Set in mid 1950s[2] England the novel follows Olive Piper as she leaves school and attends Bedford College, London to study English Literature. The Drama Society puts a production of Dr Faustus where she meets Malcolm Crowley who is studying Dentistry at King's College London. Not being married, nor able to prove she was going to be married, she was unable to obtain contraception and falls pregnant. She is forced to give up her course and rejecting marriage she moves to a home for unmarried mothers where she gives up her baby for adoption. Unable to return to Bedford College she resumes her studies at Keele. Her first teaching job is at a girls school in Salisbury where she falls in love with an older teacher, Thea...
Receptionedit
Reviews were mixed:
Kirsty McLuckie in The Scotsman comments on the gentleness with which Olive’s choices are handled, "here even Olive’s more traumatic experiences – the death of her parents, the sudden end of a deeply felt love affair – are portrayed as merely a part of life. Olive’s reaction to them is of her time. Stoic, she deals with inner turmoil with a measured control which is reflected in Hill’s pared back writing. The descriptions of her intense feelings, when they come, are therefore all the more powerful."[3] Malcolm Forbes in The Herald is also full of praise for Hill, "So well drawn is her heroine, and so keenly realized her predicaments and misfortunes, that we feel for her at every turn. With trademark crisp, poised prose, Hill expertly articulates Olives, panic, fear and pain.[4]
In contrast Julie Myerson writing in The Guardian is unimpressed, "The prose is clompingly euphemistic, chattily cliche-ridden and bafflingly – for a writer who has given us so many satisfyingly subtle ghost stories – lacking in any attempt at subtext or ambiguity...The result is that the protagonist, for all her supposed truth and tact, never once springs to life, while peripheral characters – fumbling, dry-lipped boyfriend, sternly patronising male doctor – seem to have arrived straight from central casting."[2] Melissa Katsoulis of The Times writes "the brief section where Olive experiences that tragedy in the punishing confines of a home for unmarried mothers is unbearably sad and will make parents feel sick. Fortunately for any fainthearted readers, this is the only stirring part of an otherwise bland narrative."[5]
External linksedit
A Waterstones Exclusive Q & A with Susan Hill | Waterstones.com Blog
^ abcFrom the Heart by Susan Hill review – closeted coming-out tale | Books | The Guardian Retrieved 2019-05-04.
^Book review: From the Heart, by Susan Hill - The Scotsman Retrieved 2019-05-04.
^Book review: From The Heart by Susan Hill | HeraldScotland Retrieved 2019-05-04.
^From the Heart by Susan Hill | Saturday Review | The Times Retrieved 2019-05-04.
January 01, 1970
from, heart, hill, novel, from, heart, coming, coming, novel, susan, hill, published, march, 2017, chatto, windus, from, heartfirst, editionauthorsusan, hillcover, artist, keys, printed, hair, cloth, 1954, ruth, adler, schneecountryunited, kingdomlanguageengli. From the Heart is a coming of age and coming out novel 2 by Susan Hill published in March 2017 by Chatto and Windus 1 From the HeartFirst editionAuthorSusan HillCover artist Keys printed hair cloth 1954 by Ruth Adler SchneeCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishPublisherChatto and Windus 1 Publication date2 March 2017 1 Media typePrintPages224 1 ISBN1 78474 164 7 Contents 1 Plot introduction 2 Reception 3 External links 4 ReferencesPlot introduction editSet in mid 1950s 2 England the novel follows Olive Piper as she leaves school and attends Bedford College London to study English Literature The Drama Society puts a production of Dr Faustus where she meets Malcolm Crowley who is studying Dentistry at King s College London Not being married nor able to prove she was going to be married she was unable to obtain contraception and falls pregnant She is forced to give up her course and rejecting marriage she moves to a home for unmarried mothers where she gives up her baby for adoption Unable to return to Bedford College she resumes her studies at Keele Her first teaching job is at a girls school in Salisbury where she falls in love with an older teacher Thea Reception editReviews were mixed Kirsty McLuckie in The Scotsman comments on the gentleness with which Olive s choices are handled here even Olive s more traumatic experiences the death of her parents the sudden end of a deeply felt love affair are portrayed as merely a part of life Olive s reaction to them is of her time Stoic she deals with inner turmoil with a measured control which is reflected in Hill s pared back writing The descriptions of her intense feelings when they come are therefore all the more powerful 3 Malcolm Forbes in The Herald is also full of praise for Hill So well drawn is her heroine and so keenly realized her predicaments and misfortunes that we feel for her at every turn With trademark crisp poised prose Hill expertly articulates Olives panic fear and pain 4 In contrast Julie Myerson writing in The Guardian is unimpressed The prose is clompingly euphemistic chattily cliche ridden and bafflingly for a writer who has given us so many satisfyingly subtle ghost stories lacking in any attempt at subtext or ambiguity The result is that the protagonist for all her supposed truth and tact never once springs to life while peripheral characters fumbling dry lipped boyfriend sternly patronising male doctor seem to have arrived straight from central casting 2 Melissa Katsoulis of The Times writes the brief section where Olive experiences that tragedy in the punishing confines of a home for unmarried mothers is unbearably sad and will make parents feel sick Fortunately for any fainthearted readers this is the only stirring part of an otherwise bland narrative 5 External links editA Waterstones Exclusive Q amp A with Susan Hill Waterstones com BlogReferences edit a b c d www amazon co uk Retrieved 2010 05 04 a b c From the Heart by Susan Hill review closeted coming out tale Books The Guardian Retrieved 2019 05 04 Book review From the Heart by Susan Hill The Scotsman Retrieved 2019 05 04 Book review From The Heart by Susan Hill HeraldScotland Retrieved 2019 05 04 From the Heart by Susan Hill Saturday Review The Times Retrieved 2019 05 04 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title From the Heart Hill novel amp oldid 1146064742, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
