Fiction

Lessons

Lessons

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  • Create Date：2022-09-11 04:52:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ian McEwan
  • ISBN：1787333981
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Summary

When the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has closed， eleven-year-old Roland Baines's life is turned upside down。 2，000 miles from his mother's protective love， stranded at an unusual boarding school， his vulnerability attracts piano teacher Miss Miriam Cornell， leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade。

Now， when his wife vanishes， leaving him alone with his tiny son， Roland is forced to confront the reality of his restless existence。 As the radiation from Chernobyl spreads across Europe， he begins a search for answers that looks deep into his family history and will last for the rest of his life。

From the Suez Crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis， the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current pandemic and climate change， Roland sometimes rides with the tide of history， but more often struggles against it。 Haunted by lost opportunities， he seeks solace through every possible means - music， literature， friends， sex， politics and， finally， love cut tragically short， then love ultimately redeemed。 His journey raises important questions for us all。 Can we take full charge of the course of our lives without damage to others？ How do global events beyond our control shape our lives and our memories？ And what can we really learn from the traumas of the past？

Epic， mesmerising and deeply humane， Lessons is a chronicle for our times - a powerful meditation on history and humanity through the prism of one man's lifetime。

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Reviews

Anya Leonard ，

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 p 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。 。。。more

Jennifer Barry ，

Thank you to netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This really wasn't the book for me im afraid。 I found it really challenging to get through。 It was too disjointed for me so I kept getting lost。 I'm a big fan of atonement so was quite excited， but maybe my love for it clouded my initial judgement。 Thank you to netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This really wasn't the book for me im afraid。 I found it really challenging to get through。 It was too disjointed for me so I kept getting lost。 I'm a big fan of atonement so was quite excited， but maybe my love for it clouded my initial judgement。 。。。more

Sally Cowling ，

In Ian McEwan's Lessons we meet Roland， whose wife has inexplicably left him and his infant son Lawrence to travel around Europe and write a book。 Trying to work out why she has left Roland thinks back to events in his past， from his teens at boarding school where he has a relationship with his 20 something year old piano teacher Miriam， to his friendship with a  group of bohemians in divided Berlin in the 70s。 By taking us through the details of Roland's life McEwan considers the impact of smal In Ian McEwan's Lessons we meet Roland， whose wife has inexplicably left him and his infant son Lawrence to travel around Europe and write a book。 Trying to work out why she has left Roland thinks back to events in his past， from his teens at boarding school where he has a relationship with his 20 something year old piano teacher Miriam， to his friendship with a  group of bohemians in divided Berlin in the 70s。 By taking us through the details of Roland's life McEwan considers the impact of small events on the trajectory of a timeline。 If he hadn't had the affair with his piano teacher， would he have worked harder at school and gone to uni？ Would he have had a more impressive career himself？ But then he wouldnt have met his wife and had their son！ Lessons is a detailed and， in places， difficult read。 I found it a bit of a slow burner but the detail is important and becomes more pertinent  as the story  progresses。 A challenging and thought-provoking read。 。。。more

Libriar ，

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。 ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher。 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。 ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher。 。。。more

