Justine by Lawrence DurrellMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
Gorgeous prose can only get one so far. At the end of the day, it's a tawdry tale told beautifully, but it is a beauty that fails to hide the hollowness of a novel with hollow characters. I had high hopes, but was disappointed in the Bored White Rich People problems the book focused on.
Sugarcoat it all you want, philosophize how you will, but adultery is tacky whether at home or in Alexandria. THE ENGLISH PATIENT this is not.
Filing this under "Why is this famous?" and "Why did they bother making a movie out of this?" OK, fine, since I'm feeling charitable, we can file this under "Read if you want to marvel at how Durrell can make a city come alive with mere words."
I got an edition with all four novels compiled in one volume. Having finished the first, I don't see myself continuing any longer!
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