Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Vintage Books (1994), Edition: Reissue, 165 pages
Description
Ian McEwan's Somerset Maugham Award-winning collection First Love, Last Rites brought him instant recognition as one of the most influential voices writing in England today. Taut, brooding, and densely atmospheric, these stories show us the ways in which murder can arise out of boredom, perversity can result from adolescent curiosity, and sheer evil might be the solution to unbearable loneliness. These tales are as horrifying as anything written by Clive Barker or Stephen King, but they are crafted with a lyricism and intensity that compel us to confront our secret kinship with the horrifying.
User reviews
LibraryThing member varwenea
Ian McEwan’s first publication is a compilation of short stories touching on many subjects that are not for gentle readers. From drugs, rape, incest, murder, psycho aunt, creepy, lonely guy, there’s a darkness that looms in the words providing both a cringe and an understanding. It’s an odd
Homemade – Possibly the most disturbing in the book, I picked up vocabulary that I will erase from memory.
Solid Geometry – An unhappily married couple, a great grandfather’s epic diary, and an escape. This was the most predictable story.
Last Day of Summer – The most poignant of the stories and my favorite. I wanted Jenny to know she’s loved.
Cocker at the Theatre – The shortest of the stories, it provided a chuckle.
Butterflies – The creepiness grew and grew. The second most disturbing in the book.
Conversation with a Cupboard Man – The effects of a wronged childhood. Argh.
First Love, Last Rites – Love, sex, a broken family, plus a scary rat – an unexpected combo that works.
Disguises – The only story that feels incomplete; more ought to be told.
Short stories can be such incredible tools to tell concise thoughts. This set of tales whack the reader upside the head. With the dark sensitive subjects, this book is most recommended for those who enjoy McEwan’s works and want to explore his first published piece. The writing isn’t quite as creative as his later works, but it has a rawness that will take you for a ride.
Some quotes:
On lust:
“…the blood having drained from brain to groin, literally, one might say, from sense to sensibility…”
On art – the choice of artist painted an incredibly clear picture of the writer’s intent:
“…She was beautiful in a strange almost sinister way, like a girl in a Modigliani painting.”
On sex:
“…Then once I was inside her I was moved, I was inside my fantasy, there could be no separation now of my mushrooming sensations from my knowledge that we could make a creature grow in Sissel’s belly. I had no wish to be a father, that was not in it at all. It was eggs, sperms, chromosomes, feathers, gills, claws, inches from my cock’s end the unstoppable chemistry of a creature growing out of a dark red slime, my fantasy was of being helpless before the age and strength of this process and the thought alone could make me come before I wanted.”
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mix to say the least. But it only illustrates the creativity of McEwan’s writings – uncanny and powerful, weird yet striking. Like I say though, it’s not a pleasant read. McEwan gives no one a break. Homemade – Possibly the most disturbing in the book, I picked up vocabulary that I will erase from memory.
Solid Geometry – An unhappily married couple, a great grandfather’s epic diary, and an escape. This was the most predictable story.
Last Day of Summer – The most poignant of the stories and my favorite. I wanted Jenny to know she’s loved.
Cocker at the Theatre – The shortest of the stories, it provided a chuckle.
Butterflies – The creepiness grew and grew. The second most disturbing in the book.
Conversation with a Cupboard Man – The effects of a wronged childhood. Argh.
First Love, Last Rites – Love, sex, a broken family, plus a scary rat – an unexpected combo that works.
Disguises – The only story that feels incomplete; more ought to be told.
Short stories can be such incredible tools to tell concise thoughts. This set of tales whack the reader upside the head. With the dark sensitive subjects, this book is most recommended for those who enjoy McEwan’s works and want to explore his first published piece. The writing isn’t quite as creative as his later works, but it has a rawness that will take you for a ride.
Some quotes:
On lust:
“…the blood having drained from brain to groin, literally, one might say, from sense to sensibility…”
On art – the choice of artist painted an incredibly clear picture of the writer’s intent:
“…She was beautiful in a strange almost sinister way, like a girl in a Modigliani painting.”
On sex:
“…Then once I was inside her I was moved, I was inside my fantasy, there could be no separation now of my mushrooming sensations from my knowledge that we could make a creature grow in Sissel’s belly. I had no wish to be a father, that was not in it at all. It was eggs, sperms, chromosomes, feathers, gills, claws, inches from my cock’s end the unstoppable chemistry of a creature growing out of a dark red slime, my fantasy was of being helpless before the age and strength of this process and the thought alone could make me come before I wanted.”
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LibraryThing member cinesnail88
A lot of people will probably view this collection as incredibly bizarre, considering that the subject matter has mostly to do with sexual perversion. Some of the stories were just TOO weird for me, for example "Disguises" and "First Love, Last Rites."
