Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (2011), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 253 pages
Description
"In a silent valley in southern France stands an isolated stone farmhouse, the Mas Lunel. Aramon, the owner, is so haunted by his violent past that he's become incapable of all meaningful action, letting his hunting dogs starve and his land go to ruin. Meanwhile, his sister Audrun, alone in her modern bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life. Into this closed world comes Anthony Verey, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London who has escaped to stay with his sister. When he sets his sights on the Mas, a frightening and unstoppable series of consequences is set in motion.
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
Rose Tremain’s latest novel (dark, dark, dark) draws parallel lines and connections between two families. Veronica Verey and her brother Anthony were born and raised in the English countryside and are both successful adults in their late 50’s, she a designer of gardens, and he a dealer in
Living in the same part of France is Aramon Lunel, owner of a lovely stone farmhouse known as Mas Lunel. His sister, Audrun lives in a bungalow on a wooded part of the property. They are not wealthy people, but their property is quite valuable.
Anthony Verey, decrying the loss of customers interested in valuable antiques, has come to stay with his sister and decides to look for a piece of retirement property to buy, so that he can be closer to the only person in the world he cares about, his sister, V. If you connect the dots here, you can figure out that Anthony is interested in the Mas Lunel. Once Tremain establishes these relationships, between the families, she creates a very compelling mystery that kept my interest and had me turning pages.
All of the characters are deeply flawed and their parents play a large role in determining the actions they take as adults. Tremain uses the theme of trespass to move the narrative forward:
“In one season, the burned or washed limestone could be green again…And so it went on: from naked stone to forest, in a single generation. On and on. Except there could be trespass. ‘People can come and steal from you, Audrun,’ whispered her mother, Bernadette, long ago. ‘Strangers can come. And others who may not be strangers. Anything that has existence can be stolen or destroyed. So you must be vigilant.’
She’d tried never to cease this vigil…Even in sleep, she’d felt the long weariness of the watcher. But it hadn’t been enough to save her.” (Page 15)
And Kitty has her own thoughts about trespass:
“As Kitty walked towards the water, she wondered: Doesn’t every love need to create for itself its own protected space? And, if so, why don’t lovers understand better the damage trespass can do? It made her furious to think how easily Veronica was colluding with the unspoken open-endedness of Anthony’s visit---as though he was the one who mattered most to her, who had the right to come first and always would, and it was up to her, Kitty, to accept this hierarchy with grown up grace and not make a fuss.” (Page 70)
This idea of trespass, on each other’s lives as well as property, and the role of the parents of each brother and sister, and the tremendous lack of love from the parents all contribute to the actions of the main characters in this deeply disturbing story. Tremain is a wonderful writer and her prose is exquisite. The unsavoury characters, the darkness of the themes, and the final revenge contribute to the harshness of the narrative. It also makes for a totally compelling story. Highly recommended.
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antiquities who maintains his shop in London. She is living in southern France with her friend Kitty, a water colorist and photographer. Living in the same part of France is Aramon Lunel, owner of a lovely stone farmhouse known as Mas Lunel. His sister, Audrun lives in a bungalow on a wooded part of the property. They are not wealthy people, but their property is quite valuable.
Anthony Verey, decrying the loss of customers interested in valuable antiques, has come to stay with his sister and decides to look for a piece of retirement property to buy, so that he can be closer to the only person in the world he cares about, his sister, V. If you connect the dots here, you can figure out that Anthony is interested in the Mas Lunel. Once Tremain establishes these relationships, between the families, she creates a very compelling mystery that kept my interest and had me turning pages.
All of the characters are deeply flawed and their parents play a large role in determining the actions they take as adults. Tremain uses the theme of trespass to move the narrative forward:
“In one season, the burned or washed limestone could be green again…And so it went on: from naked stone to forest, in a single generation. On and on. Except there could be trespass. ‘People can come and steal from you, Audrun,’ whispered her mother, Bernadette, long ago. ‘Strangers can come. And others who may not be strangers. Anything that has existence can be stolen or destroyed. So you must be vigilant.’
She’d tried never to cease this vigil…Even in sleep, she’d felt the long weariness of the watcher. But it hadn’t been enough to save her.” (Page 15)
And Kitty has her own thoughts about trespass:
“As Kitty walked towards the water, she wondered: Doesn’t every love need to create for itself its own protected space? And, if so, why don’t lovers understand better the damage trespass can do? It made her furious to think how easily Veronica was colluding with the unspoken open-endedness of Anthony’s visit---as though he was the one who mattered most to her, who had the right to come first and always would, and it was up to her, Kitty, to accept this hierarchy with grown up grace and not make a fuss.” (Page 70)
This idea of trespass, on each other’s lives as well as property, and the role of the parents of each brother and sister, and the tremendous lack of love from the parents all contribute to the actions of the main characters in this deeply disturbing story. Tremain is a wonderful writer and her prose is exquisite. The unsavoury characters, the darkness of the themes, and the final revenge contribute to the harshness of the narrative. It also makes for a totally compelling story. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member kidzdoc
"Trespass" is the title of this book, and a word which characterizes a theme that is expressed throughout this superb novel. The characters in this story trespass on the lives and dreams of those closest to them; they trespass upon the lands of others, for the worse; however, the striking events
The novel revolves around the lives of two sets of late middle-aged siblings: Anthony Verey, a famed antiques dealer from London who has fallen on hard times; his sister Veronica, who lives in the Cévennes, a mountainous region in southern France with her lover, Kitty Meadows; Aramon Ludel, a native of the Cévennes who lives in a dilapidated but still impressive farmhouse; and his sister Audrun, a strange and disturbed woman who lives in a bungalow at the edge of the land surrounding the farmhouse.
Anthony lives alone in Chelsea, and spends his days in his Pimlico Road studio with his 'beloveds', the antiques that he has accumulated, which are of little interest to anyone but himself. His fame and fortune have waned, to the delight of his competitors and even his best friend. He has grown disillusioned with life in London, and desires to seek semi-retirement in the Cévennes, close to his beloved sister. The region has seen an influx of foreigners who are willing to pay exorbitant prices for old homes and farmhouses, and the newcomers are greeted with disdain by older residents who bemoan the loss of their traditional way of life.
Aramon seeks to sell the Ludel property, which has remained in the family for three generations. He claims the property as his own, and treats his sister as an interloper who wishes to deny him the profits from the upcoming sale that are rightfully his, profits that he will not share with her. He threatens to evict her from the bungalow that she has lived in for years, as it is an eyesore that was built partially on his property. She becomes increasingly agitated at the threat of this eviction, and hatches a plan that will keep the sale from taking place.
Meanwhile, Anthony falls in love with the farmhouse, but wishes to have the bungalow torn down before he will agree to buy the property. Tensions between these characters increase, which result in a sudden and violent turn of events.
