I felt tremendous empathy, admiration, and respect as I read Roland’s life story. To truly understand a person it’s essential to recognize their background mixed with the era in which they were born. It is true our past shapes us but it certainly does not define us as Roland and his story demonstrate. Lessons left me in a reflective mood and this book will be a story I will never forget, truly indelible.

Roland is an ordinary man, cerebral, economical with his emotions, selfless, complicated yet facile. His calm, placid manner was understandable yet troubled. His ability to ‘forgive’ in a combination with accepting things as they are was inspiring. He’s matter-of-fact and takes care of his business with the best of intentions. He never looked back only accepted what was. I kept asking myself and will forever ask the ‘big’ question - if Miriam Cornell never entered his life, what would have become of Roland’s life and its trajectory? I will never stop contemplating this question. Roland is a character you accept unconditionally, with no judgment. He easily wins your respect as you hang on his every word as he candidly shares his life through his perceptions of events and experiences, opinions. He’s selective in sharing the deepest recesses of his feelings/emotions and this causes frustration but demands honor. I found him to be a quiet force without intention on his part. He pulled me in completely which is a sign of wonderful characterization.

Remarkable writing, a history lesson, and a fragile subject matter approached with respect while demonstrating its long lingering effects will dominate your attention and heart. McEwen weaves a simple man into a transparent giant leaving you introspective on your own life.

All-encompassing novel penned by a gifted author. Admirers of historical fiction, McEwan, and sweeping epics will relish Lessons. Approach this read in small bites to enhance the reading experience and wholly grasp Roland Baines - his past, present, and future, his story. I hope I am fortunate to live to my 70s and tell my story, the good, bad and ugly. Brilliant novel and a treasure, McEwan undoubtedly beaming with pride as he rightfully should.

I generally love Ian McEwan's novels but this was just ... I don't know ... tedious, I guess. A not-especially-likeable man wanders through life.

I will generally finish a couple books each week. This took over a week because I just could not find any strong draw to keep going.

Lessons was a very difficult book for me to get through. I have much respect for Ian McEwan, who is certainly a well known and prolific author but this novel was not for me. However, other readers may enjoy this character-driven novel. I found the story to move forward too slowly, in tiny detail increments. There was a lot of historical background that contributed to the level of detail presented, which will likely be appreciated by other readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Albert A Knopf for the digital ARC.

This book does not disappoint. A wife’s sudden disappearance, leaving behind her husband and infant son, make for an exploration into her husband’s life history. This was a fascinating look at how well one really knows a spouse, a parent, a lover, a child. It is also a tale of forgiveness and acceptance. Ian McEwan is a skillful writer and this piece of writing is no exception to his skill. I fully recommend.

While I have enjoyed Ian McEwan's books in the past and was excited to be given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, I found Lessons fell flat for me. While I did finish the book, it was a struggle for me.

I’ve wanted to read a book by Ian McEwan for so long and I’m not sure LESSONS is quite the right place to start. (Or perhaps I ought to give more credit to movie adaptations than I have in the past.) The plot, a man’s experience of the last 75 years or so as a backdrop to a life filled with ambivalent loss, seemed interesting. The problem was that the writing style and the character were both distant, they placed the reader so far from the center of activity that the book just felt flat and the main character, AWOL. Perhaps that was the writer’s point, but it made for a slog of a read. I found it difficult to concentrate on the book and wished it was more compelling. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Eleven-year-old Roland Baines’ life changes dramatically when his Africa based parents decide to send him back to England to attend a boarding school and get the classic education. While the political landscape forms itself after the Second World War, the boy takes piano lessons with Miss Cornell who will shape not only his idea of music, she will become his first love. Incidentally or initiated by fate, Roland’s life will remain closely connected to global events, be it the cloud coming from Chernobyl, the beginning and end of the Cold War, or major crises such as AIDS and the pandemic. As we travel through his life, he has to learn some lessons, some taken light-heartedly, others a lot harder and leaving scars.

I have been a huge fan of Ian McEwan’s novel for years and accordingly, I was keen to open his latest novel “Lessons”. What I have always appreciate most in his books is his carefully crafted characters who – hit by events outside their control – need to cope and to adjust. He is a wonderful narrator who easily makes you sink into the plot and forget everything around you. Even though “Lessons” does not focus that much on a single question as in “The Children Act” or “Saturday” and was much longer than most of his former writings, I hugely enjoyed how his protagonist’s character unfolds in front of us and becomes who he is when his life closes.

