Customer Reviews:
 Life as it is - plain, human, real - the finest kind of art June 6, 2003
33 out of 34 found this review helpful
This is quite simply one of the most poignant and reflective books I've read, precisely because it lacks the "melodrama" or "plot" that are the pre-requisites of most novels and...which are totally absent in most peoples' lives. Shorn of these constraints it becomes a quite brilliant exploration of a "normal" person: so skilfully written that you are subtly and compelling drawn into it and, by the end, feel you know the central character (Pietro) inside out. Sequenced as a series of "random" snapshots (with each chapter moving backwards & forwards through time, with no obvious structure) its end effect is like looking at a good friend's photo album with the pages mixed-up in some sort of random order. Young to old/old to young; parents to children; hopes to reality, ecstatic infatuation to family life... it's all there: "life as it is - plain, human, real".Clever, beautifully written and wholly effective this is "art" rather than popular fiction because, having read it, you'll feel that you'll know Pietro for the rest of your life. But... of course, he's not "real", you only want him to be. A rare feat of writing indeed!
 an excellent read June 4, 2001
25 out of 28 found this review helpful
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Birdsong - indeed, if you haven't read Birdsong, read this. The story is well crafted, and superbly told - each chapter jumping to another stage of Pietro's life. The reader is taken through the life of Pietro - the son of an English soldier and an Italian girl. Each chapter reveals more about Pietro, and most also leave questions to be answered, such as "what happened to Laura?". The reader is left satisfied at the end, and yet wanting more.
A thoughtful, well crafted piece of work May 22, 2000
22 out of 24 found this review helpful
This was my second Sebastian Faulks novel (my first was Birdsong), however, I was not disappointed, quite the opposite. This is a book rich in depth - of prose, description and character. Each chapter peels back another layer to unfold the inner Pietro, and forces us to look back at the choices we have made during life and how they have shaped our future.. quite simply a good book.
an engrossing and enthralling piece of work..... January 7, 2000
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
I simply adore this book....infact,I have read it again and again and everytime a new dimension, a new thought filters through,just like the sunlight from behind the clouds...yes,it demands concentration and as you ponder over the scattered life that Pietro spent and as you read about what, where and how he felt and thought,not only you discover Pietro but also your ownself!! As John Lennon put it,"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans"...the desciption of all what happened around Pietro is even more interesting!
an engrossing and enthralling piece of work..... January 7, 2000
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I simple adore this book....infact,I have read it again and again and everytime a new dimension, a new thought filters through,just like the sunlight from behind the clouds...yes,it demands concentration and as you ponder over the scattered life that Pietro spent and as you read about what, where and how he felt and thought,not only you discover Pietro but also your ownself!! As John Lennon put it,"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans"...the desciption of all what happened around Pietro is even more interesting!
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