Judgment Day

Other reviewers refer to this as a look into small town life. Penelope Lively does human hearts and minds, not towns, and she does it with eyes open. The location is actually a street, near a church. An agnostic woman who lives nearby, and who is more into history and art, becomes the unintentional catalyst for change. She volunteers to help raise money to restore the church and in so doing, begins to interact with her neighborhood. The characters each stand on their own, beautifully and clearly drawn. The lost and lonely retiree and church warden who finds unexpected love, only to lose it tragically. The fluffy, funny churchwoman, whose life is the gossip and traditions of church going, The tawdry couple who have accidentally raised a very nice boy who has been until now, overlooked. The perfect mother and wife who does it all by the book, and in so doing, misses most of life. The church is lead by a lonely pastor, miscast in his profession, stressed by barely suppressed lust. The terrors of modern life, expressed by an unseen motorcycle gang, wreaks havoc with increasingly devastating results. The interaction of the characters and their insights -- and lack of insight -- is the story here. This is life observed, but not explained. Ms. Lively leaves the explanations to her readers. In mu view, that is much to her credit. This author cannot write a bad book and I am delighted she is so prolific. If you like superb writing, wonderful and complete characters, incredibly well crafted (but not speedy) plots, I highly recommend Judgment Day.

Penelope Lively is one of Britain's most versatile writers. And for this reader, she almost never fails to please. Lively as a wonderful sense of place. From Egypt to the far London suburbs, the setting is always a significant part of her fiction. This book will particularly appeal to Anglophiles but will also be enjoyed by anyone who likes a good read.

I am a newcomer to Penelope Lively, but I love her unique style and her quiet, ordinary, deeply complex, characters,. She manages to carry the reader along, even with amazing shifts from the inside perspective of "I" to the observer's cold eye, and in this novel, to narrate an incident in an almost "reportorial" way that suddenly makes you cry. In other words, she is full of surprises. This book ended so abruptly that I thought I must be missing some pages. Her descriptions are rich without being overdrawn, she's got a marvelous wit, and she doesn't waste words.

A very tight, very English novel of characters who live around a village green with the church as its dominant theme. Some interesting exchanges on the nature of belief vs non belief. Poignant thread on neglected child. But ultimately not my favorite Lively book even though her writing is excellent as ever.

La novela está escrita en un ingles impecable. Se la lee sin el menor esfuerzo.

I adore Penelope Lively's books, except for this one. Is she experimenting with the role of literature or waxing philosophical about the cruelty of life? I don't know but the ending was very depressing! She does create fully developed characters but authors should not play God, in my opinion!! Not unless it ends well, anyway.

I like this author. She writes the way people think - all people of all ages and sexes. The subject ponders traditional values (hate that - but can't think of a better word at the moment) versus our newer lifestyle choices. Lively's books are always thought provoking for me. Small snippets of life magnified just the way they are in real life - events likely to be overlooked but still rumbling in our consciences.

Each book is different in theme of individual lives struggling with relationships but similar in the beautiful language and detail of those lives. Engrossing stories.