Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In the summer of 1983, twentyyearold nick guest moves into. The gay hero, nick guest, is on his way to a blind date. Alan hollinghurst is the author of several novels, including the line of beauty, which won the man booker prize and was a finalist for the national book critics. Beauty business in downtown dundee specialising in skincare, skin treatments, skin products and beauty blog.
The line of beauty is a novel of eventful gatherings rather than propulsive action, and in these situations hollinghurst proves to be one of the sharpest observers of privileged social groupings. Nick was enthralled with henry james, but the real line of beauty is more enthralling than its fictional dissection. It is a novel that defines a decade, exploring with peerless style a young mans. The protagonist, nick guest, is a james scholar in the making and a. Winner of the man booker prize, alan hollinghursts the line of beauty is a classic novel about class, politics and sexuality in margaret thatchers 1980s britain. The line of beauty is alan hollinghursts man booker prizewinning masterpiece. There is a classic definition of the line of beauty depicted by hogarth in his work analyse of beauty, its a sshaped double curve, though for nick, the main protagonist of alan hollinghurst novel, the perfect line of beauty creates delicate curve of lovers back. The title of the book refers to the line of beauty the double s of the ogee shape, a shape which swings both ways. There are few authors who can move a book at such a torturedly slow pace and still manage a success. William hogarth, in his 1753 book the analysis of beauty, describes how beauty itself is embodied in the shape, 1 which protagonist nick guest uses to describe wanis body. There are many models of beauty and as old saying goes beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In the summer of 1983, twentyyearold nick guest moves into an attic room in the notting hill home of the feddens. Historically, the line of beauty picks up where the swimmingpool library concluded, in the summer of 1983, the last summer before aids began its grim reaping. Instead nick helps start up wanis magazinefilm company ogee named after the line of beauty arch.
As a novelist, alan hollinghurst has set himself an intimidating standard. A few pages into alan hollinghursts novel, something remarkable happens. The line of beauty is a 2004 man booker prizewinning novel by alan hollinghurst. It is a novel that defines a decade, exploring with peerless style a young mans collision with his own desires, and with a world he can never truly belong to. The line of beauty by alan hollinghurst, paperback. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the line of beauty. From alan hollinghurst, the acclaimed author of the sparsholt affair, the line of beauty is a sweeping novel about class, sex, and money during four extraordinary years of change and tragedy. The line of beauty is the first novel ive read by alan hollinghurst and having just finished it ill make a beeline to read his others. Buy the line of beauty reprints by hollinghurst, alan isbn. The book is divided into three sections, dated 1983, 1986 and 1987. If the swimming pool library was the party novel, the line of beauty deals with the inevitable hangover. But wani is something of a dilettante, more interested in cocaine, porn and sex. Starting at the moment the swimmingpool library ended, the line of beauty traces the further history of a decade of change and tragedy. The line of beauty by alan hollinghurst pan macmillan.