Marianne ，

Lessons is the eighteenth novel by Booker prize-winning British author， Ian McEwan。 The audio version is narrated by Simon McBurney。 At the age of eleven， after living for five years with his parents in Libya， Roland Baines is sent to Berners Hall， a boarding school in rural Suffolk， to get the education his parents missed out on。 His father had always wanted to play the piano: Roland is signed up for lessons with Miss Miriam Cornell。When Roland is thirty-seven， his wife abandons him and their b Lessons is the eighteenth novel by Booker prize-winning British author， Ian McEwan。 The audio version is narrated by Simon McBurney。 At the age of eleven， after living for five years with his parents in Libya， Roland Baines is sent to Berners Hall， a boarding school in rural Suffolk， to get the education his parents missed out on。 His father had always wanted to play the piano: Roland is signed up for lessons with Miss Miriam Cornell。When Roland is thirty-seven， his wife abandons him and their baby son， claiming in a note that， while she loves him， motherhood would sink her， and she’s been living the “wrong life”。 Now a published poet， Roland has to seek social service assistance as sole carer for seven-month-old Lawrence。As he copes with sole parenthood and the threat of a radiation cloud from Chernobyl， he is also under suspicion for murder from DI Douglas Browne， who is sceptical of the note and postcards Alissa has sent。Plagued by sleeplessness， Roland’s mind goes back to his childhood: army accommodation in Tripoli， boarding school， lessons with Miss Cornell， and the highly inappropriate affair into which she grooms a pre-teen boy。 While the prospect of an older， attractive， single and erotically-inclined lover might be a dream come true for a randy sixteen-year-old schoolboy， even bedazzled， Roland understands it could be the destruction of his future。In eventually rejecting her， he also abandons his formal education， spends a rather dissolute decade travelling， then begins to educate himself。 By his mid-forties， he is coaching tennis， writing reviews and playing tearoom piano。 “How easy it was to drift through an unchosen life， in a succession of reactions to events。”Some of McEwan’s descriptive prose is exquisite: “He knew that her mind was elsewhere and that he bored her with his insignificance – another inky boy in a boarding school。 His fingers were pressing down on the tuneless keys。 He could see the bad place on the page before he reached it， it was happening before it happened， the mistake was coming towards him， arms outstretched like a mother， ready to scoop him up， always the same mistake coming to collect him without the promise of a kiss。 And so it happened。 His thumb had its own life。 Together， they listened to the bad notes fade into the hissing silence。”But， at times， he seems to go off on tangents from his main plot， and although patience with these apparent digressions does offer the reader a fuller backstory， his lofty prose and cerebral subject matter can be enough to make the ordinary reader feel uneducated， even dumb。 His protagonist is not all that likeable， making it hard for the reader to care a whole lot about his fate until， in the final pages， he develops into a more appealing character。With references to national， European and world events， McEwan certainly establishes the era and setting， but his protagonist’s opinions on， and reactions to， politics and current affairs do begin to bore， and readers will be tempted to skim。 A too-detailed description of a mediocre life that is much wordier than it needs to be。This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and RB Media。 。。。more

Violet ，

3。5 rounded up。I like a good long novel where you really get to know the character， and you see them go through a whole life。 This one was a bit too long to my taste though and at times， although it was not hard to follow， I found the number of characters and the jumps back and forth between various times slightly irritating。 Maybe this is what happens when you watch so many TV series - you come to expect a linear story and flashbacks become a nuisance。 I found the main character cliche and irri 3。5 rounded up。I like a good long novel where you really get to know the character， and you see them go through a whole life。 This one was a bit too long to my taste though and at times， although it was not hard to follow， I found the number of characters and the jumps back and forth between various times slightly irritating。 Maybe this is what happens when you watch so many TV series - you come to expect a linear story and flashbacks become a nuisance。 I found the main character cliche and irritating in the right way， a proper well-meaning boomer with little substance in the end， who thinks he is alright because he votes Labour， but does not do very much。 apart from quite a bit of thinking and talking。 I would have liked to know more about Alissa， his wife who left and became a celebrated writer， and I think there was maybe a missed opportunity towards the end when the character revisits a teacher （no spoiler）， but that fits well with the character I assume。 Overall a pleasant book， too indulgent and long for my taste， but enjoyable nonetheless。 Free ARC sent by Netgalley。 。。。more

Rhea ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 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 g 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。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more

mel ，

Format: ebook & audiobook ~ Narrator: Simon McBurney

Kathleen Gray ，

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 pian 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。 。。。more

Preeti Mahatme ，

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 le 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 。。。more

Lynda ，

To be honest I’m not quite sure where to start with this review。 Its an epic story about the life of Roland Baines and the historical events that happened during his lifetime。 A very interesting read， and as you would expect very well written， although in parts I found it a bit wordy。 I was particularly intrigued with the historical content， spanning event in the period from the Suez Crisis in 1956 to the recent Covid pandemic， a lot of events that I remember well but seeing them here from a dif To be honest I’m not quite sure where to start with this review。 Its an epic story about the life of Roland Baines and the historical events that happened during his lifetime。 A very interesting read， and as you would expect very well written， although in parts I found it a bit wordy。 I was particularly intrigued with the historical content， spanning event in the period from the Suez Crisis in 1956 to the recent Covid pandemic， a lot of events that I remember well but seeing them here from a different perspective。 Briefly， when his wife， Alissa， leaves him with a young son， Lawrence， to bring up Rowland reflects on his life and how world events as well as more personal events， closer to home， affected it。 A tale about life’s lessons and how events can affect a person’s future。 In Rowland case his from his very early life in Libya and his early school days， sent to a boarding school where he had a relationship with his piano teacher that affected his whole life。 It’s an emotional read and one I’m glad I read。 Hard to describe the book without giving too much away。 One you need to read for yourself。 。。。more

