Every evening at five o’clock, Christina and Rudy stopped work and began the ritual commonly known as Happy Hour. Rudy mixed Christina’s drink with loving precision, the cavalier slosh of Bombay Sapphire over ice shards, before settling across from her in his Stickley chair with his glass of Scotch. They shared a love of language and music (she is an author, he a composer, after all), a delight in intense conversation, a fascination with popes, and nearly thirty years of life together. What did I think, that we had forever? muses Christina, seven months after Rudy’s unexpected death. While coming to terms with her loss, with the space that Rudy once inhabited, Christina reflects on their vibrant bond—with all its quirks, habits, and unguarded moments—as well as her passionate sorrow and her attempts to reposition herself and her new place in the very real world they shared. In this literary jewel, a bittersweet novella of absence and presence and the mysterious gap between them, Gail Godwin has performed a small miracle. In essence, Evenings at Five is a grief sonata for solo instrument transposed into words. Interwoven with meditations and movements, full of aching truths and a wicked sense of humor, it exquisitely captures the cyclical nature of commitment—and the eternal quality of a romance completed.
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"Re-read. Poignant novella (I think the description 'a novel' in the title is rather misleading). This edition (to the best of my knowledge, the first hardback publication) does not have the 'five stories', which I think must have been added for the Reading Group edition." — Lesley (4 out of 5 stars)
"Re-read. Poignant novella (I think the description 'a novel' in the title is rather misleading). This edition (to the best of my knowledge, the first hardback publication) does not have the 'five stories', which I think must have been added for the Reading Group edition."
" Nicely written story of a widow facing the absence of her husband in the year following his death. "
" Small, and a little slight, but powerful and moving. Obviously based on the author's experience and carries some extra oomph as a result. "
" A widowed novelist reflects on the life she shared with her musician husband. "
" Contemplative and sad. It's the second Gail Godwin book I've tried. Her writing style is difficult to stay with. I don't think I'll try another for awhile. "
" Touching stories about a woman's adjustment to her husband's death and how she manages to cope. It did seem 'lite' to me though "
" Beautiful. Sad. Sympathetic. Understandable. "
" Not as engaging as other of her writings, but still, she is Gail Goodwin. "
" Fine, sweet, quick read. "
" Sweet little love story snippet (so very short) about a widow coping with her very recent loss. Funny and deeply intimate snapshot of all that a marriage is as well as the nature of how very present an absence can be. "
" (page 19)"Death had always fascinated Rudy far more than eternal life. Was that a Jewish thing?" A sweet story of love and ritual, in life, and after death. "
" woman remembers her husband died of cancer objects and rituals mean so much to her, artists married and friends who touched them, letters from admirers, remembering their life together, very short read for E.A. "
" This book had some high points, including a well-written ending, but at any time was not difficult to put down. "
" Christina and Rudy always shared a drink every evening at five. But now Rudy has died and Christina must learn to face evenings at five without him. This short novel consists of her memories and adjustments. Bittersweet and beautifully written. "
" this was a short, beautiful picture of a marriage. Read it if you're in the mood for a good weep-- could be read in one sitting. "
" I related to this one - it's about the death of Godwin's husband. It's an excellent read but you probably don't need to go there. "
" A loving testament to a lifetime of love and a love of a lifetime. "
" Short and tender...references to alcohol dependency, grief and getting through the loss of a spouse. "
" Sad, but worth it. Very good imagery, very artistic. A quick read. "
" i thought this was gonna be something like "Marriage: A Duet" which i thoroughly enjoyed. it's quite different though. and it's a little too sad for my taste. i skipped some pages here and there but kept reading to the end anyways. "
" This is an odd little book. I enjoyed Evensong and The Good Husband. This one is a fictional or maybe autobiographical meditation of a woman whose husband has recently died. Think The Year of Magical Thinking but much shorter, with drawings, and a little more stream-of-consciousness. "
" This book was just ok. While I appreciated the deeply personal examination of the main characters, I got to the last page, and all I could think was, "uh...and??" "
" Every evening at 5:00 Christina and Rudy had a drink. 7 months after his death Christina reflects on their bond. "
Gail Godwin is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels, including A Mother and Two Daughters, Violet Clay, Father Melancholy’s Daughter, Evensong, The Good Husband, and Evenings at Five. She is also the author of The Making of a Writer: Journals, 1961–1963, the first of two volumes, edited by Rob Neufeld. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts grants for both fiction and libretto writing, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has written libretti for ten musical works with the composer Robert Starer. She lives in Woodstock, New York.
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