think this book is rather splendid. I enjoyed this novel which tells the story of Dave win a half Burmese 13-year-old who lives with his mother in in an English market town . He gets a scholarship to the local private school where he boards during term time. We watch as he struggles with the differences between home and school life and the difference between many of the boys who come from rich families and his own more modest upbringing
This book has a timeless feel to it. It’s set in the early 60s and could’ve been written then as well. The description of the young boy’s homosexual feelings are described beautifully. It’s tentative and confused. Haven’t we all felt like that at his age?
Part two when he becomes an actor almost seems another book .
The friendship between his mother and another woman who becomes her business partner in a business making and mending clothes becomes clearer in the second part as a child they are seen as friends but with adult eyes eventually sees that they are lovers.
The offer has a beautiful flowing writing style which feels timeless and classic British in someway There were lots of sections that I particularly enjoyed one in particular stood out for me. This sentence “So a fairly self-sufficient person with a keen love of theatre might be the ideal partner for an actor” describes me precisely!

I love the epilogue the change of narrator is unexpected but tied the book up nicely
I recommend this novel for lovers of primarily relationship based novels with intense detailed character development. If you like in memoriam by Alice Winn then I think you will love this novel
I originally copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is publishing in the UK on the 3rd of October 2024 by Pam McMillan Picadore.
This will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.

A poignant, funny at times all encomapssing read of the life of Dave Win. Beautifully written this will become a classic. From early days to old age, a whole life

Our Evenings is the kind of literary fiction that is built on multiple layers and nuances.
Hollinghurst’s subtle writing, authentic characters, and the dynamics between them as well as the sociocultural backdrop give us a powerful read.
It took me a little while to get into this book - in the first 30-40 pages, I was more interested in the context than the characters. When I got to know them more, especially Dave’s change over the years, I became more invested in the characters.
I came for the classic, majestic novel blurb, and stayed for the novelties.
Characterisation 5
Prose 5
Themes 5
Mood 5
Plot 4

Our Evenings is Alan Hollinghurst’s latest, beautifully written and intelligently crafted novel which both manages to be a reflective state of the nation book and an intensely intimate portrayal of one man’s upbringing from his early teens to his seventies. David Win is half-Burmese, has never met his father and is growing up with a single mother who causes a local scandal when she moves in with her female business partner. At 13, he attends the nearby private school, Bampton, on a scholarship provided by wealthy philanthropists, Mark and Cara Hadlow, whose son, Giles, is the same age as David. We follow David as he attends and excels at Bampton school, then later Oxford, but due to his race and homosexuality never truly feels like he fits in the circles in which he moves. After Oxford he joins an experimental theatre troop and later becomes a notable actor, but never quite makes it through to national treasure status. The novel joins David at key points in his life and subtly demonstrates how he is molded by the people he meets, his romantic relationships and the relationship he has with his mother. Over the course of the novel, Giles wafts in an out of David’s life in glimpses, the antithesis of everything that David stands for. Whereas David represents manners, progress, multiculturalism, experimentalism and social mobility, Giles is part of the establishment; with a streak of cruelty from a young age, he uses his class entrenchment to become a right-wing politician, ardent Eurosceptic and Brexiter. But this is not Giles' story, it is firmly David's.

Alan Hollinghurst’s prose is sublime, every word in his sentence is artfully chosen. This is a book about race and class, prejudice and privilege but also about the complications of love and human connection. But it’s also just a story of David - his loves, his relationships, his aspirations – a bildungsroman and then some.

If I have one criticism, it’s that I found the first half of the book slightly more engaging than the second, but that’s probably just a personal preference for boarding school stories and languorous Oxfordians. I found the depiction of David’s time as a child at school, navigating the world and his burgeoning sexuality utterly gripping and aching. Hollinghurst is such a good writer, every small detail is so well researched and realized to build up the sense of time and place that I just sank into the world and was swept up in the characters journeys. That’s not to say I didn’t think the second half of the novel wasn’t also powerful, but there are larger jumps in the timeline so it felt more like truncated snapshots without the same narrative flow.

Hollinghurst is a masterful storyteller. This book feels like a literary classic and I will be eagerly pressing it into the hands of everyone I know.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, what a stunning book this is. I was totally engaged with the characters, especially Dave, Avril and Esme. This story spans a man's life, from school through to old age. He is half Burmese, illegitimate and gay so suffers bullying and prejudice his whole life. I was really sad to finish this and in fact feel it could almost have been extended to more than one book - I wanted to read more about Dave's youth and also more about his later, happier life with Richard. Outstanding writing from this brilliant author.
Thank you #Netgalley for this ARC

Exceptional writing like a long slow journey with someone that you know and trust but don't know everything about!

Brilliant stylish writing that both captivated and held me spellbound.

