The Yearning in Aussie Readers

Apr 10, 2013 Mish rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite, australian-authors

It was 1979 in a small country town, when Solomon Andrew moves in next door to a shy and awkward 15-year-old girl (who鈥檚 name is unknown throughout the book, only at the end) and who also happens to be her new substitute teacher. According to the girl鈥檚, he is beautiful, charming and has a lot of sex appeal in his tight, hipster hugging Jeans, and is also very hip and modern in his thinking and approach. Solomon knows the effect he has on the girls and tends to play up on the attention he receiv It was 1979 in a small country town, when Solomon Andrew moves in next door to a shy and awkward 15-year-old girl (who鈥檚 name is unknown throughout the book, only at the end) and who also happens to be her new substitute teacher. According to the girl鈥檚, he is beautiful, charming and has a lot of sex appeal in his tight, hipster hugging Jeans, and is also very hip and modern in his thinking and approach. Solomon knows the effect he has on the girls and tends to play up on the attention he receives. Meanwhile his unnamed neighbour seems to have this infatuation with Solomon; staring at him through her bedroom window for hours and writing him these anonymous, scented and erotic letters confessing her love. Solomon knows she is watching him and whom these letters are coming from, but assumes it鈥檚 only a teenage crush and will pass. But as these letters don鈥檛 stop. They continue to arrive, becoming bold and revealing her sexual desires and a yearning for him. It is taking all of Solomon self control not to succumb to temptation but he finds himself increasingly aroused by her words, until the yearning burns within him too. Then one day she turns up at his door and the passionate affair begins.

In the first half of the book the sex scenes were erotic and graphic, but I do feel that it was required. It enable us to get an in-depth understanding of the intensity of their relationship; their own reasoning for why they should/need be together, even thought they knew they were at a high risk of being discovered, and how the girls sexual awakening influenced her decision with future partners/relationships, long into her adulthood. I was really moved by the girls鈥� letters to Solomon, they were conveyed in a typical teenage way, pure and honest, comparing him to god and believing him to be her soul mate. But there was a hint of intelligence there too, in her poetic and sensual prose. Solomon on the other hand may be intellectually talented, free spirited, but in my opinion, a stupid man who doesn鈥檛 have any moral boundaries when it comes to the opposite sex, and that includes teenage girls. He has sexual urges that he can鈥檛 control - yet I鈥檝e got to give him one thing, he is definitely not a selfish lover and certainly knows how to please a woman.

It was the second half of the book that had me pondering over the situation long into the night 鈥� and there were times I couldn鈥檛 sleep because of thoughts running through my mind. It was 20 years later and Solomon is no longer in the girls鈥� life, now a woman, but he鈥檚 not far from her everyday thoughts. She would continue to write these erotic notes in her diary about Solomon and finds herself unable to let the memories of their love making disappear from her mind. She鈥檚 unable to form a satisfying relationship as she finds herself comparing them to Solomon. Until she met Max鈥�

I honestly thought Max was the one to get her out of this infatuation with Solomon. And there was hope at the beginning of their courtship where Max was loving, gentle and attentive to her needs and I do believe she fell in love with him. But the relationship went downhill and she had to resort to begging him to pay some attention to her in the bedroom. I felt crushed for her because I do believe she is trying to make an effort to move on from Solomon, and I don鈥檛 think its unreasonable to ask your partner what you want in the bedroom. But after so many rejections, it is humiliating. Max was capable, as there were signs from the beginning that he was, but he became is a moody, self-centered and selfish drunk that couldn鈥檛 be bothered. There were many factors that were wrong in this relationship but this what stood out for me.

I absolutely love every minute of this book. It was well thought out, it was a dark (just the way I like it) and so very well written. This is not an uncommon thing to happen, I know of 2 woman in my life that are going though a similar situation right now 鈥� holding on to the memory of their first love - and I鈥檓 sure there are many more.
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Apr 07, 2013 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-are, aussie-author

" I need your eyes to see, your hands to touch, your spirit to acknowledge that which I hold most deeply and secretly in my heart. My yearning for you."

A shy teenage girl writes scented letters of longing to her new high school English teacher and neighbour, the handsome and charming, Solomon Andrews. From her bedroom window she watches and hopes for him to notice her.
Solomon is flattered by his young student's attention, and though wary of another scandal, he finds himself unable to resist her
" I need your eyes to see, your hands to touch, your spirit to acknowledge that which I hold most deeply and secretly in my heart. My yearning for you."

A shy teenage girl writes scented letters of longing to her new high school English teacher and neighbour, the handsome and charming, Solomon Andrews. From her bedroom window she watches and hopes for him to notice her.
Solomon is flattered by his young student's attention, and though wary of another scandal, he finds himself unable to resist her passionate adoration.
While Solomon justifies their affair as his "ultimate and ecstatic gift" to her, the girl believes he is her soul mate, her one and only true love.
When they are discovered and separated she clings to the to the idea that she and Solomon are destined to be together. It is a belief that she cannot relinquish, and well into adulthood the yearning for him remains.

