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The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page | Gerald Basil Edwards
19 posts | 8 read | 22 to read
Ebenezer Le Page, cantankerous, opinionated, and charming, is one of the most compelling literary creations of the late twentieth century. Eighty years old, Ebenezer has lived his whole life on the Channel Island of Guernsey, a stony speck of a place caught between the coasts of England and France yet a world apart from either. Ebenezer himself is fiercely independent, but as he reaches the end of his life he is determined to tell his own story and the stories of those he has known. He writes of family secrets and feuds, unforgettable friendships and friendships betrayed, love glimpsed and lost. The Book of Ebenezer Le Page is a beautifully detailed chronicle of a life, but it is equally an oblique reckoning with the traumas of the twentieth century, as Ebenezer recalls both the men lost to the Great War and the German Occupation of Guernsey during World War II, and looks with despair at the encroachments of commerce and tourism on his beloved island. G. B. Edwards labored in obscurity all his life and completed The Book of Ebenezer Le Page shortly before his death. Published posthumously, the book is a triumph of the storytellers art that conjures up the extraordinary voice of a living man. "Imagine a weekend spent in deep conversation with a superb old man, a crusty, intelligent, passionate and individualistic character at the peak of his powers as a raconteur, and you will have a very good ideas of the impact of The Book of Ebenezer Le Page...It amuses, it entertains, it moves us... The Washington Post "A true epic, as sexy as it is hilarious, it seems drenched with the harsh tidal beauties of its setting...For every person nearing retirement, every latent writer who hopes to leave his island and find the literary mainland, its authorquiet, self-sufficient, tidy Homericremains a patron saint." Allan Gurganus, O Magazine
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review
sisilia
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Pickpick

5⭐️ This is an amazing work by Edwards. Imagine writing a memoir of a fictional character, with all the drama and emotions - I almost believed that Ebenezer (not Edwards) were the author. I enjoyed Ebenezer‘s ramblings about his life, relations, and friends. Some parts are sad, others are funny. This requires lots of patience, but is totally worth it. Warning: the font size is so tiny it‘s quite tiring for the eyes

TheSpineView Sounds like one to read on Kindle. 4y
sisilia @TheSpineView Yes! 😅 4y
62 likes5 stack adds2 comments
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sisilia
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Off to the gym... with this old man

TheSpineView ❤⛹️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️ 4y
49 likes1 comment
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sisilia
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Oh, my eyes! 🙈 I think I need to get new reading glasses 🥺

BarbaraBB No those are horrible to read even with good eyes. So unappealing! 4y
Crazeedi I hear you, my eyes can't take the little paperback books anymore 4y
sisilia @BarbaraBB @Crazeedi When I was a kid, I laughed at those large print editions. How silly, I thought. Karma bites😆 4y
Crazeedi @sisilia so funny 😉😅 4y
BarbaraBB Karma bites 🤣 4y
46 likes5 comments
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rachaich
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Pickpick

Ah, what a tale of a man's life and thoughts.
I felt so much for Ebenezer, his aloneness and comments on Guernsey inhabitants.
The ending was not too twee but made complete sense. Definitely one I'd recommend.

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rachaich
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Still reading this one.
He's an interesting character; )
Some of the parts about the impact of WW1 and 2 on Guernsey really furthered my knowledge.
Hoping to finish it by the weekend as then I'm off on holiday so have a stack to take!

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rachaich
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This was highly recommended by a very good friend so looking forward to reading it.
Tge brief account of the author's life us intriguing :)

Kaye Excellent book. I‘ve read it twice. 6y
Lcsmcat I loved this book! Enjoy discovering Guernsey and Ebenezer. 6y
rachaich So far (p. 321) I'm riveted! It's reminding me of A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler. 6y
10 likes3 comments
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Lcsmcat
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1. One of several - different favorites for different reasons;
2. 117;
3. It‘s the little, everyday things that make me happy;
4. Christmas- it‘s my favorite holiday;
5. Hi 👋🏻 all you wonderful Littens!
#HelloThursday @wanderinglynn

wanderinglynn Thanks for playing! 👋🏻😀 6y
Mitch Wow 117! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
38 likes2 comments
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Lcsmcat
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March was a good reading month. 3 audiobooks, 3 eBooks, 9 print books. The tagged book and Barkskins were favorites. #MarchStats #ReadingResilutions #bestreadofmarch #marchinbooks #wrapup #magicalmarch