Sophie Lemieux ，

MASTERPIECE✨Lessons by Ian McEwan， is a passionate， unsettling and intellectually risky story about love and loss。 Roland Baines， a young boy growing up in England during the Cold War， ends up at a boarding school 2，000 miles away from his mother after she mysteriously disappears。 Miss Miriam Cornell， his piano teacher， notices his frailty and the two quickly become romantically involved。 Their relationship， however， is ended prematurely by Miss Cornell's early demise。 When Roland's wife goes mi MASTERPIECE✨Lessons by Ian McEwan， is a passionate， unsettling and intellectually risky story about love and loss。 Roland Baines， a young boy growing up in England during the Cold War， ends up at a boarding school 2，000 miles away from his mother after she mysteriously disappears。 Miss Miriam Cornell， his piano teacher， notices his frailty and the two quickly become romantically involved。 Their relationship， however， is ended prematurely by Miss Cornell's early demise。 When Roland's wife goes missing years later， he is constrained to confront the scalding reality of his restless existence。 As he begins to uncover the secrets of his family history， he realizes that Lessons never truly end。This exquisitely written book is full of both heartbreak and hope。 It's a moving story about the power of love and how it can transcend time and distance。 Roland is a sympathetic character who goes through a lot of heartbreak but never loses faith in the possibility of happiness。 The story is set against the backdrop of historical events， which adds depth and resonance。 Lessons is a haunting and memorable novel that will linger with you long after you've finished it。 This is， in my biased opinion， McEwan's most ambitious work， which he executed brilliantly。 It comes with the highest recommendation from me。 This will be out on September 13th， 2022。 Add this to your TBR。Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media， Recorded Books for the Audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

jean ，

I was very excited to read a new Ian McEwan book as I've enjoyed many of his previous novels。 Whilst this one was big in many senses of the word; length， the timespan it covers and the cast of characters I feel very ambivalent about it as I wasn't particularly interested in the main character， Roland， finding him quite tedious and boring and I fidnt really care what happened to him after the first part with the music teacher and his missing wife。 I enjoyed looking back at historical events I've I was very excited to read a new Ian McEwan book as I've enjoyed many of his previous novels。 Whilst this one was big in many senses of the word; length， the timespan it covers and the cast of characters I feel very ambivalent about it as I wasn't particularly interested in the main character， Roland， finding him quite tedious and boring and I fidnt really care what happened to him after the first part with the music teacher and his missing wife。 I enjoyed looking back at historical events I've lived through but did find some of the central part of the novel hard going and it was very tempting to skim read。。Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book 。。。more

Gina Moltz ，

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！

Rachel ，

DNF @ around 25%。 I haven’t read McEwan before， but the writing style here was stuffy and boring。 The plot itself has elements that could be interesting， but it’s just not written in a way that made me curious about how things would unfold。 I read an ARC and listened to an ALC hoping maybe the audio would help， but nope。 This writer isn’t for me。

Jeatherhane Reads ，

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， thoug 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。 。。。more

Amy ，

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。 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。 。。。more

