An utterly charming and beautifully realised jewel of a novel, a short and sweet account of Marianne, an incurably romantic teenager who falls in love at fifteen with a passion that follows her through her life, through good times and bad, Her relationships with friends and family are so acute, her voice comes through both joy and tragedy totally attuned to the time of the novel and you can't help but fall a little bit in love with her as her story goes on.

I'm a big fan of Rose Tremain and this short novel was lovely. The plot rolled forward a little like the Berkshire Hills and the ending was sweet and necessary.
Recommend

Always an absolute pleasure to read a Rose Tremain book. This one is a short read but packed with wonderful writing and characters. I loved every page.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A tremendous book. Excellent writing, superb characterisation and not a touch of waffle. Small and beautifully formed, a definite classic!

Another gem from Rose Tremain and proof that whether 1950s England or 17th century Denmark a good story teller will get it right in any context. Being a novella, was almost disappointed it lasted such a short time but in our time poor era will suit many more readers. While Marianne is naive she is so true to life and her story rings true throughout. The writing is light and yet there is a surprising depth. Beautiful.







Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I have never read a novel by Rose Tremain and thought that it was time for me to rectify that. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.
Unfortunately, however, I found this book just wasn't for me.
Having seen this book described as 'an electrifying new novel' I was expecting something that had a little more pace, that had a purpose, a plot, a point. Whilst undoubtedly well-written, I found the storyline too slow and the narrator unlikeable. Having never read other books by Rose Tremain, I can't say whether this is typical of her writing, and if that is the case it is perhaps just a case that this is not the genre for me. I know many book group colleagues though who would love this book - a story looking at the loves and internal worries of ordinary people.

The book tells the story of Marianne a 15 year old middle-class teenager growing up in 60s England and who falls in love with Simon an 18 year old boy who is expecting to go to university.

As with all Rose Tremain's books it is extremely well written and a pleasure to read.

Absolutely and Forever is a short novel by the acclaimed author of Restoration and Islands of Mercy, Rose Tremain. It is a story of first love, friendship, and identity, set in 1960s London and Paris. The novel follows the lives of two young people, Marianne Clifford and Simon Hurst, who meet at a party and fall in love.

Marianne is a teenage girl from a military family who dreams of becoming a writer. Simon is a brilliant boy from a wealthy background who plans to become a diplomat. However, their relationship is doomed by fate and secrets. Simon disappears without telling Marianne, leaving her heartbroken and confused. She tries to find him, but discovers that he has lied to her about many things. She also learns that he was involved with a powerful politician who is also missing.

The novel is divided into three parts. Each part reveals a different aspect of the characters and their relationship, keeping the reader hooked and intrigued. The novel is narrated by Marianne in the second-person point of view, addressing Simon directly. She characterises herself as ignorant and unworthy, while praising Simon's qualities. However, her smart, ironic narration also suggests that she has underestimated her own worth and potential.

The novel is written in a clear, elegant, and witty style. Tremain uses different tenses and dialects to reflect the characters' moods and perspectives. She also vividly describes the settings of London and Paris, capturing their contrasts and similarities. She also incorporates elements of Greek culture and history into the story.
Absolutely and Forever is a short novel that will touch your heart and mind. It is a novel that explores the themes of love, friendship, identity, and betrayal. It is a novel that will make you laugh, cry, think, and feel. It is a novel that you won't be able to put down.

Marianne in "Absolutely and Forever" is a rather naive girl, only child of an ex-soldier and his wife who live in the Home Counties. She is at school in the 50s but rather throws away her future when she discovers boys.

This is a gentle, rather than an exciting, tale of growing up in a slightly secluded environment and then finding freedom in the 60s. I found it all slightly underwhelming.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Rose Tremain is one of Britain’s great authors. Books such as music and silence, restoration and many others are beloved and rightly so.
For me this collection falls short of her great writing but it’s always a pleasure to read her.
Thank you for the opportunity.

In a way, this is the coming-of-age (and beyond) story of Marianne, who at 15 falls "absolutely and forever" in love with 18-year-old Simon. Through the book we follow her through heartbreak but still always imagining life with Simon.
The narration is told in the first person from Marianne's perspective. She's a touch dramatic, but I devoured this book in a few hours yesterday. I feared the point of view of a 15-year-old (at the beginning of the book) would feel too childish and jarring to me (I'm not a fan of young adult stories), but it didn't, which is a credit to Tremain.

Rose Tremain made me relive my teenage years and remember how dramatic I also was at that age, and I think if you feel like re-exploring your younger self this is a brilliant read to do that. This was a 4.5-star read for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A very short read, this book is written from the perspective of Marianne, where at the time of meeting her is a teenager experiencing her first love. The outcome of said first love haunts her and dictates how she lives her life.
For me, I couldn’t get on board with Marianne as a character and felt myself wanting to shake her several times throughout reading this book.