"Trespass" is a page-turner, a captivating novel about collision of cultures, sibling rivalries, disturbing family relationships, and revenge. Once I got into the novel I couldn't put it down, as the drama and uncertainty are maintained until the last sentence. I would highly recommend this novel, and I look forward to reading other books by this very talented writer.
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that constitute physical trespass are the most damaging.The novel revolves around the lives of two sets of late middle-aged siblings: Anthony Verey, a famed antiques dealer from London who has fallen on hard times; his sister Veronica, who lives in the Cévennes, a mountainous region in southern France with her lover, Kitty Meadows; Aramon Ludel, a native of the Cévennes who lives in a dilapidated but still impressive farmhouse; and his sister Audrun, a strange and disturbed woman who lives in a bungalow at the edge of the land surrounding the farmhouse.
Anthony lives alone in Chelsea, and spends his days in his Pimlico Road studio with his 'beloveds', the antiques that he has accumulated, which are of little interest to anyone but himself. His fame and fortune have waned, to the delight of his competitors and even his best friend. He has grown disillusioned with life in London, and desires to seek semi-retirement in the Cévennes, close to his beloved sister. The region has seen an influx of foreigners who are willing to pay exorbitant prices for old homes and farmhouses, and the newcomers are greeted with disdain by older residents who bemoan the loss of their traditional way of life.
Aramon seeks to sell the Ludel property, which has remained in the family for three generations. He claims the property as his own, and treats his sister as an interloper who wishes to deny him the profits from the upcoming sale that are rightfully his, profits that he will not share with her. He threatens to evict her from the bungalow that she has lived in for years, as it is an eyesore that was built partially on his property. She becomes increasingly agitated at the threat of this eviction, and hatches a plan that will keep the sale from taking place.
Meanwhile, Anthony falls in love with the farmhouse, but wishes to have the bungalow torn down before he will agree to buy the property. Tensions between these characters increase, which result in a sudden and violent turn of events.
"Trespass" is a page-turner, a captivating novel about collision of cultures, sibling rivalries, disturbing family relationships, and revenge. Once I got into the novel I couldn't put it down, as the drama and uncertainty are maintained until the last sentence. I would highly recommend this novel, and I look forward to reading other books by this very talented writer.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
The title tells you what Rose Tremain’s latest novel is about. Almost too obviously, it tells you. Tremain has created two brother-sister character pairs with lots and lots of baggage---a wretched, unfeeling mother here, a brutish father there…you know the kind of thing. These characters are
Anthony Verey is a semi-retired antique dealer looking for a French country home to settle into. He is an amoral user of handsome willing young men, and thoroughly without social or literary merit. As his sister Veronica’s lover puts it so well “…Anthony…had always struck her as a man for whom everything was already clear, already decided, judged, categorized and appropriately filed and labeled. What more, in a life as apparently selfish as his, was there left to understand?” His sister mothers him as their own mother never did; she feels protective and somewhat possessive toward him, letting her feelings of responsibility for her brother get in the way of her relationship with her lover, Kitty. Anthony uses Veronica’s affection as he uses young men’s bodies--heedlessly and heartlessly. This whole story line is simply distasteful without being enlightening.
In contrast to the “cultured” Vereys and their world, we meet Audrun and her brother Aramon, possessors of a run-down country estate that may be just what Anthony Verey is looking for. Their story, both past and present, is far and away the more interesting, though no less disturbing, and could have easily have carried the novel. A proposed real estate transaction brings the two sets of characters into contact with each other, with disastrous consequences
The only character I found sympathetic at all was Audrun, who arguably suffered the worst trespasses of all, physically, emotionally and legally, and who had the clearest notion of any of the principals as to what she ought to do in retaliation.
When I’m not reading, I am usually at least subconsciously waiting to get back to my current book as soon as possible. The slightly uncomfortable feeling that I ought to be sitting down to read is rare, and always an indication that the book at hand isn’t really working for me. Sadly, the “ought to” feeling was mainly what propelled me through Trespass. Tremain is a gifted writer, and it is possible to get caught up in her prose for pages without realizing that, in Trespass, the subject matter just isn’t very original; that the story, despite being told in sentences that are sometimes exquisite, simply has no life. A weak 3 stars.
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all in a somewhat retrospective stage of life, making decisions about what to do with the rest of it, coming to terms with the abuses, inflicted and endured, that brought them to this point. Anthony Verey is a semi-retired antique dealer looking for a French country home to settle into. He is an amoral user of handsome willing young men, and thoroughly without social or literary merit. As his sister Veronica’s lover puts it so well “…Anthony…had always struck her as a man for whom everything was already clear, already decided, judged, categorized and appropriately filed and labeled. What more, in a life as apparently selfish as his, was there left to understand?” His sister mothers him as their own mother never did; she feels protective and somewhat possessive toward him, letting her feelings of responsibility for her brother get in the way of her relationship with her lover, Kitty. Anthony uses Veronica’s affection as he uses young men’s bodies--heedlessly and heartlessly. This whole story line is simply distasteful without being enlightening.
In contrast to the “cultured” Vereys and their world, we meet Audrun and her brother Aramon, possessors of a run-down country estate that may be just what Anthony Verey is looking for. Their story, both past and present, is far and away the more interesting, though no less disturbing, and could have easily have carried the novel. A proposed real estate transaction brings the two sets of characters into contact with each other, with disastrous consequences
The only character I found sympathetic at all was Audrun, who arguably suffered the worst trespasses of all, physically, emotionally and legally, and who had the clearest notion of any of the principals as to what she ought to do in retaliation.
When I’m not reading, I am usually at least subconsciously waiting to get back to my current book as soon as possible. The slightly uncomfortable feeling that I ought to be sitting down to read is rare, and always an indication that the book at hand isn’t really working for me. Sadly, the “ought to” feeling was mainly what propelled me through Trespass. Tremain is a gifted writer, and it is possible to get caught up in her prose for pages without realizing that, in Trespass, the subject matter just isn’t very original; that the story, despite being told in sentences that are sometimes exquisite, simply has no life. A weak 3 stars.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
In her latest book, Rose Tremain explores all facets of its one-word title:
trespass (noun)
1. Law
a. an unlawful act causing injury to the person, property, or rights of another, committed with force or violence, actual or implied.
b. a wrongful entry upon the lands of another.
c. the action to recover
2. an encroachment or intrusion.
3. an offense, sin, or wrong.
Trespass revolves around two brother/sister pairs. Anthony Verey is an English antiques dealer whose business is failing. To escape the stress he decides to visit his sister Veronica and her partner Kitty at their home in France. The beautiful country setting inspires him to give up his business and relocate to a dream house in France. He begins searching for the perfect house, and finds one in Aramon Lunel's mas (farmstead). Aramon inherited the property from his father, but has allowed it to fall into disrepair. His sister Audrun lives in her own bungalow on adjacent land, and is less than pleased with Aramon's desire to become rich by selling the mas.