MisterHobgoblin ，

Lessons is the fictional biography of Roland Baines， a man who once might have been a concert pianist， a prize-winning author or a Wimbledon champion。 Alas， fate pointed Baines instead to writing （or plagiarising） middle-brow verses for greetings cards， coaching overweight middle aged Londoners to play tennis （by letting them win） and bringing up young Lawrence Baines following the suspicious disappearance of Roland's wife， Alissa。In drip fed flashbacks， we discover that Roland was brought up in Lessons is the fictional biography of Roland Baines， a man who once might have been a concert pianist， a prize-winning author or a Wimbledon champion。 Alas， fate pointed Baines instead to writing （or plagiarising） middle-brow verses for greetings cards， coaching overweight middle aged Londoners to play tennis （by letting them win） and bringing up young Lawrence Baines following the suspicious disappearance of Roland's wife， Alissa。In drip fed flashbacks， we discover that Roland was brought up in Libya， his father being a gruff Scottish serviceman， and that at the age of 11， Roland was packed off to boarding school where he had some interesting times with his piano teacher， Miriam Cornell。There are clear autobiographical details。 McEwan himself was brought up in Libya and his father was a gruff Scots serviceman， etc。 The end note is clear， though that while McEwan's erstwhile English teacher is mentioned by name， there was no such teacher [at his school] as Miriam Cornell。 Roland's life is mapped out against the major events of the last seventy years: the Cuban Missile Crisis， Suez， the fall of the Berlin Wall， New Labour， Covid， etc。 Naturally， this being an Ian McEwan novel， they are introduced out of sequence and references are made back and forth in the text。 It is a style that appeals to me， creating something that feels more rounded than linear。 The game， at least for this reader， is to decide what is autobiographical and what is fiction。 Sure， Roland seems quite mediocre and unfulfilled。 Alissa， on the other hand， becomes a world-renowned novelist who is criticised for becoming stale and generally hanging around for too long。 Her final long work was a work of autobiography in which she cast Roland， her long estranged husband， as a wife beater。 Roland objects， saying he had never lifted a finger to her， and she responds by saying that it is all fiction and is amazed that anyone would believe it。 This， of course， will make the reader wonder whether the depiction of Roland Baines's father as a domestic abuser is fact or fiction。 Lessons is a densely packed novel， with a lot of thoughtful commentary on politics and social values。 The meandering narrative， reminiscent of a Ronnie Corbett chair sketch， is well controlled and consistently interesting。 There are moments of suspense， heartbreak and occasionally joy。 The meld of world events and the personal narrative works very well。 If there is a minor quibble， it is that the later years do drag a little， perhaps outstaying their welcome。 Too much family and not enough events in the final pages。 But overall， this is a superb novel that knocks spots off some of the current Booker long list。 。。。more

Andy Marr ，

Ian McEwan deserves a lot of credit for writing such an ambitious novel。 But he loses a good deal of that credit because， really， it isn't nearly as good as it should have been。 The writing is stuffy， the prose is long-winded， and the life it describes - that of abandoned son， confused lover， jilted husband and loving father， Roland Baines - is actually overwhelmingly dull。 I went into this with some excitement。 I love epic stories like this， and count William Boyd's 'Any Human Heart' and John B Ian McEwan deserves a lot of credit for writing such an ambitious novel。 But he loses a good deal of that credit because， really， it isn't nearly as good as it should have been。 The writing is stuffy， the prose is long-winded， and the life it describes - that of abandoned son， confused lover， jilted husband and loving father， Roland Baines - is actually overwhelmingly dull。 I went into this with some excitement。 I love epic stories like this， and count William Boyd's 'Any Human Heart' and John Boyne's 'The Heart's Invisible Furies' among my all-time favourite novels。 However， while this work was certainly in a similar vein to these， McEwan has failed entirely to reach the dizzying heights set by many other authors of the genre。 。。。more

