Blue Afternoon
A historical novel set in 1930s Manila, following architect Kay Fischer as a mysterious man leads her into a buried past of love and secrets.
Work Information
The memories of 1930s Manila quietly unsettle a woman in the present.
Set in 1930s Manila, the novel follows architect Kay Fischer as a man who claims to be her father draws her into family memory, political shadows, and a long-lost love story. It is a layered novel filled with the humidity, history, and atmosphere of a city on the edge of change.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Penguin Canada
- Published
- 2005-11-01
- Pages
- 336 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780140238259
- ISBN-10
- 0140238255
- Price
- 725 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Contemporary
Winner of the 1993 Sunday Express Book of the Year Award Los Angeles 1936. Kay Fischer, a young, ambitious architect, is shadowed by Salvador Carriscant, an enigmatic stranger claiming to be her father. Within weeks of their first meeting, Kay will join him for an extraordinary journey into the old man's past, initially in search of a murderer, but finally in celebration of a glorious, undying love.
William Boyd was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana, and grew up there and in Nigeria. He is the author of seventeen highly acclaimed, bestselling novels and five collections of stories. Any Human Heart was longlisted for the Booker Prize and adapted into a TV series with Channel 4. In 2005, Boyd was awarded the CBE. He is married and divides his time between London and south-west France.
Reviews
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William Boyd demonstrates his mastery of the historical novel with The Blue Afternoon. The vivid and meticulously crafted setting of 1903 Manila showcases his extensive research, likely bolstered by travel to the Philippines. The novel's rich historical detail immerses readers in a bygone era, bringing the city and its characters to life. At its core, The Blue Afternoon is a profound and deeply affecting love story, layered with a captivating subplot about an ambitious attempt at manned flight—one that could have predated the Wright Brothers' historic achievement. Boyd weaves these elements into a narrative that evolves into a gripping thriller and murder mystery, culminating in a suspenseful and satisfying conclusion. This novel is a testament to Boyd's skill as one of the world’s preeminent authors. It's surprising that The Blue Afternoon hasn’t received the broader recognition it deserves. It’s an outstanding literary achievement.
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William Boyd is a highly rated author and this book has a lot going for it. It's intriguing, interesting and in its way quite exciting. There's some romance, murders, medical scenes, aeronautical engineering, and the historical background of the Philippines at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The various plots are interesting too. Yes, quite a lot in rather a long book. And the author must have put a lot into writing it: perhaps a bit too much. Maybe it could have been simplified and trimmed down a bit.
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Slow in beginning but then became a satisfying read.. Enjoyed the characters and the plots. Also learned some History on the Philippines that I had no idea about.
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The love story between a young Filipino doctor and the beautiful wife of an American officer touches lightly the drama of the times. But then the mere surroundings, Manila, San Francisco, Lisbon and then Panay and the emotional strength they carry with give us an idea of their predicaments and of the dull existence we are in.
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You might not like all of William Boyd's novels, but you can never criticize his work for lacking originality or interesting characters. "The Blue Afternoon" certainly sits firmly in unusual context(s)--the Philippines 1903, Los Angeles and Lisbon 1936--and boasts some fascinating characters. In the latter category, the principals include a Filipino/Scottish surgeon, an American married woman who is the love of his life, a 30-something daughter who he has never seen and a Filipino anesthesiologist who aspires to be the first man to fly. There are abundant meaty secondary characters in support of the story. Largely a tale of passionate but thwarted love, the storyline is intelligent and credible despite the exotic settings and extreme ambitions and actions of its characters. As always with Boyd's books, you find yourself saying, "man, how did he come up with this stuff?" He is truly a fine writer with outsized imagination and creativity.