ALAN HOLLINGHURST – OUR EVENINGS *****

What a remarkable book. Without doubt one of my favourite books of the year.

Alan Hollinghurst is one of our greats. A new novel by him is something to be celebrated by anyone who loves to read brilliant prose – it is a masterclass in how to write.

This concerns a ‘brown’ half English young actor Dave Win, at school with an obnoxious bully Giles who becomes a politician and his charming father Mark Hadlow who dies at the beginning of the story. The novel is told first person by Dave, an account of his life and loves, someone who knows music and Shakespeare and who chronicles the changing patterns of English life.

I really don’t want to say more than this of what happens. Spanning decades from youth to old age this is a remarkable feat, told with wit and compassion and anger and brilliant prose.

Can’t recommend it enough.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, Picador, and the author Alan Hollinghurst.
There's no denying that this novel is beautifully written, but after a promising start I found that it dragged for me, and it was a bit of a slog to make it through to the end.
Unfortunately I struggled to connect with both the characters and the story arc, and looked forward to the ending (which felt random and disjointed), and so was happy to move onto something else.
Not for me, 3 stars.

‘Our Evenings’ focuses on the life of actor David Win beginning just after he has been given a ‘Harlow’ scholarship to attend a minor public school in Wiltshire. In 1960s England, Dave is not remarkable only for his intellectual precocity and acting talents. He is mixed race - half Burmese, half English - and being brought up by a single parent. He is also gay.
Through Dave, Alan Hollinghurst creates a marvellously nuanced state of the nation novel, exploring just how much attitudes change towards women, class, and homosexuality over several decades, culminating in Brexit and Covid. His central character is appealing in so many ways: self-effacing, resilient; funny and quick, Dave is more than aware of his perceived differences. However, apart from one tumultuous episode as a student, he pretty much just gets on with his life quietly. He’s a dutiful son, a hard-working actor, a considerate friend and a loving partner. Does this make ‘Our Evenings’ a dull read? Emphatically not. Hollinghurst’s gift is to make the everyday compulsive reading.
One of the most effective techniques the author uses to suggest that we are part of Dave’s life is the way that, in the straightforward chronology, time shifts are mostly unannounced. Characters appear and disappear without much ceremony; lovers come and go; school friends grow old; people die. Even the title choice suggests that there is a companionable, although certainly not cosy, aspect to the whole experience. This all allows the reader to feel fully immersed in David Win’s life and times.
Subtly written, this is a thoughtful, deeply engaging, often moving and sometimes funny read from a consummate storyteller. Recommended without reservation!
My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

To wallow in a novel by Hollinghurst is never a comfortable read and there lies much of the joy. He picks characters who could drip cliche and builds them into relatable people as he sets them in their own context, current and past.

This is a look back at a life of academic brilliance enhanced by a scholarship to a private school. His benefactors suppport him throughout his life both with their munificence and their ability to listen and understand. Our protaganist, David Win is illegitimate, half Burmese and inevitably the but of teasing and power plays. His single white mother runs her own business and is pushed to the edge of society in different ways from her son.

It echoes McEwan's "Lessons" and Boyd's "Any Human Heart" in the breadth of life, the episodic narration which skips great chunks. By lacing together formative experiences into the stuff of everyday life none of the players in the story are sketchy. This is counter-culture and eccentricity writ large.

Whilst I loved reading this book and found it propulsive, my overwhelming feelings were that it was too long and lost some of the mystique with extensive descriptive scenes. That said, I found myself fully immersed in both David and the state of the nation as it moved from the 1960s to present day.

With thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan for allowing me to read and review.

Alan Hollinghurst has an exceptional talent and Our Evenings is a showcase for the power of his writing. It’s the story of Dave Win’s life, acutely observed from childhood over the next fifty years as we follow him from boarding school to his theatre career and late life reflections. Simply, it’s a tour de force which examines, often with subtlety, racism, sexuality, class divide and bigotry.

The main players are Dave and his mother, a seamstress in a small market town. There’s a claustrophobic and suspicious feel as Dave is mixed race so never quite fits in. He’s sponsored by a wealthy couple whose son, Giles, features throughout Dave’s life; Giles is a right wing politician and an unlikely friend. Dave is subject to bullying and other discriminations because of his colour. As a teenager he begins to understand and explore his sexuality which leads to further difficulties. This is a story which so accurately reflects parts of modern Britain. It’s about living in a society where superficially, prejudice is denied but in reality, that undercurrent is ever present and a minority are subjected to small cruelties almost daily.

I’ve enjoyed every page. Beautifully written, reflective and thought provoking. Another outstanding novel from one of the greatest writes of our generation.

