McEwan is word-perfect at handling the awkward comedy of this relationship and, as ever, turning it into something far more disturbing. Both Edward and Florence fear that she is 'frigid', that antique word, and view that state as an affliction or curse with no remedy. McEwan's subject has often been the way in which innocence goes bad; here, the serpent in the garden is the time-honoured one - desire and its discontents. To reveal what lies in store would lessen the pleasure of reading this small masterpiece, though it's hard to imagine that anything could spoil it." - Jennifer Reese, Entertainment Weekly

ON CHESIL BEACH | Kirkus Reviews ON CHESIL BEACH | Kirkus Reviews

I saw the movie last night. With one exception, though, I will have to put my comments as a spoiler, for those who haven't already read the book. The photography was excellent, especially in evoking the loneliness of that pebble beach. The sense of period was uncanny, not just in visual details but also practical ones. It’s in the book too, but seeing the unspeakable awfulness of that honeymoon dinner—melon slice with glacé cherry, and overcooked roast beef with mixed veg—slammed me with repellent recognition. The leads, Billy Hawle and Saoirse Ronan, were both good, if just a smidgen too old. But also—and this is what matters—too present. The scene in the hotel bedroom soon became excruciating to watch as the camera returned to it again and again. Not that it was inappropriate or in any way pornographic. But the reader manages his own balance between the psychological damage to these two young people and the clumsy physical act in which it is played out. The cinemagoer has to accept the director's balance, and loses a dimension as a result. A major theme is destiny, which is perhaps the converse of missed opportunities. “They regarded themselves as too sophisticated to believe in destiny”, yet it was a belief in destiny that prompted Florence to form her quartet, and Florence and Edward inferred the hand of destiny in the extreme improbability of their meeting, plus Edward wants to study and write about how powerful individuals can change destiny.They were young, educated, and both virgins on this, their wedding night, and they lived in a time when a conversation about sexual difficulties was plainly impossible. On Chesil Beach was released in the UK on 18 May 2018. [14] [2] Originally scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on 15 June 2018, the date was pushed up to 18 May 2018. [15] [16] Critical response [ edit ] Ian McEwan's story exists exactly in that hinterland in British courtship between repression and licence, the Lawrence litigation and 'Love Me Do'. It is July of 1962 and Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting, he an ardent graduate historian, she the tremulous lead violinist in a string quartet with aspirations to Wigmore Hall, both 22, have just got married in Oxford. Their love story and their tragedy grows out of McEwan's opening sentence, which contains within its careful confines almost everything you need to know about what follows: 'They were young, educated, and both virgins on this, their wedding night, and they lived in a time when conversation about sexual difficulties was plainly impossible.'

Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach through Cultural Conflict in Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach through

He focusses almost entirely on Edward here, describing the changes he undergoes and what becomes of him. Florence's relationship with her father was still subtle (so much so, my husband, who hasn't read the book, was oblivious to its likely significance).McEwan’s empirical temperament distinguishes him from his friends Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie, and Julian Barnes. McEwan recalls a recent afternoon spent with Barnes: “Julian was reading an article in the Guardian about a ship that, in 1893, got frozen in the polar ice. The explorers had set up a primitive wind turbine for electricity, and the captain’s log described how they’d got it running just before the final sunset that marked the beginning of the dark Arctic winter. Julian handed the story to me. I read it and said, ‘That’s amazing. A wind turbine in 1893!’ He said, ‘No, no, I mean the captain’s description of the final sunset. What a beautiful piece of prose.’ And I said, ‘Oh. Yeah, yeah.’ ” a b Dana Rose Falcone (17 February 2016). "Saoirse Ronan to star in film adaptation of Ian McEwan's on Chesil Beach". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 23 August 2016.

On Chesil Beach (film) - Wikipedia

As for Florence, being a late bloomer is hardly explanation enough for her pathological feelings about sex. Edward is the exception among his classmates in going on to university -- choosing London over Oxford, too, in a minor rebellion.

Communication failure is at the center of his tale, and he evokes it with heartbreaking eloquence." - Kyle Smith, People