Kristens。reading。nook ，

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。

Sara ，

ian mcewan’s latest novel is definitely a treat for those into quiet， character-driven stories。 the audiobook （superbly narrated by simon mcburney） is a little over seventeen hours long; while it is quite a lengthy story， mcewan manages to pull it off with an exquisite writing and a deep meditation on the consequences of childhood abuse， parenthood and the cyclic nature of life， with world war 2 looming in the background as a recurrent theme even though the novel spans through the second half of ian mcewan’s latest novel is definitely a treat for those into quiet， character-driven stories。 the audiobook （superbly narrated by simon mcburney） is a little over seventeen hours long; while it is quite a lengthy story， mcewan manages to pull it off with an exquisite writing and a deep meditation on the consequences of childhood abuse， parenthood and the cyclic nature of life， with world war 2 looming in the background as a recurrent theme even though the novel spans through the second half of the twentieth century。now， this isn’t just roland baines’s story， but rather an account of his life and that of those surrounding him。 one of my favourite moments in the entire novel， which did happen fairly early on， was the account of his mother-in-law’s life， and her ever-growing obsession with the white rose resistance group in post-war munich。 mcewan tackled the subject with plenty of respect but also quite critically， meditating on how the major events in history shape us as human individuals， as well as our relationships with others — in roland’s case， with his wife and son， but also with his parents， his half-siblings， and most importantly with the woman who groomed him as a teenager。i also loved roland’s relationship with alissa， told largely in flashbacks with kramer vs。 kramer-esque tone。 roland navigates being a single father and having been abandoned by his wife against the backdrop of the chernobyl nuclear crisis; alissa， on the other hand， grapples with a very complex relationship with motherhood， which is very delicately explored by mcewan。 the reasons of her departure， and the way roland eventually finds out about them， were well explained and executed， and i really liked the little snapshots from the moments when they first met。 i’m not going to get into the way things went for her towards the end of the novel， because i’m still figuring out how i feel about it， but i think i understand mcewan’s point of view， even though i do wish it would have been a little less stereotypical — there were a couple of things that made me roll my eyes， but well， i’m willing to forgive them because i really enjoyed the rest of the book。 also， roland as a character handled it in a very nice way， so i guess that makes up for the predictable-ish outcome of that storyline。the central point to the novel， however， is the abuse that roland suffered back in school， when he was groomed by his piano teacher， ms cornell。 she first molests him at age eleven， then eventually invites him over to her house shortly after he turns fourteen; their relationship is framed as blatantly abusive from the very beginning， but roland seems to regard it as a sort of rite passage into adulthood。 this idea bothered me at first， because i couldn’t understand why their “relationship” would be framed in such a way。 but then i understood that this was just roland’s perspective as a teenager， attempting to explain to himself what was going on。 ms cornell’s abuse shaped pretty much the rest of his life — he dropped out of school before the sixth form， then became an autodidact in the late twenties， which eventually led to him meeting his wife。 roland then looks back on his first sexual relationship and quietly dissects it， coming to terms with the nature of what happened back then and how it shaped his relationship with the women that later came into his life。 i think mcewan’s approach was very nuanced and interesting， although my only （minor） complaint is that i wish he hadn’t delved that much into the more sexual aspects of their relationship。 i do get that it needed to be depicted， and that it’s meant to make you feel uncomfortable， but i think it took up too much in terms of pacing。 still， it was interesting to reflect about it in retrospect， not unlike roland does as an adult — although he refers to it in such terms， it is hard to see his relationship with cornell as a “sentimental education”， particularly by today’s standards， and i think mcewan handled it in a very thoughtful way， both delving into roland’s experience as a teenager and his later thoughts on the matter when he got older。overall， i really enjoyed this one。 mcewan’s prose is always solid， but i think he outdid himself here in terms of character development — roland isn’t an exactly likeable character from the very beginning， particularly as an adult， but i did pity him and eventually root for him， his son and other minor characters。 this is the first time i’ve managed to complete an audiobook （yay！） and even though i don’t feel like it’s a format that i’ll stick to， i’m glad this one worked for me。i received a copy of this audiobook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Jim ，

You can ‘learn your lessons’ which is good， or you can be ‘taught’ them which is sometimes okay and， sometimes， very painful。 In the short term， you may not know which kind of lesson you’re actually stuck in！ The lessons for Roland Baines， in Ian McEwan’s latest novel， start with a paedophiliac encounter between an eleven year old boy and a woman piano teacher， and they continue throughout his life and into old age in different situations and with different people。 Lessons， like the first one， c You can ‘learn your lessons’ which is good， or you can be ‘taught’ them which is sometimes okay and， sometimes， very painful。 In the short term， you may not know which kind of lesson you’re actually stuck in！ The lessons for Roland Baines， in Ian McEwan’s latest novel， start with a paedophiliac encounter between an eleven year old boy and a woman piano teacher， and they continue throughout his life and into old age in different situations and with different people。 Lessons， like the first one， can have lifetime negative consequences， lead you into complete misunderstandings about what you did or what you should have learned， and take， literally， a lifetime to understand。Just to make this extra confusing， this isn’t just a novel。 It’s also part biography and autobiography， a commentary on the second half of the 20th century and it asks to be read as fiction although we all know it isn’t。 At the start of the book， Roland， in his 30s， has just been deserted by his wife and is looking back on his childhood and his early schooling at a private school on the Shotley peninsular near Ipswich。 WH Auden would have understood the connections as to what your parents did and didn’t do while the music teacher， quite literally， f***ed Roland up。 Just to add to the mix， the deserting wife eventually has her own story to tell about Roland which echoes with the way that Ian McEwan roots about in his own relationships and situations as he writes。 I seem to remember that an ex-wife of his complained about being restrained by legal injunctions from talking about their relationship while he could churn events from the marriage through his novels。 If that’s the case， the boot is – eventually – on the other foot here！It all makes for a fascinating read。 As an adult， Roland could easily be described as an underachiever but the reasons why someone might say that are complex and shifting。 Things people did and said in their early lives come back to bite them in multiple presents but， when you forget the metaphysics， there’s an extraordinary picture of a real life not lived to the full， if anyone could work out what full might mean！I was born six weeks after Ian McEwan， I went to grammar school while he went private but the feelings of loneliness， the discipline and the bullying resonate， as do the events like the Cuban missile crisis and， later， the collapse of the Iron Curtain which provide the temporal and cultural framework for the novel。 It makes the narrative even more compelling！It also has to be said how well-controlled and how well written the narrative is。 There’s a bit of a sense of tying up loose ends in the last few chapters and finding out a bit more about what people really felt back then but， of course， even that is deceptive。 Hindsight is a good form of self-justification！It’s a great read。 I couldn’t help but wonder whether， in the earliest drafts， the music teacher with the wandering hands might have been male。 Arguably， it would not make much difference to the damage which stemmed from that event but， perhaps， it would have been more realistic。 You can make up your own mind about that！（Lessons is published by Jonathan Cape。 Thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for a fair review。） 。。。more

