My House in Umbria

by William Trevor and Trevor William

Book Overview

William Trevor's Last Stories is forthcoming from Viking. Mrs. Emily Delahunty-a mysterious and not entirely trustworthy former madam-quietly runs a pensione in the Italian countryside and writes romance novels while she muses on her checkered past. Then one day her world is changed forever as the train she is riding in is blown up by terrorists. Taken to a local hospital to recuperate, she befriends the other survivors-an elderly English general,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142003654
• ISBN13: 9780142003657
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Nothing much "happens" in Jane Austen either...

but we love to read her novels for her understanding of social psychology, and the graceful penetrating voice in which she tells her stories. William Trevor's focus is on modern English and Irish folk, typically working or middle class, but his understanding of their psychology is as masterful as Austen (or Henry James, for that matter); and his style is perfectly shaded to reveal their lives. I've read most of his novels and stories and always valued his prodigious talent. This book, in my opinion, rises to genius. The characterization of Emily Delahunty is superb. The understanding, and rendering, of how we live our lives by telling our stories is brilliant.

Who is the story? Thats the brillance of the book!

This is a giant of an achievement, dont be fooled by the harmless sweet appearance and tone of this book. Its full of deceit and lies. And most of all misdirection. I am not one to tell about plot, who cares to reveal the story. But in this book, one can feel the touch of genius...not at first, but later in the book, when you begin to realise what is being done to your mind. In this brillant twist on the conventions of the modern novel, there is a deceit made all the more brilliant and delightful because of its subtlety. I wont ruin it for you. In the end, the author reveals to you who really tells the story of a life, including your own, and that is the genius of this deceptive book---- it gives you the reader this extraordinary insight. But you could miss it and say, what is going on? To speak is to not know it. It is there for you, waiting quietly, with no pointing, no shouting, no direction at all, otherwise, you would not ever feel the boundaries of your own story. There is a reason this author is so acclaimed.

William Trevor is no more boring than the reader

I have to admit flat out that I have not read this particular William Trevor book, but to call any book by him "boring" surely only reflects the reader's inability to look beyond her desire for a nice travel book and appreciate the book for itself. Trevor is perhaps the most under-appreciated great writer of our time. He works in a style that is at first dated to the reader of modern literature-it feels almost like reading Dickens--but let yourself keep going, allow his books to work on you, and you will soon appreciate his utterly breathtaking ease and control of the language and your emotions.