The plot of The Yearning extends beyond the scandalous affair between a teacher and a student, even beyond the a sensual coming of age story of an unnamed teenage girl in love with with a twenty something year old man. It is a compelling exploration of the nature of love, of lust, of longing and desire and how our early experiences with these emotions affect the way in which we resolve them as adults.

For the girl - now a woman, the affair leaves her endlessly searching for a lover able to stir the same feelings within her. It's an obsession that sabotages her relationships with other men, and even when she submits to Solomon's absence and marries Max, she is not free of their decades old connection. If she can't find some way to relinquish her teenage fantasy happiness will always elude her.
For Solomon, whose introduction to sex was divorced from love or even affection, the craving for attention, physical satisfaction and control of his emotions has him at the mercy of his libido. The value of an emotional connection, love if you will, escapes him not only in his relationship with the girl but in all his relationships to follow.

Belle's lyrical prose ensures The Yearning avoids becoming a tawdry, sensationalist tale of sexual exploitation. Both Eve and Solomon are able to give voice to the motivation behind their feelings and desires. The author captures the excitement and confusion of lust and love with raw honesty. Eve's letters and diary entries are the romantic, sensual ravings of a young girl in the throes of intense infatuation. Solomon's musings, though indisputably self serving, are thoughtfully revealing. It is important to know that the descriptions of various sexual unions are at times explicit but not without purpose.

Beautifully crafted, The Yearning is an evocative, sensual novel exploring the connection between love and desire. ...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, australian, aww2013

It鈥檚 1978 and Solomon Andrews, a high school English teacher moves to a small country town to take up a new position and perhaps escape a whisper of scandal.

Living next door to him is one of his students, a shy fifteen year old girl who watches him from behind the windows of her house. This doesn鈥檛 bother Solomon 鈥� he鈥檚 used to the attention of teenage girls. He鈥檚 young, he has long hair, he dresses differently to the teachers they know and he teaches in a way that they鈥檙e not used to. At first It鈥檚 1978 and Solomon Andrews, a high school English teacher moves to a small country town to take up a new position and perhaps escape a whisper of scandal.

Living next door to him is one of his students, a shy fifteen year old girl who watches him from behind the windows of her house. This doesn鈥檛 bother Solomon 鈥� he鈥檚 used to the attention of teenage girls. He鈥檚 young, he has long hair, he dresses differently to the teachers they know and he teaches in a way that they鈥檙e not used to. At first the girl watching him is a source of amusement鈥�.but then the notes begin to arrive.

He knows they鈥檙e from her but he鈥檚 surprised that this shy girl can write with such unabashed passion and abandonment. Against his better judgement, he becomes interested, the sweet letters awakening in him a desire to have her. To open her up and get to know her and introduce her to the unknown pleasures she hints at in her letters. Solomon tries to resist her words 鈥� this is a complication he doesn鈥檛 need. He finds solace in the arms of other women, ones who are more experienced and know the game. But her words continue to stir him and their game of her watching him has stepped up a little as he begins to show her more and more of himself. One day when he鈥檚 reading her latest letter, he turns around and there she is.

Soloman鈥檚 decision will have not just a long term effect on the girl, as she seeks to negotiate this adult world that she is catapulted into, but also himself.

I have to admit, The Yearning took me by surprise. The student-teacher story line is something I always find fascinating (maybe because all of my teachers were so imminently unattractive and unlikable, I鈥檓 baffled) so I wasted no time requesting this one. I expected perhaps a YA type story due to the age of the teenage girl but The Yearning isn鈥檛 that. On one hand, it鈥漵 a sensual and very erotic story of a girl鈥檚 sexual awakening. She develops a crush on her teacher, a man of already questionable morals who has been forced to leave one teaching post after an incident with a teenage student. You can tell that Soloman does attempt to resist the passionate words of the letters but they excite something within him, perhaps the desire for more than just a simple sexual gratification, even if he doesn鈥檛 realise it. To be honest, his attempts are not very good鈥� he strikes me as an inherently selfish person, even as he is generous in bed and in his teachings of the ways of passion with his student. I don鈥檛 say love, because Soloman doesn鈥檛 give her much in the way of that, even though she falls so desperately in love with him. She鈥檚 not worldly, she鈥檚 quite sheltered in her small country town, not many friends, very little experience with boys. It was inevitable that she would fall in love with Soloman, just as to me, it was inevitable the way their affair/relationship would go. Generous with his body but not with his feelings, feelings that he perhaps doesn鈥檛 even recognise in himself. For a large portion of the book, I wasn鈥檛 very sure what to feel about Soloman. He gave his student something that at first glance was wrong 鈥� sleazy and secretive, taking advantage when he was in a position of power. However that pales in comparison to the fact that the gave her something she would search fruitlessly, endlessly for, years afterwards. She could never reproduce those feelings, find that generosity in another partner.