joyce w。 laudon ，

Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement was a literary success and a book that was made into a movie。 A new novel by this author will make his readers eager to see what he has accomplished now。This title is not an easy read in my opinion。 But， it does take on so much of the world out there along with the events that shape people’s own smaller worlds。 Here we have Chernobyl with its nuclear fallout and a main character whose own life is deeply impacted by a fallout of a different kind。Ian McEwan is an autho Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement was a literary success and a book that was made into a movie。 A new novel by this author will make his readers eager to see what he has accomplished now。This title is not an easy read in my opinion。 But， it does take on so much of the world out there along with the events that shape people’s own smaller worlds。 Here we have Chernobyl with its nuclear fallout and a main character whose own life is deeply impacted by a fallout of a different kind。Ian McEwan is an author who takes on epic issues of many years of history as well as the life of a man who lived through these events。 I think that it takes someone of his talents to attempt this。 Readers will follow Roland’s life and acknowledge the fullness of existence。Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for this title。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Scott Baird （Gunpowder Fiction and Plot） ，

This is an example of an author who knows all the things he needs to do to write a good book， but has lost the skills to deliver it。 This book was poor， ambition over substance。Roland is sexually abused by a teacher and this is never resolved， the consequences of this on Roland， I can tell McEwan has considered them， but he's not communicated them， it's almost painful when he probes himself on this later in the novel， because Roland doesn't know what he thinks and it's left with a very apologist This is an example of an author who knows all the things he needs to do to write a good book， but has lost the skills to deliver it。 This book was poor， ambition over substance。Roland is sexually abused by a teacher and this is never resolved， the consequences of this on Roland， I can tell McEwan has considered them， but he's not communicated them， it's almost painful when he probes himself on this later in the novel， because Roland doesn't know what he thinks and it's left with a very apologist feel。 Sexual assault is okay if you're a woman。There is endless rubbish about the history of Europe and political history， which is a core of the book， but it frankly boring and doesn't add， it's poorly executed and this takes away from the student teacher relationship which is far more interesting。Bad book， skip this McEwan and catch up on his backlist instead - 2 stars。 。。。more