But Anthony's interest in the mas is only the most obvious trespass. Tremain weaves a complex web of trespasses from parental abandonment to lovers' quarrels to incest to violent crime, with disastrous cumulative effects. The violent crime introduces a bit of mystery to the novel, but one that is pretty easy to figure out. At first this annoyed me, but then I realized "whodunit" was not the point. Rather, Tremain shows how childhood experiences shape the adult, and how trespasses -- even minor ones -- build over a lifetime, potentially into a pretty volatile brew.
This is a dark story, and with all that trespassing going on the characters are not particularly endearing. But it makes for thought-provoking, worthwhile reading.
trespass (noun)
1. Law
a. an unlawful act causing injury to the person, property, or rights of another, committed with force or violence, actual or implied.
b. a wrongful entry upon the lands of another.
c. the action to recover
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damages for such an injury.2. an encroachment or intrusion.
3. an offense, sin, or wrong.
Trespass revolves around two brother/sister pairs. Anthony Verey is an English antiques dealer whose business is failing. To escape the stress he decides to visit his sister Veronica and her partner Kitty at their home in France. The beautiful country setting inspires him to give up his business and relocate to a dream house in France. He begins searching for the perfect house, and finds one in Aramon Lunel's mas (farmstead). Aramon inherited the property from his father, but has allowed it to fall into disrepair. His sister Audrun lives in her own bungalow on adjacent land, and is less than pleased with Aramon's desire to become rich by selling the mas.
But Anthony's interest in the mas is only the most obvious trespass. Tremain weaves a complex web of trespasses from parental abandonment to lovers' quarrels to incest to violent crime, with disastrous cumulative effects. The violent crime introduces a bit of mystery to the novel, but one that is pretty easy to figure out. At first this annoyed me, but then I realized "whodunit" was not the point. Rather, Tremain shows how childhood experiences shape the adult, and how trespasses -- even minor ones -- build over a lifetime, potentially into a pretty volatile brew.
This is a dark story, and with all that trespassing going on the characters are not particularly endearing. But it makes for thought-provoking, worthwhile reading.
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LibraryThing member LizzieD
I wish somebody besides Rose Tremain had written Trespass. I love her for her beautiful language, which is in evidence in every sentence of this book, but also for the decent characters whom she creates. Not one of the main characters in Trespass is likable. Not one of them becomes more likable as
Both pairs are in their early senior years. Anthony and Veronica Verey are upper middle-class British who grew up with a monster for a mother. Anthony adored her; Veronica despised her. Aramon and Audrun Lunel are peasant-stock French who grew up with an animal of a father. Aramon loved him; Audrun hated him. Anthony and Veronica are devoted to each other; Aramon and Audrun are at odds. Add to the mix Veronica’s partner Kitty who loathes Anthony and is loathed in turn, and you have the main cast in an unpleasant situation.
Anthony is considering the purchase of the Lunel’s old mas, the stone farmhouse where generations of Lunels have lived out their lives. Aramon owns and lives in it while Audrun lives in her cheap, modern cottage within sight of her old home. A story of greed, selfishness, betrayal, malice, and ineffectual love ensues. Ms. Tremain is right to follow her gift wherever it takes her, but my taste is also valid for me. I wish that somebody else had written this and left her time to work out a story for characters with more depth and ability to grow.
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the book progresses. Instead, we find two sets of the brother/sister combination who show us why they are unlovely by their reflections on their childhoods. They are damaged people, and damaged people do ugly things to each other.Both pairs are in their early senior years. Anthony and Veronica Verey are upper middle-class British who grew up with a monster for a mother. Anthony adored her; Veronica despised her. Aramon and Audrun Lunel are peasant-stock French who grew up with an animal of a father. Aramon loved him; Audrun hated him. Anthony and Veronica are devoted to each other; Aramon and Audrun are at odds. Add to the mix Veronica’s partner Kitty who loathes Anthony and is loathed in turn, and you have the main cast in an unpleasant situation.
Anthony is considering the purchase of the Lunel’s old mas, the stone farmhouse where generations of Lunels have lived out their lives. Aramon owns and lives in it while Audrun lives in her cheap, modern cottage within sight of her old home. A story of greed, selfishness, betrayal, malice, and ineffectual love ensues. Ms. Tremain is right to follow her gift wherever it takes her, but my taste is also valid for me. I wish that somebody else had written this and left her time to work out a story for characters with more depth and ability to grow.
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
“People thought she was stupid. Just because she hadn’t been able to have a proper life with a husband she loved, they thought she had no idea how the world worked. But now, she asked herself: how many of them could have done what she’d done? How many could have done this and felt such
In the Cévennes region of southern France is an isolated stone farmhouse, the Mas Lunel – home to Aramon Lunel, a raging alcoholic, tormented by his violent past. His sister, Audrun, banished from the family home years ago, lives alone in her simple bungalow within sight of the Mas – and her brother. She dreams of exacting revenge for the unspoken brutality forced on her by Aramon and their deceased father.
Veronica Verey, a landscape architect, and her partner, Kitty Meadows, an aspiring painter, live not far from the Mas Lunel. V’s brother, Anthony, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London, seeking to remake his life in France, takes up residence with the two women while he searches for a new home. But while Verey is welcomed by his sister, Kitty dreads his coming, fearing – with good reason – that he will drive a wedge between the lovers. The first property Anthony views is Mas Lunel: he adores the estate but is upset that it is blighted by Audrun's ugly bungalow. And so a frightening and eerie series of consequences is set in motion ...
Tremain masters the chilling psychological thriller in Trespass. The parallel brother-sister relationships is genius: one loving and one vengeful – but neither healthy. My mind ran amuck with questions: what of this or that aspect of the brother-sister relationships? and what of the sibling relationships with their mothers – again, one seemingly loving and one vengeful?
Having only read The Colour and Trespass thus far, there is much more Tremain ahead of me. But she has already earned her place on my list of favourite authors. Highly recommended!
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exaltation in their hearts?” (214)In the Cévennes region of southern France is an isolated stone farmhouse, the Mas Lunel – home to Aramon Lunel, a raging alcoholic, tormented by his violent past. His sister, Audrun, banished from the family home years ago, lives alone in her simple bungalow within sight of the Mas – and her brother. She dreams of exacting revenge for the unspoken brutality forced on her by Aramon and their deceased father.