The novel has been announced as “a chronicle of out times” and admittedly, that’s just what it is. By the example of Roland, he illustrates the last six decades, he chronicles British and European politics, arts, music and mind-set. Roland’s process of learning does not stop, life is a continuous process of trial and error, of mistakes and good decisions which all leave their mark.

Interestingly, the protagonist is a rather passive character. He only ever reacts to what happens, his piano teacher’s advances, his wife’s running away, his career: Roland does not actively shape his life, it is the first and foremost the women he encounters who make him move and – even though they all remain minor characters – it’s them who bring the verve and dynamics into the action.

I can imagine that some readers will find the novel a bit slow and lacking focus, yet, I totally adored it and enjoyed every minute of the read.

A wonderful journey through our protagonist Roland's childhood, and back again. This tale brings us to post-world war 2 Britain, following Roland as he is enrolled in school and throughout his life, as he experiences different trials and tribulations. Not an especial thriller, this book somehow still engages and keeps your attention with the family scandals and problems which plague Roland his whole life. A struggle of sorts, Roland and son still manage to make the best of their situations and persevere. A very British tale if there ever was one. At times sad, hilarious, engaging, and disturbing, the book spans every genre all at once, and in such a way that it seems as though it fits into none of the categories. A masterpiece of sorts, I would highly recommend this piece of literature to anyone who has previously read and enjoyed McEwan's work, but also anyone who wants to experience a life in the way that only this book has yet brought to life for me.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Lessons” – Ian McEwan

My thanks to @netgalley and @knopfdoubleday for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

“Lessons” tells the story of Roland Baines, a man who seems loosely based on the author himself, or at least certain aspects of his life. The book charts his life from a childhood in 40s Libya and various boarding schools, through various failed career opportunities and one failed marriage, right through to the present day. McEwan blends the mundane and every day with the major world events of the day, starting with the Cuban Missile Crisis leading to teenage Baines making a decision that leads to his life irreparably changing (there’s a TW here – message me if you would like to know). At times these confluences felt a little forced in order for McEwan to make a point, not least an episode at the Berlin Wall, but as the book is loosely autobiographical, maybe it actually happened? Can’t be sure.

I wouldn’t say I’m a McEwan fan, even though I’ve read nearly all of his books, but I really enjoyed this – it’s up there with “Atonement” and “Enduring Love” in terms of his body of work. I’m going to make an odd comparison to John Williams's “Stoner”, in that both books made me care greatly about flawed, fairly ordinary men, more than I thought I could. At this stage, McEwan is a prose master, sentences just flow effortlessly, and you’re taken along for a ride where memory meets regret, of characters broken and rebuilt by both their choices and events out of their control, of control and freedom.

You’ll laugh (there’s a little dig at the Booker that might have cost him a longlisting haha), you’ll cry, you’ll get angry, you'll be at peace. A slow rollercoaster of a book and one that I recommend even, or especially, if you’ve been left nonplussed by McEwan in the past.

I should have stopped reading this after the first 50 pages. The book has way too much description and not a lot of plot. The characters are unlikable. Plus the book spans way too many years and the jump between times always left me confused. It felt like McEwan's editor did nothing and the result was a disappointing mess

There were many moments in reading this book when I thought "Where is the editor? Where is this going? This rambles all over the place!" and felt it didn't reflect the usual precision I expect from Ian McEwan. However, by the end, he'd gotten me. Yes, it meanders a bit, but I can't remember another more honest reflection of a human Life in a work of fiction. There were parts I felt he slipped over too quickly (more of the Daphne years, please!), but then I think life kind of accelerates as you get older, and those matters of youth (e.g., college years or here: Miriam) have outsized impact and feel much larger than the brief years in which they occur. The book sort of started as one thing - a campus novel - and ended as a reflection on a life sometimes well lived, and sometimes not, but in the end filled with love. I'll be thinking about Roland for a long time.

Roland's wife Alissa has left him-and their baby son Lawrence- and his world is turned sideways. This epic tale of his life moves back and forth in time (a lot) to tell not only his story but that of Alissa, his parents, her parents, and other players in his life. He's sent from Libya, where his father was serving in the British army, to a boarding school in the early 1960s and it's there that much of his life outlook is formed, especially after he is groomed and inappropriately used by his piano teacher (there's rather more of this than I needed to read). He has a fascinated with the GDR and spends time there but he meets Alissa, who is half German half Brit, when he takes a language class from her. Her mother's diaries influence both of them. There are parts of this novel that are wonderful and which kept me reading when I thought I'd had enough of Roland, who I found immensely unlikeable after initially being sympathetic. It's the small portraits that shine more than the whole, I think. While others might find this a page turner, I found it took patience because it's just so....Thanks to o one, not a one is happy. Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction looking for a big book.