Lisa of Troy ，

Lessons by Ian McEwan centers on a man by the name of Roland Baines。 We follow Roland through his life: his major romantic relationships， his various familial relationships amidst the backdrop of various historical events， World War II， the Suez Canal， the Cuban Missile Crisis， Chernobyl， the fall of the Berlin Wall， and the recent pandemic。 First of all， I would like to mention how much I respect Ian McEwan， and no part of this review is easy。 McEwan’s name carries some serious weight in litera Lessons by Ian McEwan centers on a man by the name of Roland Baines。 We follow Roland through his life: his major romantic relationships， his various familial relationships amidst the backdrop of various historical events， World War II， the Suez Canal， the Cuban Missile Crisis， Chernobyl， the fall of the Berlin Wall， and the recent pandemic。 First of all， I would like to mention how much I respect Ian McEwan， and no part of this review is easy。 McEwan’s name carries some serious weight in literary circles （my circles）， and Atonement is on the list of 100 Books To Read Before You Die According to the BBC。 Criticizing this literary legend doesn’t bring me any joy。 My words feel like footsteps， echoing in the halls of greatness。 So， shall we rip the band aid off？The writing style of this book is archaic。 For example， the formatting of this book just does not work。 The paragraphs are gigantic， huge， page-long paragraphs。 Short-term memory only lasts between 15 and 30 seconds。 However， these paragraphs are so long that you can’t even remember the beginning of the paragraphs。Lessons is very character driven versus plot driven， and I don’t connect with character-driven books。 Additionally， the book flows as a general stream-of-consciousness。 There are chapters in the book; however， they are not labeled with a word。 The best illustration that I can give you is if you watch YouTube videos。 In the first video， the person is what we call a “talking head。” This person just says anything that comes into their head。 After a few minutes， you don’t feel like you are missing anything， and you click off。 In the second video， you watch “8 Reasons The Lost Apothecary Disappointed。” You watch the video all the way to the end because you don’t want to miss out on the last reason。 McEwan should have better organized this book。 Also， he went far， far too broad in this book。 He tried to cover so many relationships， so many historical events。 He went wide instead of deep。 Lessons would have been better if he had focused on one historical event and perhaps one relationship。 I found it very difficult to really connect with the many different characters。 Personally， I didn’t like Roland Baines。 He was boring。 He might have been interesting， but McEwan tries to cover so many years in this book that he didn’t go deep enough。 Roland reminds me of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye because some horrible things have happened to him in his life; however， he doesn’t adjust well to the losses。 The topic of aging is important and relevant。 This is coming from someone who rubs her face twice a day with a jade stone in the hopes that my chin will somehow appear 20 years younger。 Roland is very flat emotionally， and I wasn’t moved by him。 Further， if I was the editor of this book， I would have suggested McEwan rewrite it in the first person。 I wanted to feel the emotions of Roland， what he felt in those moments。 Instead， this was told in a very detached， cold way， almost like the events happened a long time ago。 They don’t have that urgency， that sense of excitement， the sense of living in the moment with that character。Additionally， this book did not feel very original。 Without spoiling anything， there was a book which came out not too long ago， discussing the main topic of this book， and it was far superior。Mr。 McEwan – I would be happy to read any of your work in the future and provide feedback。 My door is always open to you。*Thanks， NetGalley， for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion。Connect With Me！Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta 。。。more

Kelly ，

I found Lessons a little difficult to get into， especially in the beginning。 I felt the beginning of the book jumped around and was hard to follow。 The direction of the book was more clear later in the book。 I have read other books by Ian McEwan and his books are deep and involved。 Lessons is no exception。 Roland Bains did not win my heart。 His story covered most major events in the past 70 years which was interesting。 I really enjoyed his son and eccentric wife’s storylines more。Not every book I found Lessons a little difficult to get into， especially in the beginning。 I felt the beginning of the book jumped around and was hard to follow。 The direction of the book was more clear later in the book。 I have read other books by Ian McEwan and his books are deep and involved。 Lessons is no exception。 Roland Bains did not win my heart。 His story covered most major events in the past 70 years which was interesting。 I really enjoyed his son and eccentric wife’s storylines more。Not every book is for everyone and this was not my book。 I did finish it but it was not memorable。 However， looking at other reviews， people enjoyed Roland’s story。 If you have enjoyed other books by Ian McEwan give Lessons a read。 #Netgalley #Lessons 。。。more