Veronica Verey, a landscape architect, and her partner, Kitty Meadows, an aspiring painter, live not far from the Mas Lunel. V’s brother, Anthony, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London, seeking to remake his life in France, takes up residence with the two women while he searches for a new home. But while Verey is welcomed by his sister, Kitty dreads his coming, fearing – with good reason – that he will drive a wedge between the lovers. The first property Anthony views is Mas Lunel: he adores the estate but is upset that it is blighted by Audrun's ugly bungalow. And so a frightening and eerie series of consequences is set in motion ...
Tremain masters the chilling psychological thriller in Trespass. The parallel brother-sister relationships is genius: one loving and one vengeful – but neither healthy. My mind ran amuck with questions: what of this or that aspect of the brother-sister relationships? and what of the sibling relationships with their mothers – again, one seemingly loving and one vengeful?
Having only read The Colour and Trespass thus far, there is much more Tremain ahead of me. But she has already earned her place on my list of favourite authors. Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member mrstreme
When one reads the word “trespass,” it triggers the thought of someone illegally entering another’s land or property. While this definition of “trespass” is a minor theme in Rose Tremain’s newest book, readers learn that Trespass can be so much more than an errant footstep on a piece of
In this book, we meet two sets of siblings: Anthony and Veronica, British brother and sister who were very close, and Aramon and Audrun, French siblings who were not. Anthony’s career as an antiques expert was petering out, and he escaped to Veronica’s French home to collect his thoughts. Veronica’s home, which she shared with her lover Kitty, was near the mas of Aramon and Audrun. The pairs of siblings did not know each other until Anthony expressed an interest in purchasing the mas from Aramon. The potential sale was the turning point of the story, erupting into a tale of mystery, murder and unreconciled pasts.
Sigmund Freud might have had some fun with this story, as the effects of the mothers, Lal (Anthony and Veronica’s mom) and Bernadette (Aramon and Audrun’s mother) continued to influence their children’s lives, long after their deaths. The boys (Anthony and Aramon) individually loved their mothers strongly (some might argue inappropriately). Anthony was more concerned about pleasing Lal, which was often hard to do, while Aramon respected the beauty and domesticity of Bernadette. Their dysfunctional affection for their mothers affected them profoundly, with Aramon committing the worst sin by raping his sister, Audrun, repeatedly.
Trespass of the body, land, trust and love – indeed, it could be argued that many forms of “trespass” were at work in this novel. I caution readers who have not read Trespass that this novel doesn’t feel like a Rose Tremain book. It’s very dark, and the mystery aspect of the novel is atypical for her stories. If you can stomach the exploration of the darkest sides of people, then Trespass should be a satisfying read for you.
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land.In this book, we meet two sets of siblings: Anthony and Veronica, British brother and sister who were very close, and Aramon and Audrun, French siblings who were not. Anthony’s career as an antiques expert was petering out, and he escaped to Veronica’s French home to collect his thoughts. Veronica’s home, which she shared with her lover Kitty, was near the mas of Aramon and Audrun. The pairs of siblings did not know each other until Anthony expressed an interest in purchasing the mas from Aramon. The potential sale was the turning point of the story, erupting into a tale of mystery, murder and unreconciled pasts.
Sigmund Freud might have had some fun with this story, as the effects of the mothers, Lal (Anthony and Veronica’s mom) and Bernadette (Aramon and Audrun’s mother) continued to influence their children’s lives, long after their deaths. The boys (Anthony and Aramon) individually loved their mothers strongly (some might argue inappropriately). Anthony was more concerned about pleasing Lal, which was often hard to do, while Aramon respected the beauty and domesticity of Bernadette. Their dysfunctional affection for their mothers affected them profoundly, with Aramon committing the worst sin by raping his sister, Audrun, repeatedly.
Trespass of the body, land, trust and love – indeed, it could be argued that many forms of “trespass” were at work in this novel. I caution readers who have not read Trespass that this novel doesn’t feel like a Rose Tremain book. It’s very dark, and the mystery aspect of the novel is atypical for her stories. If you can stomach the exploration of the darkest sides of people, then Trespass should be a satisfying read for you.
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LibraryThing member cerievans1
Tremain is one of my favourite writers, she can turn her hand to so many different subjects and make them interesting. The book arrived through the door before I went into hospital so I have been reading it on my first two days back at home. The reviews I have briefly scanned in the TLS and online
Anthony Verey is also in his mid sixties, he is a disenchanted antiques dealer on the Pimlico Road in London whose business is not successful due to his reluctance to part with any of his dated, precious furniture unless at exhorbitant prices. Anthony can find little meaning in his life and one day he decides to seek a new life, by visiting his sister "V" and her partner Kitty in their idyllic villa near the Cevennes. When in France, Anthony decides to search for a home of his own, he stumbles across the Mas Lunel which Aramon has decided to sell for several hundred thousand Euro. However, the sale is impeded by Audrun's little bungalow which is spoiling the view.
When Anthony goes missing, everyone's secrets come out and everything falls apart.
This is a great book. The pace speeds up as the book comes to an end. All the main characters are flawed, whether by their own doing or not, they are haunted in some way or another. The title of Trespass really says it all, there are many types of trespass that are worse than trespass of property. Four and a half stars. Only quibble - I felt sorry for Kitty who is meant to be in her sixties but is very naive although admittedly she is also selfish, in my opinion. Loved V's recollections of her childhood routine with her chunky pony Susan.
I don't think I have added any spoilers but if you don't like even a whiff of dark content don't read Trespass.
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seem favourable. Trespass is centred around the Cévennes area of Southern France, not far from the Mediterranean Coast and beautiful Avignon. The Cevennes is often described as the last European wilderness and is a national park. Audrun Lunel is a spinster in her sixties who lives in a little wooden bungalow at the bottom of the hill from her ancestral farmhouse, Mas Lunel in La Callune. I think La Callune is translatable into English as heather. Audrun's brother lives alone at the Mas Lunel amidst his pastis, disgusting mess, neglected farm and dogs, with the Mas literally splitting into two before his eyes. Aramon and Audrun are locked in a longstanding feud which hides a dark secret.Anthony Verey is also in his mid sixties, he is a disenchanted antiques dealer on the Pimlico Road in London whose business is not successful due to his reluctance to part with any of his dated, precious furniture unless at exhorbitant prices. Anthony can find little meaning in his life and one day he decides to seek a new life, by visiting his sister "V" and her partner Kitty in their idyllic villa near the Cevennes. When in France, Anthony decides to search for a home of his own, he stumbles across the Mas Lunel which Aramon has decided to sell for several hundred thousand Euro. However, the sale is impeded by Audrun's little bungalow which is spoiling the view.
When Anthony goes missing, everyone's secrets come out and everything falls apart.