However ultimately, my feelings for Soloman came to be pity. I think he believes he lives the ultimate care free life 鈥� no commitments, no wife, no children, not even any girlfriends. Just another town, more pretty women who know the score (and some who don鈥檛). He relishes in attention and pleasure, a tactile connection rather than an emotional one. In fact I came to feel pity for his former teenage lover too 鈥� in her attempts to seek what she had with Soloman in adulthood, she succumbs to the first instances where she feels it might be possible and ends up unhappy, unsatisfied in a failing marriage to a man she doesn鈥檛 understand, doesn鈥檛 know anymore and doesn鈥檛 love. She can鈥檛 let go of the thoughts of Soloman, her lover from so long ago and she needs to do that as an adult, in order to be truly happy and satisfied.

The Yearning certainly gave me a lot more than I bargained for and I definitely enjoyed the ride. It鈥檚 a book I find hard to classify 鈥� it鈥檚 more explicit sexually than I expected, especially given the ages of Soloman and his student but it鈥檚 much more than that. It鈥檚 an exploration of sexuality and feeling, it鈥檚 a deeper insight into what makes that connection, how it can be found in unlikely places and then lost. It鈥檚 about a fear of intimacy (not sexual, but emotional) and perhaps a chance missed. It鈥檚 a rich journey, well written. I may not have much in common with either of the characters but I often find dissatisfaction easy to relate to. We all have regrets, we are all searching for something that will make us feel, or keep the feelings alive. ...more

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May 11, 2013 Tien rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian-author, contemporary, australia, moving-mountains

More than anything else, this was a cover crush for me. The teacher student encounter turned me off somewhat though I cannot but profess an undying curiosity as to what happened 20 years later. Nothing, I don鈥檛 think, can really prepare me for my venture into The Yearning

The story began in the 70s and I could not help but laugh at the fashionable Solomon Andrews (sorry, 80s kid here 鈥� never got to live nor appreciate the 70s in its heyday). I cringed; I rolled my eyes; I snorted at the gushing o More than anything else, this was a cover crush for me. The teacher student encounter turned me off somewhat though I cannot but profess an undying curiosity as to what happened 20 years later. Nothing, I don鈥檛 think, can really prepare me for my venture into The Yearning

The story began in the 70s and I could not help but laugh at the fashionable Solomon Andrews (sorry, 80s kid here 鈥� never got to live nor appreciate the 70s in its heyday). I cringed; I rolled my eyes; I snorted at the gushing over Solomon and, especially, his wear鈥�

Darker and less burly than the rest, he was cool in tight flares and a smiley face T-shirt. It was a little too short for his waist and she smiled secretly at the smoothness of his belly鈥�

A man strode in, his ponytail swinging in time with his hips. The clunk of his platform shoes drew all eyes to him. A gold medallion nested in a puff of chest hair rising from the open neck of his paisley body shirt, and his pants hugged his buttocks, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Oh, it was a terrific and promising beginning; I was hooked line and sinker! The first half of the book was practically put me in a daze, a sensual one. This is another thing, I don鈥檛 read much erotica so I was feeling a bit unbalanced by this tone. Despite this uncomfortable feeling (I was also reading on the train on the commute to work so imagine me cracking the book open only halfway so no one else can read over me!), I found this young girl鈥檚 sensual awakening to be an enjoyable read. Mostly because it made me remember some of the awkwardness of that age.

Then we jump years in time and life was somewhat normal鈥� which was a little disappointing if not realistic. Her struggles are my struggles; struggles all women could identify with. And I wonder, how many of us made the following choice; it sounds really sad, at first, but so very sensible!

鈥橧 know what it is to have love, and I know what it is to lose it.鈥�
She lay motionless, listening intently to what sounded like honesty.
鈥業 also know that not everything is about happy ever after. Sometimes we have to choose what鈥檚 best over what we think we want.鈥�

In the end, however, it wasn鈥檛 about love. It wasn鈥檛 about sex. It wasn鈥檛 about relationship. This is about an affirmation of self; affirmation of women鈥檚 independence. I鈥檓 not talking about not needing men at all but rather the ability to identify oneself without having to refer to a nearby male and to be happy and functional with that identity. To me, The Yearning is an empowering novel which reminds us all that the power to be happy lies within us all and not dependent on anyone else.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster Australia for copy of book via The Reading Room
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Sep 02, 2013 Nicki Markus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-contemporary

I read The Yearning in one day, practically in one sitting. I loved every moment from the early awakenings of Eve's love to the harsh realities she faces towards the end.

Belle's prose is captivating and lyrical and I enjoyed the way she gave voice to both characters (and a third character later) so that we can see every point of view and experience all the varying emotions the characters go through.

This book spoke deeply to me and really caught my heart and my imagination. It expertly trends th ...more

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May 11, 2013 Lauredhel rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: australian, australian-women-writers-challenge, aww2013

I think I'm the odd one out, but I found this trite. Warnings for sexual abuse of minors and domestic abuse, not treated well in my opinion. I ugghed my way through the clumsy, moralising conclusion of the book. ...more

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