I can't believe I finally finished this book. It was only 242 pages but I thought I'd never get to the end. For one thing, almost the entire book is comprised of a 70-something year old woman examining her own mind. Does she want solitude or does she want companionship? Does she want her day-to-day drudgery or does she want adventure?

"...loneliness, blighted hope and unfulfilled desire...the dignity of the struggle to get from one day to the next" is how Brookner books are generally described.

This is only my first Brookner but that description is spot on. On top of that, it seems every time I picked the book up and settled into my comfy chair, I'd only get to read a page or two and then I'd be interrupted by my Mom needing something or the cat needing something or a timer going off or by suddenly thinking of something I wanted to watch on Netflix. I think yesterday morning was the first long stretch of reading I was able to fit in and today was the second. But now I've finally finished it and can move on! Yay!

It's probably a 5 star book, but for me personally I liked it but I wasn't blown away by it, so I'm only giving 3 stars. ( )

As the New York Times said, this "may be the book Brookner has spent her life aiming toward". It is contemplative, absorbing, complex, and features a woman in her seventies (as Brookner nearly was when she wrote it). Mrs. May lives a mostly solitary existence in her lovely generous apartment in London, quite satisfied to be who she is. She lost her husband some years before and has adjusted well to obligatory visits to his relatives, as she has none of her own. For she is a proper English lady, not given to emotional outbursts or close relationships.

She is startled to receive a call from her husband's cousin Kitty, who usually only called at certain times of the week. Kitty explains that her granddaughter is coming to London from America to be wed, and she, Kitty, needs to find a place for her fiance's best friend to stay. Mrs. May, Dorothea May, immediately says no, but is ultimately persuaded to let young Steve stay for a short while.

Unaccustomed to visitors, Dorothea nevertheless knows what is expected of a host. She provides a bedroom, fully outfitted, plus breakfast, and sometimes tea later. She is not especially welcoming, and neither is Steve all that lovable. She finds that all three of the young people who came to London are remarkably devoid of charm or any sense of its value.

Over time Dorothea finds the intrusion of this guest and the related visits to Kitty and Austin's home interesting and worthy of thought. It is a change from what she expected of her future. There is no fairytale ending here, with the flatmates becoming fond of each other, as you might expect with another author. I like that about this book. Yet his presence does lead to a gradual alteration in Mrs. May's vision of the world, of her place in it.

I found the book compelling in its quiet way, possibly because I am in my seventies too, and rarely read anything that I can relate to so well. I am not Mrs. May but I find her utterly believable. Many times she refers to herself as "boring" or "uninteresting" but she most certainly isn't. Her intelligence shines through, along with her quiet compassion, in a way I can only hope can be said of me after I'm gone. ( )

Dorothea May, a 70-year-old widow, lives alone in her London flat and is totally fine with that. Her day is filled with the small things in life: going out to get a newspaper or shop for her dinner, or enjoying a cup of tea in her garden. Her sisters-in-law, Kitty and Molly, check on her through obligatory Sunday phone calls, polite exchanges with little emotional connection. Then one day, Kitty asks Dorothea to take on a houseguest. Kitty’s granddaughter, Ann, has been living in the States but is coming to London with her fiancé, David, to get married. Their best man, Steve, will join them and needs a place to stay. Dorothea has little choice but to say yes. Steve is wandering aimlessly through life, with no job or prospects. Dorothea offers bed and breakfast, and even hires a car for his use, but never gets over her discomfort at having another person in her flat. Meanwhile, Kitty is throwing herself into planning a lavish celebration that Ann and David don’t really want, and tensions run high. Over the course of the novel, Dorothea’s relationship with Kitty and the family moves from distant in-law to trusted confidante, and Dorothea begins to envision something different for herself as well.

Anita Brookner began writing fiction in her 50s, and this novel was published when she was about 70, the same age as her heroine. I can’t help but think she was using this book to work through her own conflicted feelings about aging and independence. The narrative was a bit repetitive in spots, but I found Dorothea likeable and admirable, and enjoyed her story. ( )

So well written I was very involved with the inner thoughts of some of the characters. The book is sad, but also shows that people can change. The protagonist seemed like a very elderly 70-year-old. ( )

Very little happens. A young man visits for a few days. Time enough for an elderly woman to examine her comfortable, lonely relationship with the world. She is reinforced in her view of herself as being important, purely through being who she is. Another wise and sedate story by Anita Brookner.