This is a great book. The pace speeds up as the book comes to an end. All the main characters are flawed, whether by their own doing or not, they are haunted in some way or another. The title of Trespass really says it all, there are many types of trespass that are worse than trespass of property. Four and a half stars. Only quibble - I felt sorry for Kitty who is meant to be in her sixties but is very naive although admittedly she is also selfish, in my opinion. Loved V's recollections of her childhood routine with her chunky pony Susan.
I don't think I have added any spoilers but if you don't like even a whiff of dark content don't read Trespass.
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LibraryThing member DubaiReader
Not her best.
I am a great fan of Rose Tremain, having read five of her books, but this was the most disappointing and my lowest rating so far. I enjoyed The Road Home so much that it joined just a handful of books that I've re-read, but Trespass felt like it had been written by a completely
I was never grabbed by the narrative and didn't particularly like any of the characters, though they were well described. It also struck me as overkill that both Veronica and her brother, were attracted to their own sex.
The link between the five main protagonists was the grand old French house known as the Mas Lunel. Owned by the Lunel family for generations, it had been allowed to fall into disrepair by Aramon Lunel, who had inherited it and the land around. His sister Audrun had a new, rather small cottage in the neighbouring wood. Audrun and Aramon had a strained relationship and she stayed away from him where possible.
Anthony Verey was an art dealer from London but his business had suffered from the recession and he had decided to call it a day and retire to France to live near his sister, Veronica, and her partner.
When Aramon decides that the Mas Lunel is too much for him and puts it on the market, Anthony Verey takes a look at it with a view to buying. Thus the two sets of characters are finally linked, bringing us to a thoroughly unsatisfactory ending.
I would enthusiastically recommend The Road Home, The Way I Found her or The Colour. If this is your first taste of Rose Tremain it is going to give you an entirely false impression of an excellent author.
Not recommended.
I am a great fan of Rose Tremain, having read five of her books, but this was the most disappointing and my lowest rating so far. I enjoyed The Road Home so much that it joined just a handful of books that I've re-read, but Trespass felt like it had been written by a completely
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different author. I was never grabbed by the narrative and didn't particularly like any of the characters, though they were well described. It also struck me as overkill that both Veronica and her brother, were attracted to their own sex.
The link between the five main protagonists was the grand old French house known as the Mas Lunel. Owned by the Lunel family for generations, it had been allowed to fall into disrepair by Aramon Lunel, who had inherited it and the land around. His sister Audrun had a new, rather small cottage in the neighbouring wood. Audrun and Aramon had a strained relationship and she stayed away from him where possible.
Anthony Verey was an art dealer from London but his business had suffered from the recession and he had decided to call it a day and retire to France to live near his sister, Veronica, and her partner.
When Aramon decides that the Mas Lunel is too much for him and puts it on the market, Anthony Verey takes a look at it with a view to buying. Thus the two sets of characters are finally linked, bringing us to a thoroughly unsatisfactory ending.
I would enthusiastically recommend The Road Home, The Way I Found her or The Colour. If this is your first taste of Rose Tremain it is going to give you an entirely false impression of an excellent author.
Not recommended.
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LibraryThing member christinelstanley
I'm being generous when I give this a three, but a two star rating is not quite enough! I never enjoy books where the characters are so unlikeable.
I understood that they all had flaws going back to a less than ideal childhood, but I could not bring myself to feel any sympathy for them. The plot
I understood that they all had flaws going back to a less than ideal childhood, but I could not bring myself to feel any sympathy for them. The plot
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plodded and was predictable in places. I cannot recommened this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cariola
I have long been a fan of Rose Tremain's historical novels, my favorites being Music and Silence and Restoration. In her last two books, she has moved forward in time to the present. While Trespass certainly captured my interest, in my opinion, it can't hold a candle to her earlier novels.
Other
Tremain's usual fine writing is evident here, particularly in Audrun's descriptions of the natural world surrounding the mas Lunel, and she plays cleverly with the multiple meanings of the word "trespass" (as a sin, a violation, a crossing of private boundaries, etc.). Her sympathies clearly lie with the two sisters, who come across as more rounded, if still flawed, characters; their brothers, Anthony and Aramon, are depicted as one-dimensional (Anthony as selfish, Aramon as cruel). If you're a fan of Tremain's work, Trespass is definitely worth your time. It's always intersting to see a writer "trespassing" (if you will)--stretching beyond his or her usual boundaries. If you're new to her novels, I'd recommend starting with one of my favorites mentioned above.
Other
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reviewers have sketched the four main characters and outlined the basic plot, so I'll add my thoughts without covering the same ground once again. We're all familiar with the dysfunctional family novel. In Trespass, Tremain takes it a step further by showing us that the effects of neglect and abuse persist even into the later years of her two pairs of siblings, the Vereys and the Lunels, who are all in their 60s. Not one of them has been able to form an enduring, loving relationship with another human being. The closest thing to love might be Veronica's feelings for her brother Anthony, but these border on obsession and involve a history of trying to make up for her mother's extreme distnterest in her children. In short, each of these people has been trespassed against, and, in return, they trespass against others.Tremain's usual fine writing is evident here, particularly in Audrun's descriptions of the natural world surrounding the mas Lunel, and she plays cleverly with the multiple meanings of the word "trespass" (as a sin, a violation, a crossing of private boundaries, etc.). Her sympathies clearly lie with the two sisters, who come across as more rounded, if still flawed, characters; their brothers, Anthony and Aramon, are depicted as one-dimensional (Anthony as selfish, Aramon as cruel). If you're a fan of Tremain's work, Trespass is definitely worth your time. It's always intersting to see a writer "trespassing" (if you will)--stretching beyond his or her usual boundaries. If you're new to her novels, I'd recommend starting with one of my favorites mentioned above.
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LibraryThing member lmnop2652
"Trespass" did not disappoint this Rose Tremain fan, although there was an odd moment or two within its pages.
Anthony Verey,aging--and declining in success--antiques dealer with a predilection for young men (boys?--this seemed inappropriate, or undeveloped, or unnecessary--there was *something*
The trespassing that goes on throughout the book takes many forms, making for a page-turning read throughout this rather dark story. The main characters, said sets of siblings, were well developed and defined, without a lot of detail given, yet there were areas that left me with a sense of things not being quite finished--like the author was rushed or something was cut out, but the edges of whatever was cut remained. Just the same, I really enjoyed "Trespass" and will be looking for more by Rose Tremain. I haven't read all her books, but I really enjoy her beautiful, poetic writing and the varied topics she writes about.