Erica ，

An epic of twentieth-century life， and one particular twentieth-century life， Lessons is both personal and historical， rich in detail and sprawling in scope。 Its intricacy and endurance is a powerful literary achievement。The story opens on Londoner Roland Baines in his late thirties， newly abandoned by his wife and charged with caring for his infant son in the aftermath of the Chernobyl meltdown。 It moves backward to Roland's adolescence at a British boarding school and his life-altering encount An epic of twentieth-century life， and one particular twentieth-century life， Lessons is both personal and historical， rich in detail and sprawling in scope。 Its intricacy and endurance is a powerful literary achievement。The story opens on Londoner Roland Baines in his late thirties， newly abandoned by his wife and charged with caring for his infant son in the aftermath of the Chernobyl meltdown。 It moves backward to Roland's adolescence at a British boarding school and his life-altering encounter with a charismatic and controlling piano teacher during the Cuban Missile Crisis。 Then forward， through Roland's middle years: the aftermath of his wife's departure， the fall of the Berlin Wall。 The cast of characters grows to include Roland's friends， lovers， descendants， and even enemies， each individual standing for some element of our evolving twentieth- to twenty-first-century society。Lessons ranges freely over the course of Roland's life as well as and the lives of his and his wife's parents， exploring nearly one hundred years of political and personal history。 It is fascinated with the way world events， even seemingly distant ones， shape individual human lives。 Readers with strong historical backgrounds or personal memories of the 1960s-1980s， the epoch most strongly weighted in the book， will probably find the political aspects compelling。 But， remembering these events only dimly from history books， I found it hard to become emotionally invested。 Emotional investment is also lacking among the characters。 Roland is the main character， but lengthy passages are devoted to his errant wife， his parents， and his mother-in-law - and all with the same steady， precise prose， the same omniscient but distant narrative voice。 This voice feels like Roland's voice: intelligent， wry， but also eternally disappointed， and this was a frustration to me。 Roland is a depressive character， and his point of view is often depressing。 The story， despite surveying Roland's life from childhood to old age， skips over nearly all the happy parts， giving the impression of an existence consisting mostly of failure and disappointment， and a history consisting primarily of war and death。 But Roland's story ends on a positive note， and I want to end this review on one as well。 Despite its somber tone， Lessons was a pleasure to read。 In the comparison between a big life - one lived for politics and art and fame - and a small one， lived for love and friendship and family， the small life - the life Roland has reluctantly accepted as his lot - wins out。[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley and the publishers。 Opinions are my own。] 。。。more

Amanda ，

Roland Baines’ wife has disappeared， leaving him alone with their baby son and under police suspicion。 Is what shaped him in his youth to blame？ To what extent is chance a factor in our life？A ramble through the life of the protagonist set against the backdrop of the political history from the mid-twentieth century to the present day。Beautiful writing， as ever， from McEwan。 With succinct detail， the reader is placed firmly in time and place。With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the A Roland Baines’ wife has disappeared， leaving him alone with their baby son and under police suspicion。 Is what shaped him in his youth to blame？ To what extent is chance a factor in our life？A ramble through the life of the protagonist set against the backdrop of the political history from the mid-twentieth century to the present day。Beautiful writing， as ever， from McEwan。 With succinct detail， the reader is placed firmly in time and place。With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the ARC。 。。。more

Joanne Biles ，

Ian McEwan’s Lessons is dense with history， I could call it epic， but that doesn’t quite cover it。 It’s complicated and frequently uncomfortable to read， but well worth it as the tapestry of one man’s is slowly revealed。 Roland Baines is the man through whose eyes we see the world， and though his character is drawn with McEwan’s ability to make his people three dimensional， the complexity of Roland’s life makes for a sometimes cringy read。 This is a serious book， Be prepared to take your time wi Ian McEwan’s Lessons is dense with history， I could call it epic， but that doesn’t quite cover it。 It’s complicated and frequently uncomfortable to read， but well worth it as the tapestry of one man’s is slowly revealed。 Roland Baines is the man through whose eyes we see the world， and though his character is drawn with McEwan’s ability to make his people three dimensional， the complexity of Roland’s life makes for a sometimes cringy read。 This is a serious book， Be prepared to take your time with it to fully gain all of the panoply of life in its sorrows and triumphs。 Worth it！ 。。。more

Nursebookie ，

TITLE: LESSONSAUTHOR: Ian McEwanNARRATOR: Simon McBurney 17h 33mPUB DATE: 09。13。1974From the Suez Crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis， the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current pandemic， Roland Baines sometimes rides with the tide of history， but more often struggles against it。Thoughts: Wow this book is epic， and a real delight for readers who enjoy a character driven story and historical fiction that spans a lifetime。 The story is centered on protagonist Roland whose life is at the heart of th TITLE: LESSONSAUTHOR: Ian McEwanNARRATOR: Simon McBurney 17h 33mPUB DATE: 09。13。1974From the Suez Crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis， the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current pandemic， Roland Baines sometimes rides with the tide of history， but more often struggles against it。Thoughts: Wow this book is epic， and a real delight for readers who enjoy a character driven story and historical fiction that spans a lifetime。 The story is centered on protagonist Roland whose life is at the heart of the story - from his life as a schoolboy， a husband， a father， and years left alone raising a child on his own。 With the backdrop of world events - from the end of the Second World War， to nuclear disasters， and many crisis culminating to the pandemic， the story is a saga to be enjoyed。 Simon McBurney narrates this monumental story giving voice to an ordinary man grappling humanity in the backdrop of extraordinary life events。 This book was simply mesmerizing to me。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lessons

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lessons&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lessons&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0