G.B. Edwards

The Book Of Ebenezer Le Page: A Novel by G.B. Edwards

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



"Ebenezer Le Page speaks, telling his story -- a crusty, funny, contrary old man, a man of the Channel Islands, his life bounded by the sea, the rocks, the distant coast of France. And his voice fills the book, is the book, as he moves restlessly through the years, recalling his past, enchanting us with his family ties, the friendships, feuds, loves, and sorrows of a lifetime, until he has given us a whole new world."
~~back cover

I'm not sure what I think of this book. It was interesting, but I never really "connected" with any of the characters -- not until Ebenezer got old. Getting old is hard: the world changes and you're left behind, wondering why the old, good ways are gone and why the new ways seem so alien, so uncouth, so unnecessary.

Most of the characters were unique people, with their own versions of how life should be lived. And most of them were people who didn't wish to be close to any other human being. Ebenezer especially. Although he had at least four people he loved deeply, he didn't seem to me that he ever opened himself completely to any of them, preferring to be independent and beholden to no one all his life.

Perhaps that's why I couldn't really get into this book.