Anthony Verey,aging--and declining in success--antiques dealer with a predilection for young men (boys?--this seemed inappropriate, or undeveloped, or unnecessary--there was *something*
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wrong w/this being a part of the story) and his sister Veronica, a garden designer and lesbian w/an insecure and whiny lover, make up one set of siblings. Audrun (I want an entire book about this character), sexually/physically/psychologically abused by her father and brother Aramon, today an angry (guilty?) drunkard greedy for money (for what, I don't know), make up the other set of siblings.The trespassing that goes on throughout the book takes many forms, making for a page-turning read throughout this rather dark story. The main characters, said sets of siblings, were well developed and defined, without a lot of detail given, yet there were areas that left me with a sense of things not being quite finished--like the author was rushed or something was cut out, but the edges of whatever was cut remained. Just the same, I really enjoyed "Trespass" and will be looking for more by Rose Tremain. I haven't read all her books, but I really enjoy her beautiful, poetic writing and the varied topics she writes about.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
In a nutshell: A beautiful and haunting novel of lives and memories disrupted by the trespass of truth and secrets.
There is a good range of reviews on Trespass here on LT; it seems most people either love it or hate it. I am in the former camp. While it’s true that most of the characters have
There is a good range of reviews on Trespass here on LT; it seems most people either love it or hate it. I am in the former camp. While it’s true that most of the characters have
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few, if any, redeeming characteristics, I still found myself drawn in and caring about them. This is a dark, lyrical book where the bleached landscape is mirrored in the lives of the four main characters who seem to be bleached of all happiness. I don’t want to call it grim, because it isn’t; it is infused with melancholy and lost opportunities but in the absence of innocence and contentment in these lives, one is left with the knowledge of what is good and true in one’s own. Show Less
LibraryThing member tulstig
I had trouble getting into this book- a bit of a slow start I thought but wanted to give it a chance -this was the only thing that kept me reading to the end. The style of writing isn't one that really endeared itself to me.
A supposedly gripping storyline that goes nowhere, with main characters
Sadly I have to say I found this yarn went on too long, and am not sure I'll pick up another book by the same author.
A supposedly gripping storyline that goes nowhere, with main characters
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that are neither likeable nor at time believable. Sadly I have to say I found this yarn went on too long, and am not sure I'll pick up another book by the same author.
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LibraryThing member jfurshong
As readers, we return to authors for various reasons. Sometimes it is the quality of the writing, perhaps the setting or time period, the skilled characterizations and inter-relationships, often the analysis of what it takes to get through a life. Rose Tremain actually gets high points for each of
The relationship between siblings provides an interesting context for Trespass. Anthony Verey is a powerful London antiques dealer who finally realizes he is old, lonely and no longer admired. He decides to visit his sister, Veronica, who lives with her partner in the south of France, and during his visit makes a second decision to stay, to buy a house and leave his former life behind. A second set of siblings are Aramon and Audrun, estranged brother and sister, who live side by side, Aramon in the large house in the country, left to him by his father. Audrun lives in a run down cottage on the grounds and both nurse grudges that run deep. When Anthony decides to buy Mas Lunel, Aramon’s home, events are set into motion and in true Tremain fashion, they unfold in unexpected and somehow inevitable ways.
My favorite Tremain novel is “The Road Home”, a telling account of an East European immigrant’s experiences in London, a story that is as current as the EU’s most recent application of the Schengen agreement. Trespass has a more timeless feeling. The setting of rural France and the resentment of locals at the high housing prices caused by the British invasion are important, but the beauty of the novel is in the relationship of the two pairs of siblings and their own inner struggles. This could have occurred any time and anywhere, but the setting of rural France provides a lovely backdrop.
While everyone keeps an eye out for the next big literary thing to arrive and tracks the odds on the eventual Man Booker winner, Rose Tremain simply does what she does best. She has garnered an impressive list of awards, but mostly she writes interesting, compelling, beautifully-crafted novels that intrigue, surprise and delight. And she never disappoints.
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these, but I am drawn more by the element of surprise. Each time I approach a new work by Tremain I have this wonderful sense of anticipation, of knowing that I will be both challenged and delighted. Trespass, the newest work by Rose Tremain, certainly met my expectations.The relationship between siblings provides an interesting context for Trespass. Anthony Verey is a powerful London antiques dealer who finally realizes he is old, lonely and no longer admired. He decides to visit his sister, Veronica, who lives with her partner in the south of France, and during his visit makes a second decision to stay, to buy a house and leave his former life behind. A second set of siblings are Aramon and Audrun, estranged brother and sister, who live side by side, Aramon in the large house in the country, left to him by his father. Audrun lives in a run down cottage on the grounds and both nurse grudges that run deep. When Anthony decides to buy Mas Lunel, Aramon’s home, events are set into motion and in true Tremain fashion, they unfold in unexpected and somehow inevitable ways.
My favorite Tremain novel is “The Road Home”, a telling account of an East European immigrant’s experiences in London, a story that is as current as the EU’s most recent application of the Schengen agreement. Trespass has a more timeless feeling. The setting of rural France and the resentment of locals at the high housing prices caused by the British invasion are important, but the beauty of the novel is in the relationship of the two pairs of siblings and their own inner struggles. This could have occurred any time and anywhere, but the setting of rural France provides a lovely backdrop.
While everyone keeps an eye out for the next big literary thing to arrive and tracks the odds on the eventual Man Booker winner, Rose Tremain simply does what she does best. She has garnered an impressive list of awards, but mostly she writes interesting, compelling, beautifully-crafted novels that intrigue, surprise and delight. And she never disappoints.
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LibraryThing member Stromata
Rose Tremain is a compelling author, covering a wide and interesting spectrum of subject matter and her books are always worth reading. The 'Trespass' referred to in the title of her latest refers not only to physical breaches and infringments but psychological too.
Perhaps not as memorable as,
Perhaps not as memorable as,
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say, 'Music and Silence' or 'Restoration', nontheless this is a highly recommended read. Show Less
LibraryThing member littlegeek
Starts slowly with rather unsympathetic characters, but deftly builds to a deep compassion for the sad and lonely corners we can paint ourselves into. Eleanor Rigby in novel form. Sounds like a downer, but it's really well done, actually.
LibraryThing member smileydq
This book tells a dark tale of the trespasses we visit upon one another, as well as those we commit against the land we walk and the world in which we live. On the one hand are Aramon and Audrun, on the other Anthony Verey and his sister Veronica. The lives of these four intersect when Anthony
Tremain's prose is haunting, her language lyrical and descriptive and at the same time somehow sparse. The darkness in her characters' hearts is palpable to the reader, as is their growing despair. I found the novel to be at times unrelentingly grim, however, and though I was engaged in the story, I was more than ready to finish and shelve the book. I give it 3 stars - for the quality of the writing and for the power of the haunting feelings I was left with long after I was finished reading.
