Book Synopsis:
While the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has descended, young Roland Baines’s life is turned upside down. Stranded at boarding school, his vulnerability attracts his piano teacher, Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade.
Twenty-five years later, as the radiation from the Chernobyl disaster spreads across Europe, Roland’s wife mysteriously vanishes and he is forced to confront the reality of his rootless existence and look for answers in his family history.
From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Covid pandemic and climate change, Roland sometimes rides with the tide of history but more often struggles against it. Haunted by lost opportunities, he seeks solace through every possible means - literature, travel, friendship, drugs, politics, sex and love.
His journey raises important questions. Can we take full charge of the course of our lives without damage to others? How do global events beyond our control shape us and our memories? What role do chance and contingency play in our existence? And what can we learn from the traumas of the past?
My Review:
The Lessons is a clever, emotional story that is part coming of age story and part memoir. Throughout the book we follow Roland from childhood school experiences to adulthood where he finds himself a single father. It was very interesting to follow him through these experiences and see how they shaped him.
This book covers a lot of history which I found fascinating, especially as it covered some areas I didn’t know much about. Some of these events occurred in the author’s life time and it was interesting to see his slant on things.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. It’s not a quick read as there’s lots to think about and take in but it is a beautiful read with some wonderful descriptions that have stayed with me. I think this would make a great book club read as there would be lots to discuss.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Vintage for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Ian McEwan is a critically acclaimed author of short stories and novels for adults, as well as The Daydreamer, a children’s novel illustrated by Anthony Browne. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His other award-winning novels are The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award, and Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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