I did love several of them, though, even though
All in all, a great collection, though I do wonder at the inspiration.
I did love several of them, though, even though
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their subjects were often disturbing. I found "Homemade," "Solid Geometry," "The Last Day of Summer," and "Butterflies" all to be superbly excellent.All in all, a great collection, though I do wonder at the inspiration.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
f you like beautifully written short stories about not-very-nice topics, then may I recommend this one to you? Incest, pedophilia, abuse, neglect - it's all here! And if the subject matter weren't bad enough, there is something almost obscene about having it rendered in such graceful writing.
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McEwan evokes loneliness and awkwardness and wrongness so well that the reader feels empathy and compassion for even the most beyond the pale characters. It makes for uncomfortable reading, but it's really quite an accomplishment. I'd give this collection one and a half stars for content but the writing raises it to a three-star read. I look forward, with trepidation, to reading more McEwan (the only other of his I've read is Atonement which is a favorite). Show Less
LibraryThing member Kirstie_Innes-Will
Typical McEwan - creepy, disturbing, unsettling stories about human fallibility and the thin line between 'innocence' and the illegal, illicit or truly horrific. His capacity to bring specific moments in time (childhood incest, a canal-side murder, accidental death ...) to life shines in this short
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story collection. Show Less
LibraryThing member richardtaylor
This is a great collection of short stories. I picked it up off my wife's bookshelf when I had nothing better to do, but really got into it.
LibraryThing member Robert3167
Brilliant writing, bizarre topics. Not a pleasant collection. A disturbing group of short stories showing the seamy side of life.
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Compared to his later Man Booker Prize nominated works, Ian McEwan's earliest efforts are harsh, to say the least. Perverse and violent, the early McEwan had more in common with Stephen King than Julian Barnes, Kazuo Ishiguro, or A.S. Byatt. In fact, I'm not sure I could tell the difference between
First Love, Last Rites was McEwan's very first book. A collection of stories, it was published in 1975, around the same time Stephen King was getting his start. It could be argued therefore that neither writer was inspired by the other, but that both writers shared similar influences. Perhaps it was merely in the stars—the writers were born nine months apart. Enough with comparison, Ian McEwan's writing was dark, full of taboos, and that's all there is to say about it.
As with most collections, the stories are rather uneven. There are those that stand out as being exceptional and those that are quickly forgotten. It is the stories that are most disturbing that are most unforgettable, and not just because they are so shocking. It is these stories—stories of molestation, incest, and rape—that McEwan's writing is at its best. Frankly, I'm not sure how I feel about that. If on one hand, McEwan had a sick obsession with these subjects, then I'm left uneasy with how to approach his writing. On the other hand, if McEwan had an obsession with these subjects that was based more on a heart for the victim, then I can understand. It all comes down to intention and psychology and... well, it's easier just to slap photos of King and McEwan next to one another and compare them.
Put away the unease and any comparisons, and First Love, Last Rites is still an average collection overall. Yes, there are some wonderfully told, richly drawn five-star stories, but there are several duds as well, stories I'd forgotten before starting the next. Readers who have been personally affected by rape or molestation, or are deeply unsettled by such topics, may wish to avoid this collection, as well as anything McEwan wrote in the first ten years of his career, but other readers shouldn't necessarily avoid the author's earliest works simply because they're dark. In a 2015 article McEwan wrote for The Guardian, the author reflects on his first collection and how critics labeled him a monster, while praising the work itself. He writes, “It was difficult for me then, and would be even more difficult now, to persuade readers that my intentions were actually moral,” and gives a strong argument for how we, culturally, have become sexually confused. I think McEwan has a valid point, and it's one we could spend some time dissecting. Then again, perhaps it's simpler just to offer a distraction and move onto the next review...
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an early McEwan story and your typical King story. One could argue that McEwan is more polished than King, also more psychological than paranormal, but these differences would be measured in small degrees.First Love, Last Rites was McEwan's very first book. A collection of stories, it was published in 1975, around the same time Stephen King was getting his start. It could be argued therefore that neither writer was inspired by the other, but that both writers shared similar influences. Perhaps it was merely in the stars—the writers were born nine months apart. Enough with comparison, Ian McEwan's writing was dark, full of taboos, and that's all there is to say about it.
As with most collections, the stories are rather uneven. There are those that stand out as being exceptional and those that are quickly forgotten. It is the stories that are most disturbing that are most unforgettable, and not just because they are so shocking. It is these stories—stories of molestation, incest, and rape—that McEwan's writing is at its best. Frankly, I'm not sure how I feel about that. If on one hand, McEwan had a sick obsession with these subjects, then I'm left uneasy with how to approach his writing. On the other hand, if McEwan had an obsession with these subjects that was based more on a heart for the victim, then I can understand. It all comes down to intention and psychology and... well, it's easier just to slap photos of King and McEwan next to one another and compare them.
