Wow! I have never despised every single character like I have in The Lessons. And I love it.

These characters, with their love, lust, betrayal, anger, and hate, all culminates in this chaotic, manic ending, yet utterly compelling read.

The reader will see Daisy and Harry grow from doe eyed young lovers, to hardened yet still manipulated adults just searching for love and acceptance. It is the adults Jane and Kate that bring antagonism and resentment to end the young love that is divided by so many obstacles.

John Purcell’s The Lessons is a perfectly adequate novel about the entangled lives of a group of people, with enticing historical details, glamorous locations to set the scenes, and coming-of-age themes thrown in.

Told from various points-of-view and zig-zagging back and forth from the past to the present, the motivations and the deceits of each of the characters is slowly revealed.

This is the kind of novel where I imagine the author had a very complicated collection of post-it notes stuck to their wall, showing the interactions and connections. Of course, the risk of these multiple and tightly entwined plot lines is that in resolving one bit, all must come to a conclusion. Those kinds of conclusions can feel overly ‘neat’.

The weaknesses? The character of Jane, a famous novelist, presented as far older than her years. Her voice was bordering on elderly, not someone simply a little exhausted from their wild times during the swinging sixties London. Additionally, Purcell relied on a (very) minor character to propel the plot – as a result, the scene didn’t feel particularly significant until you realised that it was (and there’s a return to it much later in the book).

On the plus side, Purcell captures the sense of all-consuming first love beautifully. He treats Harry and Daisy’s relationship gently and realistically. I think it can be hard to describe the sentiment and the physical instinct (lust!) of first love, without it seeming either overly mature or saccharine, but he does it. And without spoilers, he also nails the aftermath of first love.

We had a level of trust that only inexperience would allow.

2.5/5 Save for the summer holiday.

I received my copy of The Lessons from the publisher, Harper Collins Australia, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

An engaging, multi-perspective novel that follows the events that unfold after Harry and Daisy fall in love. This novel was atmospheric in the best way. I could easily imagine the fabulous moments in London during the 60s, the stunning beaches of Saint Tropez and the idyllic farm life of rural England.

The characters were so detailed and flawed, but all had endearing qualities. This was all due to Purcell's incredible writing style that constructed these detailed and complex characters that felt so real. The writing was beautiful and witty. There were many quotes I highlighted. My favourite being:

"I'm no feminist. Largely, because they tend to stop at equality. I would march under the banner of a more ambitious movement. Domination. A complete transfer of power. Matriarchy or nothing. I can love a man but not men"

I loved how this book dealt with themes of gender, desire, passion, love and family dynamics. Highly recommend!
INSTAGRAM: @the_reading_gal

After loving John Purcell's Girl on the Page novel, I was extremely excited to read John's latest novel The Lessons.

The story has two main characters, novellist Jane and her niece Daisy, spanning two decades. In essence, it is simple story of love, the choices we make and the life we live.

I found the character of Jane both likeable and dislikeable in equal measures. With Daisy's character lost love story compelling.

I found this story engaging and honest, i thoroughly enjoyed it!

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