straub and Elizabeth Strout. Terrific stuff.
Some favourite lines:
“The past was striated through you, through your body, leaching into the present and the future.�
“Was this what getting old was made of? Routines and evasions, boring yourself to death with your own rigid judgements?�
Originally published on my blog, .
They know each other so well, faults and all. Things they think they’ve hidden are beyond obvious to the others. And for as much as they miss Sylvie, they are angry at her, too. But there is also a fierce affection in the mix: “[Adele] remembered them from long ago, two girls alive with purpose and beauty. Her love for them was inexplicable. It was almost bodily.� Yet Wendy compares their tenuous friendship to the Great Barrier Reef coral, at risk of being bleached.
It’s rare to see so concerted a look at women in later life, as the characters think back and wonder if they’ve made the right choices. There are plenty of secrets and self-esteem struggles, but it’s all encased in an acerbic wit that reminded me of Emma Straub and Elizabeth Strout. Terrific stuff.
Some favourite lines:
“The past was striated through you, through your body, leaching into the present and the future.�
“Was this what getting old was made of? Routines and evasions, boring yourself to death with your own rigid judgements?�
Originally published on my blog, .
May 16, 2022
The Weekend has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I don’t know why it seemed to get pushed to the bottom of the pile, it is an extraordinary read.
Four older women with a lifelong friendship. Each of them very different from each other but something drew them together all those years ago. But when one of the group dies the remaining three are left to face their failing bodies and their own mortality. Sylvie was the one to hold the group together. Can they survive without her?
The Weekend is a sharply observed look at friendship and ageing. Charlotte Wood’s nuanced characters and lyrical prose combine to deliver a heart-felt story that explores the changing dynamics of a decades long friendship group when one of the group passes away.
As the story develops the women’s thoughts were mainly on each other, their likes and dislikes but it soon changes to musings on their own lives, lost opportunities, lost loves and regrets.
The Weekend is a thought provoking read, confronting and clever, primarily highlighting the bond of friendship.
Thank you to the publisher for my copy to read
Four older women with a lifelong friendship. Each of them very different from each other but something drew them together all those years ago. But when one of the group dies the remaining three are left to face their failing bodies and their own mortality. Sylvie was the one to hold the group together. Can they survive without her?
The Weekend is a sharply observed look at friendship and ageing. Charlotte Wood’s nuanced characters and lyrical prose combine to deliver a heart-felt story that explores the changing dynamics of a decades long friendship group when one of the group passes away.
As the story develops the women’s thoughts were mainly on each other, their likes and dislikes but it soon changes to musings on their own lives, lost opportunities, lost loves and regrets.
The Weekend is a thought provoking read, confronting and clever, primarily highlighting the bond of friendship.
Thank you to the publisher for my copy to read
May 1, 2021
I've just spent a weekend with these ladies and I think I've fallen a bit in love with each of them through each of their turmoils.
The writing perfectly captures the shifting dynamics of long-time friendships between a trio of women in their early '70s, as they get together for a weekend at Christmas, to tidy out their beloved deceased friends holiday house at a Northern Sydney beach.
These women have all done a lot of living and know some of each others secrets better than they know their own.
A quick and deceptively easy reading experience. I admire the nuanced way Charlotte Wood carried this out. If I had any complaint it's that I really didn't want to leave these ladies after coming to care about what happens to them.
Highly recommended.
The writing perfectly captures the shifting dynamics of long-time friendships between a trio of women in their early '70s, as they get together for a weekend at Christmas, to tidy out their beloved deceased friends holiday house at a Northern Sydney beach.
These women have all done a lot of living and know some of each others secrets better than they know their own.
A quick and deceptively easy reading experience. I admire the nuanced way Charlotte Wood carried this out. If I had any complaint it's that I really didn't want to leave these ladies after coming to care about what happens to them.
Highly recommended.
April 20, 2024
4.5 stars. I was completely engrossed by Charlotte Wood's short novel about three friends in their seventies who meet to clear out the home of a fourth mutual friend, now deceased.
Wood's razor-sharp descriptions of each woman's interior world, their reflections on aging and on their past lives, their biting judgments of their friends' actions combined with their willingness to overlook or excuse their own foibles, made for compelling reading. I devoured the book in one huge gulp and now look forward to reading more of Wood's work.
Wood's razor-sharp descriptions of each woman's interior world, their reflections on aging and on their past lives, their biting judgments of their friends' actions combined with their willingness to overlook or excuse their own foibles, made for compelling reading. I devoured the book in one huge gulp and now look forward to reading more of Wood's work.
August 2, 2022
Paņēmu YT saslavētu grāmatu un visu laiku gaidīju, kad tad man tā noraus jumtu. Nu, pēdējās 20 lappuses bija jaudīgas, bet tas jau bija par vēlu un stipri par maz. Tomēr grāmata galīgi nav slikta, es vnk no tās nesaņēmu gaidīto. Vispār jau ir maz grāmatu par draudzību, kur nu vēl ar 70+ vecuma grupas varoņiem, ja vien tas nav kāds joku stāsts par simtgadnieku, kareivi kosmosā vai kašķīgu pensionāru, kurš maina savu iedabu. Un zināmas atklāsmes te noteikti varēja gūt - gan par ilggadēju draudzību niansēm, gan par jaunības (vai drusku vēlāka posma) lēmumu un darbību (vai bezdarbību) sekām, kuras vecumā sit katram pa citām vietām.
“People thought that when you got old you wanted your lost youth, or lost love, or men or sex. But really you wanted work and you wanted money.�
“People thought that when you got old you wanted your lost youth, or lost love, or men or sex. But really you wanted work and you wanted money.�
June 18, 2022
Despite a flawed ending, this is my type of book! I am of the VIrgina Woolf's school of chronicles of a woman's inner life. The opposite sex seems to have an insight into thinge from The Inner Life. Think of Wood as the Katherine Mansfield of novels. In fact this may be the longest short story ever writterm.
Indelible prose!
Indelible prose!
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