I have read several of McEwan's books, and in my opinion he is on a downward parabola. It's also to be said that I haven't read his early books, basically the ones in the last 10 years, and for me they have been getting worse. This last one then is written in such a long-winded and boring way that more than once I despaired of being able to finish it. Clearly I am not a literary scholar let alone a literary critic, but since I received the ARC for this book I can take it upon myself to say that I will not miss it and that maybe it may even be time for me to take a break from this author.

Ho letto parecchi libri di McEwan e secondo me é in una parabola discendente. C'é anche da dire che non ho letto i suoi libri iniziali, fondamentalmente quelli degli ultimi 10 anni e per me sono andati peggiorando. Quest'ultimo poi é scritto in modo talmente prolisso e noioso che piú di una volta ho disperato di riuscire a finirlo. Chiaramente io non sono una letterata e tantomeno un critica letteraria, ma siccome ho ricevuto l'ARC di questo libro posso prendermi la responsabilitá di dire che non mi mancherá e che magari sará anche arrivato il momento che io mi prenda una pausa da questo autore.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

A massive new novel from the acclaimed author Ian McEwan. The story follows the life of Roland Baines through several decades as world history parallelly unfolds right from the 1950's upto 2020. Brilliantly the author weaves various life changing events in Roland's existence with significant historical happenings like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall, from Brexit to the Covid-19 pandemic. The title Lessons probably refers to the various lessons learnt in life or the piano lessons in the beginning part of the story which culminate in an affair between Roland and his piano teacher that leaves life long scars. No spoilers here since this is revealed in the book blurb as well as very early in the novel.

All in all, an epic journey through the life and times of Roland Baines. Its a story of coming of age, middle life crises, forbidden love, loss, compromise, the generation gap, career sacrifices, incompatible marriages -you name it, the author has dealt with it, No wonder the book is a massive tome running into 500+ pages. There are portions where one is moved by the beauty of the prose and portions where the endless meandering just make you just want to give up and go. I have to admit that it was as struggle keeping on till the end but I did that out of respect for the author's earlier works. I suspect the book is a bit biographical and will definitely resonate better with people who grew up in the 1960's. I wonder if a second reading may help me to absorb the storyline better. I am left with lingering mixed feelings about this one.

Thank you Net Galley, Random House and Ian McEwan for the ARC

A new Ian McEwan book always feels like an event. He has written many of my favorite novels and his words often seem like magic on the page. Lessons covers a huge amount of time and historical events, from WWII to the present day and the pandemic. I enjoyed reading about the relationships in the book, but the story itself felt tedious and longwinded. I alternated between the print and audio versions and found myself struggling to keep up with what was going on at times. This one did not work for me, but kudos to the beautiful cover art.

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

Lessons is just not for me. I spent the entire book trying to figure out a storyline. I didn’t understand the political nuances. The flashbacks were sporadic and messed with my flow. I felt like I was back in Brit Lit and struggling. Thank goodness I don’t have to write a paper on the theme!

DNF at 14%. I have no interest in reading about a young boy being inappropriately touched by his piano teacher. I could have probably gotten past it if it was just a brief mention in the beginning of the book, but at 14% when it comes up again and with more detail, I knew this book wasn’t for me.

This novel chronicles the life of Roland who, like the author, was born in 1948 and spent his childhood in Libya before going to a boarding school in England. By creating a character who lived through the exact same period in time as himself, the author is able to chronicle all of the major social and political events of his own lifetime. There isn’t a very substantial plot. Roland’s wife has disappeared, which gives him time to reflect on his life up to that point. Most of the exposition, though, is historical context. It felt to me like reading a newspaper about world events that I had no idea about. It might be of more interest to someone who is a) 70 years old, b) from the UK, and c) a history buff. My own eyes started to glaze over at 25% and I decided to DNF. It would take me months to read this book, and most of it wouldn’t mean anything to me. I am not the audience for this book.

DNF at 24%.

This book is just not for me. This is my first from the author and I've heard good things, but I was struggling. This book is LONG and when I found myself not wanting to pick it up I knew it wasn't right for me right now. I had a hard time following the stories and the characters to really know what was going on. It covers a large amount of time that didn't help things.

I was so excited to read this new book by Ian McEwan because I absolutely loved Atonement. Unfortunately, Lessons was extremely slow for me and hard to really get into. I feel like the writing style just didn't flow easily, making it hard to connect to the story itself.

I really wanted to love this, and I do appreciate the theme the author was trying to convey on how events can shape a persons outlook and world, both presently and in the future, but it just ended up being too slow of a read for me, making it hard to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC for my honest review.