It is 1912, and at Cambridge University the modern age is knocking at the gate. In lecture halls and laboratories, the model of a universe governed by the mind of God is at last giving way to something wholly rational, a universe governed by the laws of physics. To junior fellow Fred Fairly, this comes as a great comfort. Science, he is certain, will soon explain everything. Mystery will be routed by reason, and the demands of the soul will be seen for what they are, a distraction and an illusion.
Into Fred’s orderly life comes Daisy, with a bang—literally. One moment the two are perfect strangers; the next, they are casualties of a freakish accident, occupants of the same warm bed. Fred has never been so close to a woman before, one so pretty, so plainspoken, and yet so mysterious. Is she a manifestation of chaos, or a sign of another kind of order?
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"Fun read. Fitzgerald's characters have a history of their own before the story starts and are slightly conflicted, and she lets the reader into their heads a little but doesn't keep us there. The way each chapter starts with a different person or time or focus than the last was surprising, but not at all disorienting, and her way of dealing with the scienctific-unobservable tension in Fred Fairly's life and thought was subtle, tasteful." — Bobbi (5 out of 5 stars)
"Fun read. Fitzgerald's characters have a history of their own before the story starts and are slightly conflicted, and she lets the reader into their heads a little but doesn't keep us there. The way each chapter starts with a different person or time or focus than the last was surprising, but not at all disorienting, and her way of dealing with the scienctific-unobservable tension in Fred Fairly's life and thought was subtle, tasteful."
“Vibrant with wonderful characters, ablaze with ideas.”
“[A] love story and a novel of ideas…a blend of the hilarious, the out-of-kilter, and the intellectually and emotionally provocative…[Fitzgerald’s] characters, as ever, are originals, and even the minor players are memorable.”
“Gilbert could have written this and Sullivan set it to music. It shows an Edwardian university at Cambridge at its eccentric best. There are so many characters that are a delight…Fitzgerald is the only author I know of who regularly gets reviews pleading her to write longer books.”
“Contains more wit, intelligence and feeling than many novels three times its length. It confirms Fitzgerald’s place as one of the finest and most entertaining novelists writing in England today.”
“This is an achievement—a metaphysical novel which is entertaining, brief, and a love story. The book’s shortness and sparseness, combined with the complexity of its concerns, is a miracle of technique.”
“Fitzgerald displays a grace and wit that put her on equal footing with such better-known peers as Muriel Spark…Fitzgerald’s writing has a depth, resonance and delicacy that create a sense of genuine comedy rather than of farce.”
“Nadia May winks her way through this presentation with true storyteller’s aplomb.”
" Confusing, boring and uninteresting "
" Interesting little story, well written. "
" Cambridge 1912 "
" Hmm, quite interesting. The ending wasn't really an ending and I wasn't totally a fan of that sort of abrupt end of the book just when a plot was actually starting to develop. Part I was such a bore, but part II mostly made up for that. Overall average, worth reading once through. "
" Adam and the Atom collide with brilliant, beautiful effect. A shortish novel, full of different prose surfaces and angel angles of shifting perspectives, that multiplies your attention and its own ambitions. My first Fitzgerald novel, and it won't be my last. "
" Entertaining if you are looking for a short read. "
" Not so good as I expected. From the scientific point of view, a disaster, Dame Fitzgerald didn't find the right point in my humble opinion. "
" This is my second Penelope Fitzgerald book (the first was Human Voices), and while it wasn't quite as engaging as Human Voices, she has a wonderful light touch and a quiet intelligence that makes me want to read more of her stuff. "
" beautiful writing and a lovely story like a small gem. you can smell the damp and feel the twilight. "
" Like the story and the theme. Indifferent to the setup. Found the writing style somehow a little too tedious. "
" Loved this book! Read it in one sitting, stayed up all night. Devoured it. Yum! "
" I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I think I read it too slowly to keep the thematic thread in my mind. I'll read it again and report back. "
" Frustrating ending ! "
" I never felt that I was really grasping what went on in this book. Didn't get very far. "
" It felt, and still feels, like a dream. An effect of her sharp, yet drifting details, and of the 6 months I spent in England as a child, causing me to illustrate her scenes with my too-misty memories. "
" I kept this book to re-read. I think it will have more to offer with each repeat reading. "
" Pitch-perfect. "
" A quirky, charming novella with a magical ending. Beautifully written! "
" Read this a few years ago, and I keep thinking about it whenever I am slightly disappointed in other books- p. Fitzgerald's writing is perfect. It's the slowest I have ever read any author. "
" Not much to say here. I guess I just don't find any humor in the descriptions of British gentleman hanging out in social clubs and waxing poetic. I enjoyed quite a bit more the story of Daisy. A simple love tale in an old English style. "
" A great story. A window into the world of the early 1900's. Love, love her wit... Mrs Wrayburn wished to marry a husband who was not home for luncheon. Yes, yes I understand that. Poor Fred is questioning everything at the same time he meets Daisy. "
Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, and biographer who embarked on her literary career at the age of fifty-eight and later earned much popular and critical acclaim, winning a Booker Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.
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