I enjoyed this novel from the first page, drawn in by the honesty of Marianne and the beautiful writing. I love Rose Tremain’s novels, each one so different in subject, and Absolutely and Forever gripped me just as much as the others.

Marianne is an appealing and self-deprecating young woman who, at 15, falls deeply in love with Simon Hurst, who is three years older. Her love for him dictates the path of her life and nothing is ever quite right for her when their relationship doesn’t work out the way she hopes.

I loved the setting of the novel, in the late 50s and 60s, and felt transported there by all the details and the author’s clever depiction of this world. I enjoyed the relationships between Marianne and her unpleasable parents, and her great friend Petronella (Pet) who is always on her side and urges her to follow a new path in life. Absolutely and Forever is a very satisfying and totally engaging novel.

I always love to discover what new story Rose Tremain has given us. I never fail to find a lot to delight and interest me whatever time period or subject she explores in her writing. This novella is a really welcome relief amongst the trend for huge, bloated overlong tomes of late. The story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Marianne, an upper middle glass girl in 1960 who is 15 and is obsessed with a beautiful sixth former called Simon Hurst. She is heartbroken when he fails his Oxford entrance exam and moves to Paris. Marianne's longing for Simon affects her life going forwards for many decades as she fails at school and uses marriage to salve her wounds. I felt that Marianne's childish voice and outlook never changes but perhaps that is how it should be as Marianne has never really grown out of teenage life where she has become "stuck" in her fixation. Marianne's parents are pretty awful and I loved some of their ascerbic comments and asides. I really felt for Marianne and wanted her to find happiness. I devoured this book over two sittings and would have been content to read about Marianne and her life for a lot longer! The sign of a good tale.

This was quite a short story and it’s written in Mariannes perspective. At points in the narrative Marianne seems quite a bit younger than what her age suggests and also quite naive.

It’s her story of first love and heartbreak when the object of her affection, Simon ups and leaves for Paris rather than studying at Oxford.

Im not going to lie I felt very confused several times during the book and the ending well I read the ending a few times and I’m still not sure what it meant. Anyway whilst it wasn’t for me I’m sure others will love it.

We meet day-dreaming, middle-class Marianne when she is a doey-eyed teenager in the mid-Fifties. Her Dad is an army man, her Mum an aloof housewife. She is sent to a boarding school and falls “absolutely and forever” in love with floppy-haired Simon. Whilst she has mapped out her future life as Mrs Simon, life turns off at a tangent and she is watching it unfold in a perplexed helplessness.
Marianne’s voice is an engaging mixture of naïvity and natural wisdom especially when confronted with the “can do” approach of her school friend Pet: “Men don’t love like you’ve loved. They love in relays. One and then another and then another. On the baton goes. And the ones they held long ago, they just lie on the track for some other runner to trip over.”
Will Marianne ever have enough confidence in herself to stride out and make her own path?
A small, precious book to cherish!

Stunning, engaging from the opening line - Tremain's storytelling is on point. Narrated intimately by Marianne, a young teenage girl navigating her first love is absolutely spellbinding and puts the reader right at the heart of the intimate tale of love and loss. Honestly a fantastic coming of age novel that is funny and poignant and impossible to put down. Set between the 1950s and 60s - the period details and social constraints are wonderfully peppered throughout. Loved every page and stunningly original.. Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy.

I fell in love with Marianne, within the first few pages of this beautiful novella.
Portrayed as being neither terribly bright nor ambitious, she ambles through life unable to marry the boy she believes is her one true love, so ends up marrying the one who has always been in love with her instead.
Tragedy strikes more than once and here the writing took hold of my heart and squeezed it tight.
This is the first Rose Tremain book I have read. I expect there will be many more.
Thank you to Random House & Netgallery for my ARC.

This wasn’t really my cup of tea, I wasn’t keen on marianne’s character and the other characters except maybe Simon. Maybe I just couldn’t relate because I’m not from a posh family who go to boarding schools. Just found it a bit sad and boring.

One of my favourite book so far this year! It gave the vibe of Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath mixed with Ottessa Moshfegh. Which is probably the highest compliment I can give a book! I also got the feeling of Bonjour Tristesse, basically every book I felt this book was inspired by was absolutely onw of my favourites and it was executed brilliantly, making it one of my favourites too! I loved the longing melancholy of the main character, convinced she is useless and just drifting through the world. She's fully encompassed with love for someone she can;t have and she allows it to rule her life for years. I also loved the little twist at the end when we find out he was actually gay all along, it fit the tone of the book beautifully! In the end I felt, without making it too much of a redemption story, that our main character manages to finally come to the realisation that she is capable and can live a happy life. Love this one and will definitely be recommending this continuously to people for the foreseeable future!!