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travels to France to visit Veronica, and then sets his sights on buying the Mas Lunel. All of these characters are over sixty years old, and all are living as much in a more vibrant past as in their dismal present day. Tremain's prose is haunting, her language lyrical and descriptive and at the same time somehow sparse. The darkness in her characters' hearts is palpable to the reader, as is their growing despair. I found the novel to be at times unrelentingly grim, however, and though I was engaged in the story, I was more than ready to finish and shelve the book. I give it 3 stars - for the quality of the writing and for the power of the haunting feelings I was left with long after I was finished reading.
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LibraryThing member sringle1202
I was not able to finish this book. What I read of the book was beautifully written, however the story just didn't move fast enough to hold my short attention span. I have read other reviews that highly praised the book, and I am confident that they are correct, but this just wasn't quick enough
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for me. I will, however, pass the book along to someone who will be able to finish it and give the review that the book deserves. Show Less
LibraryThing member RoseCityReader
Rose Tremain's Trespass is a dark, intricate novel of family history and revenge set in the rocky hills of southern France. The spooky, remote landscape is almost a character in the book, so prominent a role does it play. An excellent, if somewhat grim, read.
Rose Tremain won the 2008 Orange Prize
Rose Tremain won the 2008 Orange Prize
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for her novel, The Road Home. Show Less
LibraryThing member xmaystarx
I really wanted to like this novel as I have enjoyed others by Rose Tremain but nothing about this story pulled me in. I found none of the characters likable and several outright irritating. There is a difficult back story of Audrun and her brother Aramon, one brother and sister pair in the book
The plot of the story was somewhat predictable, especially towards the end but I was ok with this since I don't think it was ever meant to be a mystery but more of a character study. There were many instances of trespass throughout, including trespassing on property as well as trespassing in a more figurative manner, trespassing of a person so to say. Rose Tremain does have talent, obviously, and the writing saved me from giving up on the book. My suggestion, if you are a Tremain fan then go ahead and read this one, it won't take long but if you aren't and have a tottering to-be-read mountain then I would say skip it in favor of something a bit more cheery at least.
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which may explain their unlikable character traits as adults. The other brother-sister pair, Anthony and Veronica who were slightly more likable but still bland characters. The plot of the story was somewhat predictable, especially towards the end but I was ok with this since I don't think it was ever meant to be a mystery but more of a character study. There were many instances of trespass throughout, including trespassing on property as well as trespassing in a more figurative manner, trespassing of a person so to say. Rose Tremain does have talent, obviously, and the writing saved me from giving up on the book. My suggestion, if you are a Tremain fan then go ahead and read this one, it won't take long but if you aren't and have a tottering to-be-read mountain then I would say skip it in favor of something a bit more cheery at least.
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LibraryThing member richardderus
The Book Report: Two pairs of aging siblings, all damaged goods from various sorts of parental abuse and neglect, collide in one of France's most beautiful areas...the Cevennes range...and manage to make a complete hash of their own, their friends', and even perfect strangers' lives while imagining
My Review: There are no new stories, only new ways of telling them. This isn't even a new way of telling an old, tired, and frankly quite offensive story. I will not scruple from spoilers from this sentence forward. Stop reading now if you want, despite my urgent advice, to read this tiresome bilge.
Audrun Lunel is a slow child, youngest of her family, and probably not the daughter of the man who raised and molested her, as she was born very shortly after the end of WWII and her mother was alone...well, anyway, incest is about more than genetics. Her brother, at the very least her half-brother that is, molested her too, all after her saintly mama dies. This is a story I simply do not want to read again, ever, since I survived incestuous abouse by my mother and don't care to see the culturally acceptable image of men as abusers continue unchallenged.
Anthony Verey, English poofter and antiques dealer, is in thrall to his memories of his glammy mommy, Lavender, a South African transplant to England, and a woman without a maternal bone in her body. (My mother was Southern, but that's a good description of her, too.) His fat lesbian older sister comes in for most of the verbal abuse his mother can deal out (same with my family), because the sister is not a fashion accessory child. The sister works hard to protect little Anthony, and sets up a lifetime pattern of dependency.
In the end, Anthony is shot by Audrun for being a rosbif carpetbagger, after which she frames her disgusting older brother for the crime. Yay. Creepy queerboy is dead, not before killing his sister's relationship to a perfectly nice if deadly dull woman, and nasty abuser boy goes to prison.
Which is where I want to send these goddamned woman novelists who, when they are absent an idea, think it's perfectly okay to portray their fellow women as victimvictimvictim of horrible, slimy men. It's shouting down the well to say this, but do you not see, Womankind, that this is INSULTING TO *YOU*?!? No woman I know...not one, without exception...is a victimvictimvictim by virtue of her womanliness. Each and every one of the women I know is strong and capable. I resent on their behalf the unquestioned rightness of this kind of claptrap built on the false dichotomy between male abuser and female abused.
Bah. Rotten stuff.
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themselves to be acting in accord with the highest and best principles of mankind. Nothing good comes of anyone's best-intentioned acts because no one has learned what good intentions look like. Tremain explores the results of repression and suppression to their logical extremes in this book.My Review: There are no new stories, only new ways of telling them. This isn't even a new way of telling an old, tired, and frankly quite offensive story. I will not scruple from spoilers from this sentence forward. Stop reading now if you want, despite my urgent advice, to read this tiresome bilge.
Audrun Lunel is a slow child, youngest of her family, and probably not the daughter of the man who raised and molested her, as she was born very shortly after the end of WWII and her mother was alone...well, anyway, incest is about more than genetics. Her brother, at the very least her half-brother that is, molested her too, all after her saintly mama dies. This is a story I simply do not want to read again, ever, since I survived incestuous abouse by my mother and don't care to see the culturally acceptable image of men as abusers continue unchallenged.
Anthony Verey, English poofter and antiques dealer, is in thrall to his memories of his glammy mommy, Lavender, a South African transplant to England, and a woman without a maternal bone in her body. (My mother was Southern, but that's a good description of her, too.) His fat lesbian older sister comes in for most of the verbal abuse his mother can deal out (same with my family), because the sister is not a fashion accessory child. The sister works hard to protect little Anthony, and sets up a lifetime pattern of dependency.
In the end, Anthony is shot by Audrun for being a rosbif carpetbagger, after which she frames her disgusting older brother for the crime. Yay. Creepy queerboy is dead, not before killing his sister's relationship to a perfectly nice if deadly dull woman, and nasty abuser boy goes to prison.
Which is where I want to send these goddamned woman novelists who, when they are absent an idea, think it's perfectly okay to portray their fellow women as victimvictimvictim of horrible, slimy men. It's shouting down the well to say this, but do you not see, Womankind, that this is INSULTING TO *YOU*?!? No woman I know...not one, without exception...is a victimvictimvictim by virtue of her womanliness. Each and every one of the women I know is strong and capable. I resent on their behalf the unquestioned rightness of this kind of claptrap built on the false dichotomy between male abuser and female abused.