Emilymdxn I adored Barkskins too! Love Annie proulx 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 How did you like The Address? 7y
Lcsmcat It was a “meh” for me. I liked the idea but felt it lacked something in the execution. But it did make me ask my daughter (who lives in NYC) to take pictures for me on Monday. 😀 7y
vkois88 Awesome! 7y
Eggs 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
68 likes5 comments
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Lcsmcat
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I can‘t let go of this book yet. I was looking for pictures of Guernsey online and found a review in a blog called Pages and Margins with a quote I wish I had written: “For some reason I expected this book to be similar to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society because they were both set on the island of Guernsey. This is a bit like expecting Absalom, Absalom! to resemble The Help because they were both set in the American South.”

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Lcsmcat
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Pickpick

Balthazar says I should be petting him instead of reading about some man he‘s never heard of. But I‘m so glad I am doing the #passportLitsy challenge, or I might not have found this book. Ebenezer is charming and the pictures of #Guernsey that he paints are fascinating. The writing is poetic without being self conscious and the music of the patois comes through. Five 🌟 @maximoffs

FlowerFairy That face!😍 7y
amyrohn 😻😻😻 7y
sisilia I just finished this and gave it 5⭐️, too! I‘m glad to read such a unique novel 4y
Lcsmcat @sisilia Wasn‘t it charming? 4y
61 likes4 comments
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Lcsmcat
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“I have never been one to hope for the best when the worst is staring me in the face.”
Ebenezer‘s take on whether the Nazis would invade Guernsey. I‘m loving this crotchety old man!

39 likes1 stack add
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Lcsmcat
Book of Ebenezer Le Page | G. B. Edwards
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“It was the same over the daylight saving. I don‘t see how you can save daylight, when there is only the same number of hours of daylight anyway, whatever you do to the clocks.”
I feel you, Ebenezer, I feel you.

peacegypsy 😂👏👏👏 7y
GingerAntics YES!!! This!!! 7y
Lindy Yes! Down with Daylight Saving Time. 👎 7y
40 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Lcsmcat
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#SetOnAnIsland was an easy prompt for me, as I‘m currently reading this book, set on Guernsey, for #passportLitsy. #MarchinBooks @maich

vivastory I ❤ NYRB. How is this one? 7y
Lcsmcat @vivastory I‘m loving it so far. Ebenezer is a charming character. 7y
maich What is #passportLitsy ? 7y
See All 7 Comments
Purpleness @maich #passportlitsy is a reading challenge where we have a list of countries and we read a book for each one. 7y
Lcsmcat @Purpleness Thanks! I somehow missed @maich ‘s question. 7y
Purpleness @Lcsmcat No problem! 7y
49 likes7 comments
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Lcsmcat
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“I think every religion in the world, except the Mormons, must have come and built a place of worship in Guernsey at some time or another. I heard there was even two of those came over once; but they was thrown into the harbour .” Having lived in Utah for 22 years, this cracked me up!

Kaye Isn‘t that book so good ? I liked Ebenezer‘s storytelling. The audio is great too. Love his old man scratchy voice. 7y
Lcsmcat @Kaye I‘m loving it! 7y
Kaye 👍🏼 7y
39 likes3 comments
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Lcsmcat
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“I think myself she was a real princess; but perhaps not very high up as princesses go.” Ebenezer is charming me and my reading buddy!

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Lcsmcat
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Lcsmcat
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My husband‘s still asleep, so I‘m going to take a long bubble bath and start this book for #PassportLitsy.

60 likes3 stack adds
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Liz_M
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Mehso-so

I read this on vacation in the Florida Keys. The scenery upstaged the novel and quite frankly the back story is more interesting than the book.

It is a rambling digressive account of a cranky old man's life. There are some wonderfully drawn characters and lovely autobiographical anecdotes, but the middle section is endless and the ending is too sentimental. Highly praised as brilliant and comparable to Proust, I thought it needed an editor.

BarbaraBB As brilliant as Proust? Then it might need an editor indeed 😀! Did you read and finish Proust? You probably did, you‘re the master of the 1001 books on LT 👍🏽👍🏽 7y
Liz_M Yes, Proust was last year's project. :-P 7y
4 likes2 comments