The Photograph

A Novel

By: Penelope Lively

Narrated by: Daniel Gerroll, Patricia Kalember

Booker Prize¿winning novelist Penelope Lively's latest masterpiece opens with a snapshot: Kath, before her death, at an unknown gathering, holding hands with a man who is not her husband. The photograph is in an envelope marked "DON'T OPEN - DESTROY." But Kath's husband does not heed the warning, embarking on a journey of discovery that reveals a tight web of secrets within marriages, between sisters, and at the heart of an affair. Kath, with her mesmerizing looks and casual ways, moves like a ghost through the memories of everyone who knew her, and a portrait emerges of a woman whose life cannot be understood without plumbing the emotional depths of the people she touched.

Propelled by the author's signature mastery of narrative and psychology, The Photograph is Lively at her very best, the dazzling climax to all she has written before.

©2003 Penelope Lively (P)2003 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"An ingenious premise for a novel and Penelope Lively...spins it out with expert skill." (The Washington Post)

Quiet and Thoughtful

This book is typical of Penelope Lively's writing: thoughtful and interested in people's interior lives. I struggled to begin with with the female narrator's bogus English accent. However, once I got over that and just concentrated on the writing I enjoyed it. The male narrator is fine. But I will go back to reading Lively in the future as I think one can savor her wonderful skills more that way.

Loved the premise

Character development was really interesting. A very close look at personality types and how they respond to circumstances. This is just a great little book.

A

I really want to give this 3.5 but since that is not possible I made it a 4. I felt a bit unsatisfied at the end of this one because I did not feel like I had enough answers. That may be the point, the book asking the question, "Do we ever really know anyone?". I'm sure many times we don't even when we think we do. Sometimes I don't mind when the book leaves more questions than it answered, but this one left me wanting a bit more.

An intriguing rediscovery

I happened upon a paperback of this many years ago and really enjoyed it. What a treat to once again come across it - this time as an audible book. Loved both incarnations.

WONDERFUL

This was a wonderful story. I really enjoyed it. The narration was good. Don't skip this one.

Not her best

You can always expect elegant writing from Penelope Lively but I can't recommend this novel for any other reason. Both characters and their situation are so cliched as to make them unsympathetic and boring. This book did not keep my interest.

A lovely book about assumptions

A widower finds an envelope long after his wife has passed away--what he discovers inside destroys all his assumptions about his marraige and the happiness he thought he had shared with his wife.

This begins an intricate tale in which a group of characters--all who either were related to or knew the deceased--must come to grips with the assumptions they made about her, and how those assumptions might ultimately be implicated in her early death. It is a book about self-asorbtion, longing, and the quest for the greatest meaning in life--that of love.

This is a beautifully written book with characters that are deeply felt, clearly defined, and very disticnt, and quite real.

I also loved how Lively took the theme of assumptions and applied it to beauty: the main character (who is seen only in flashbacks) is related to by nearly everyone based on her extraordinary beauty. Most who meet her assume that, because she is beautiful, she lives a beautiful life. It is an assumption that produces tragic results.

I loved the slow pace, a pace of discovery.

Well worth the time of a reader who loves to spend time with carefully crafted characters and paragrpahs that shimmer with thoughtful prose.

good but sad

Beautifully written, this book explores how, whilst we have only one life, everyone will have different versions of what we are like, and who we are. Our inner worlds and our public worlds can be miles apart, as can our presentation of ourselves to different audiences. If you want a gentle listen, this is a good book to download, however this is a very sad book, so if youre in need of a bit of uplifting this isnt perhaps the best choice.

Subtle and entertaining

Lively's story, and the characters in it, revolve around a deceased woman who remains something of a mystery as the characters reveal more and more of themselves as the story moves forward. The discovery of a rather unfortunate photo starts a chain reaction in the lives of the deceased's family and friends. Each chapter is from the perspective of a different character, which is reminiscent of Billiards at Half Past Nine by Heinrich Boll, and the same events are described by different characters in a manner reminiscent of Rashomon. Note too that Lively's characters have professional callings that evoke their roles in the story. For example, the widower who discovers the photo is a landscape archaeologist, and in this story he's got to dig through a surface life he took for granted to discover what happened years before. Masterful, highly recommended.

Vicki's Review on The Photograph by Penelope Lively

Although I liked this book, it felt like pulling teeth to stretch out my rating to 3 stars. Why?? The storyline was unique, each chapter told through another character's perspective, attempting to ascertain "who truly knows us best in life? or in death"? Our partner? The BFF (which one)? A family member? Or that clandestine veiled alter ego of ourselves who can slowly disrobe us to "spill all" in the name of truth, love & friendship, along with the infamous course of deceit & ulterior motives. And then there is the discussion regarding Lively's interpretation of a Secret. When does the Secret start and when does it end and become Gossip? Does Lively answer these questions? Can we? So, now, back to my 3 star rating dilemma. As previously mentioned, I found the plot interesting even thought provoking, my mind was curious BUT as a "suspenseful thriller", it lost its impact early on. A little tedious from the onset, the possibilities & pathos that could have been evoked from this sorrowful account of events in the lives of the vulnerable, became somewhat lost on me.