Bah. Rotten stuff.
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LibraryThing member LukeS
Sometimes when watching a TV ad for a fragrance or a soft drink or almost anything, my wife or I will jokingly say, “Go ahead. Find the unattractive person in that ad.” We say it because it’s impossible to do. While reading Rose Tremain’s weighty “Trespass,” one could say the converse:
Our intrepid author introduces us first to Anthony Verey, a once-almost-wealthy antiques dealer with a shop in a posh section of London. He realizes during a dinner with rich friends that his chance at real wealth has passed him by somehow, and that his celebrity isn’t what it once was. He realizes with excruciating pain that he is no longer spoken of in hushed terms at art openings, he no longer was "the" Anthony Verey. This timid, jealous, inadequate, precious mama’s boy must find a way out of his over-the-hill predicament. He settles of course for moving to the south of France, to the Cevennes Mountains, to be with his beloved sister so they can sort it all out. What gets sorted out, however ghastly it is, actually serves Verey rather well. Ms. Tremain presents grand timeless issues, like gentrification of old land holdings, jealousy, betrayal, greed, and the cruel horrors perpetrated within families. She sets these forces forward in an inexorable march of tragedy and retribution. It has a cinematic feel to it, one in which the audience may cheer for the wronged to come out on top, no matter the means. Our author even puts this Hollywood image into the head of one of her protagonists, as events unfold, and police inspectors ask their inevitable questions.
As always, Rose Tremain presents vivid pictures, both of outward nature, and of inward nature. The desperate ambition, the envy, the smugness of the socially superior, the grasping of the commercially opportune – our author lays these all out for our inspection, and in doing so, holds our modern adoration for money up in a mirror for us. She also reminds us that each society has its victims, and some of these victims so utterly lack for any protection or redress, that only tragedy can follow.
Ms. Tremain also invites us to decide which transgression lends its name to the novel. The British antiques dealer mulls over whether to purchase the French farmhouse, and the locals consider this a form of trespassing. Audrun, the current owner’s sister, unwell, ashamed, suffers the further indignity of being accused of trespassing because of her bungalow’s location. Anthony trespasses on his sister, and her happiness, and we also see how the locals trespass on the living forest that blankets the hills.
Once again, Orange Prize-winning Rose Tremain reinforces her powerful reputation. She has turned out a deep and serious piece of fiction, without perhaps the soaring, dreamlike escape of “The Colour” or the comic touches of “The Road Home.” This is a more contemplative work, filled with cautionary examples of greed and injustice, but also containing a grandeur, a momentous justice, wrought by the book's character seemingly least capable ot it. Recommended very highly.
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“Okay, find the attractive or sympathetic person.” Because you pretty much can’t. “Trespass” portrays the lives a small number of people in late middle age as they progress into dotage. It also contains a hard-won balance, a magisterial justice, along with its brilliant depictions of Çevenol France. Along the way we witness true, anguished, human motivation, and at the end of the day, we have the unmistakably brilliant Rose Tremain behind it all.Our intrepid author introduces us first to Anthony Verey, a once-almost-wealthy antiques dealer with a shop in a posh section of London. He realizes during a dinner with rich friends that his chance at real wealth has passed him by somehow, and that his celebrity isn’t what it once was. He realizes with excruciating pain that he is no longer spoken of in hushed terms at art openings, he no longer was "the" Anthony Verey. This timid, jealous, inadequate, precious mama’s boy must find a way out of his over-the-hill predicament. He settles of course for moving to the south of France, to the Cevennes Mountains, to be with his beloved sister so they can sort it all out. What gets sorted out, however ghastly it is, actually serves Verey rather well. Ms. Tremain presents grand timeless issues, like gentrification of old land holdings, jealousy, betrayal, greed, and the cruel horrors perpetrated within families. She sets these forces forward in an inexorable march of tragedy and retribution. It has a cinematic feel to it, one in which the audience may cheer for the wronged to come out on top, no matter the means. Our author even puts this Hollywood image into the head of one of her protagonists, as events unfold, and police inspectors ask their inevitable questions.
As always, Rose Tremain presents vivid pictures, both of outward nature, and of inward nature. The desperate ambition, the envy, the smugness of the socially superior, the grasping of the commercially opportune – our author lays these all out for our inspection, and in doing so, holds our modern adoration for money up in a mirror for us. She also reminds us that each society has its victims, and some of these victims so utterly lack for any protection or redress, that only tragedy can follow.
Ms. Tremain also invites us to decide which transgression lends its name to the novel. The British antiques dealer mulls over whether to purchase the French farmhouse, and the locals consider this a form of trespassing. Audrun, the current owner’s sister, unwell, ashamed, suffers the further indignity of being accused of trespassing because of her bungalow’s location. Anthony trespasses on his sister, and her happiness, and we also see how the locals trespass on the living forest that blankets the hills.
Once again, Orange Prize-winning Rose Tremain reinforces her powerful reputation. She has turned out a deep and serious piece of fiction, without perhaps the soaring, dreamlike escape of “The Colour” or the comic touches of “The Road Home.” This is a more contemplative work, filled with cautionary examples of greed and injustice, but also containing a grandeur, a momentous justice, wrought by the book's character seemingly least capable ot it. Recommended very highly.
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LibraryThing member ammyharrison
An excellent read. Rose Tremain give us a cast of lonely, unsympathetic characters and by the end we care deeply about their lives and loves. Compelling.
LibraryThing member ntempest
Rose Tremain’s dark new novel focuses on the connections between two sets of siblings, one British and one French. Veronica and Anthony were born and raised in the English countryside and are a close pair, though he lives in London where he has his antique business and she works as a garden
Aramon Lunel owns the stone farmhouse that attracts Anthony's attention, while his sister, Audrun lives in a small cottage on the property. Anthony's intention to purchase the land for his retirement sets off a chain of events, and results in Tremain's study of various meanings behind the word "trespass" that she has chosen as her title. The result is an intriguing and compelling, if somewhat disturbing story. I found it highly engrossing and worth the read.
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designer in southern France, where she lives with her lover Kitty. When Anthony comes to stay with Veronica, they become aware of the second pair of siblings, as Anthony is interested in purchasing their home, Mas Lunel.Aramon Lunel owns the stone farmhouse that attracts Anthony's attention, while his sister, Audrun lives in a small cottage on the property. Anthony's intention to purchase the land for his retirement sets off a chain of events, and results in Tremain's study of various meanings behind the word "trespass" that she has chosen as her title. The result is an intriguing and compelling, if somewhat disturbing story. I found it highly engrossing and worth the read.
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Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2010)
ALA Over the Rainbow Book List (Selection — Fiction — 2012)
Language
Original publication date
2010
Physical description
253 p.; 8.2 inches
ISBN
9780393340600