Put away the unease and any comparisons, and First Love, Last Rites is still an average collection overall. Yes, there are some wonderfully told, richly drawn five-star stories, but there are several duds as well, stories I'd forgotten before starting the next. Readers who have been personally affected by rape or molestation, or are deeply unsettled by such topics, may wish to avoid this collection, as well as anything McEwan wrote in the first ten years of his career, but other readers shouldn't necessarily avoid the author's earliest works simply because they're dark. In a 2015 article McEwan wrote for The Guardian, the author reflects on his first collection and how critics labeled him a monster, while praising the work itself. He writes, “It was difficult for me then, and would be even more difficult now, to persuade readers that my intentions were actually moral,” and gives a strong argument for how we, culturally, have become sexually confused. I think McEwan has a valid point, and it's one we could spend some time dissecting. Then again, perhaps it's simpler just to offer a distraction and move onto the next review...
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LibraryThing member jonfaith
As noted, stories are my chosen path. These examples of eerie early McEwan are notable for structure and shock value, the promise of the latter does diminish the further one proceeds into the book.
LibraryThing member bragan
A collection of eight short stories, most of them pervaded with a sense, overt or subtle, of dark and twisted sexuality. Which isn't something I generally have a problem with. I mean, I remember kind of liking McEwan's The Comfort of Strangers, which was about nothing but dark and twisted
Specifically, there are three stories, "Homemade," "Butterflies" and "Disguises," which -- and there's no way to sugarcoat this, so I'm just going to say it -- feature the sexual abuse, and, in one case, the subsequent murder, of children. The first two of those are told from the POV of the abusers, who are horrifically matter-of-fact about what they've done, and utterly, utterly incapable of anything resembling human empathy. Make no mistake, they're intended to be disturbing. But I kind of find myself wondering... Are these stories that capture the banality of evil effectively and well, disturbing readers in thought-provoking ways by drawing us in in a manner that makes us feel almost complicit in their horrors? Or is this just an author trotting out the ugliest taboo available for sheer shock value? Maybe it's both? In any case, I find myself genuinely sort of wishing I hadn't read them, and that's extremely rare for me.
The other stories are mostly less memorable, which, honestly, I'm not going to complain about. The exception is "Solid Geometry" which actually has a lot in common with the ones that bothered me so much, including a POV character who does awful things while feeling little more than vague annoyance. But that one doesn't involve children, at least. And there's an almost pleasantly strange fantasy element to it that makes it entertaining as much as it is uncomfortable. Which, now that I think about it, is also pretty messed-up, in its own way.
Rating: What the hell do I rate something like this, something that's extremely well-written and mostly does what it intends to do, but leaves me genuinely regretting having read it? I guess I'll call it 3/5, for lack of any better option.
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sexuality. But some of the stories in this one? Hoo, boy. They left the inside of my brain feeling... dirty. And not in a good way. Specifically, there are three stories, "Homemade," "Butterflies" and "Disguises," which -- and there's no way to sugarcoat this, so I'm just going to say it -- feature the sexual abuse, and, in one case, the subsequent murder, of children. The first two of those are told from the POV of the abusers, who are horrifically matter-of-fact about what they've done, and utterly, utterly incapable of anything resembling human empathy. Make no mistake, they're intended to be disturbing. But I kind of find myself wondering... Are these stories that capture the banality of evil effectively and well, disturbing readers in thought-provoking ways by drawing us in in a manner that makes us feel almost complicit in their horrors? Or is this just an author trotting out the ugliest taboo available for sheer shock value? Maybe it's both? In any case, I find myself genuinely sort of wishing I hadn't read them, and that's extremely rare for me.
The other stories are mostly less memorable, which, honestly, I'm not going to complain about. The exception is "Solid Geometry" which actually has a lot in common with the ones that bothered me so much, including a POV character who does awful things while feeling little more than vague annoyance. But that one doesn't involve children, at least. And there's an almost pleasantly strange fantasy element to it that makes it entertaining as much as it is uncomfortable. Which, now that I think about it, is also pretty messed-up, in its own way.
Rating: What the hell do I rate something like this, something that's extremely well-written and mostly does what it intends to do, but leaves me genuinely regretting having read it? I guess I'll call it 3/5, for lack of any better option.
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Subjects
Awards
Somerset Maugham Award (1976)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1975
Physical description
165 p.; 5.2 inches
ISBN
0679750193 / 9780679750192
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