Dave Win is a 13 year old boy who has won a scholarship to a local boarding school. The story opens when he goes to stay with the sponsors of his award and their son Giles, a bullying, envious boy who has made Dave’s life miserable at school. Their paths intertwine over the next 50 years, due in part to the kindness and support of Giles’s parents. Dave’s as a gifted actor who constantly struggles with racism, (he’s the product of a brief affair his mother had with a Burmese man when she worked in Rangoon), and Giles as an increasingly influential right wing politician. The following year he goes on holiday to North Devon with his mum Avril and her formidable friend Esme. At the hotel his intense feelings for other
young men comes to the fore and he discovers his mother also has her secrets!
But this book is so much more, It's an observation, often humorous, through Dave’s eyes of present day England particularly attitudes to race, sexuality & class. The tales of his theatre company and plays were fascinating as were his three love affairs especially the last at age 60 where he finds a precarious happiness.
The ending, although unexpected, was written in a beautiful contemplative way.
I’ve enjoyed many of Alan Hollinghurst’s works especially The Line of Beauty and The Stranger’s Child. This novel is quite different, still very good though.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan for an ARC

This evocative study of the life of a dual heritage gay man from the 1960s onwards in Britain is just beautiful. Such depth of character and restrained subtlety.. This isn't a book of huge drama or action but is a subtle reflection on otherness and on ageing.

David is a scholarship schoolboy from a small community who is being raised by his white single mother, having never known his father from Burma. Now an actor, he reflects on the death of a pivotal figure in his life and on his own life.

The subject of racism and homophobia is tackled well with a catalogue of aggressions and microaggressions. The characters are so beautifully drawn, particularly David's mother, an extraordinary woman living a seemingly uneventful life.

I liked the use of the Brexiteer antagonist who contrast so well with David.

This is totally on form for the ever brilliant Alan Hollinghurst. I was utterly absorbed in this.

This is the life story of David Win. Half Burmese, half British, he grows up in a small, country market town in the care of his mother, a local seamstress. His progress through public school and Oxford and on into a career as an actor is charted against the thousand small indignities meted out to him because of the colour of his skin and because of his sexuality. This is a masterclass in novel writing. Hollinghurst takes what seems like the traditional novel form and subverts it into something far darker, more anxiety inducing and angry. Bigotry and the rise of the far right are never far from the surface and as the timeline speeds towards Brexit and Covid, things tip over into the disasters that were foretold in the school rooms and playing fields of David's youth.

Our Evenings follows Dave Win who goes to stay with the sponsors of his scholarship at a boarding school. Dave experiences their son Giles’ envy and violence. Over the next half a century Dave becomes a gifted actor but Giles becomes a politician.

This novel deals with a lot of topics and I was pleased with the commentary on race and sexuality as Dave is half Burmese and a gay man. This was written well but it just wasn’t my kind of novel. It was fine.

Exceptionally beautiful new novel by Alan Hollinghurst
Our Evenings is the life story of David Win, his family, friends and lovers. The characters are perfectly drawn and I was pulled into the story and didn’t want it to end

Our Evenings is beautifully written, with elegant prose and vivid character portrayals. Hollinghurst thoughtfully explores themes of race, class, and sexuality, weaving them into the narrative with subtlety. However, while the treatment of these themes is insightful, the overall narrative lacked the momentum to fully engage me. I found it a book to appreciate for its style and thematic depth, but occasionally wondered what it all added up to.

In any case, Alan Hollinghurst continues to demonstrate that he is a writer of great skill and beauty. Whatever my own quibbles with the narrative, Our Evenings is not to be missed.

4.5/5

ARC for review. To be published October 8, 2024.

Our Evenings has a lot about it that will be familiar to Hollinghurst fans. Its protagonist, David Win, is a mixed-race child of a single parent, from the lower middle classes (his mother runs a small dressmaking business) in rural Southern England. He is a scholar at a prestigious fee-paying boys’ school, the recipient of an exhibition awarded by the arts benefactor Mark Harlow. The novel’s early chapters detail events during David’s time at that school, including a weekend at the Harlows’ country home, and an adventurous school ‘challenge’ in which he is paired with the Harlows’ son Giles (who we know from the book’s flash-forward introduction is to become a notorious right-wing politician and Brexit architect). David makes his way in life, developing an interest in acting and generally doing reasonably (if unspectacularly) well, all the while contending with his points of difference.

Like most Hollinghurst protagonists, his class and sexuality set him apart, but here it is his half-Burmese heritage that attracts most attention. With limited knowledge of his father, and never having visited his father’s homeland, he has limited connection to that side of his heritage, but for many people that encounter him over the decades, it’s the first or only thing they see. Throughout the book, David is subject to slights and microagressions which he mostly takes as par for the course. Those who meet his white mother are constantly perplexed and occasionally angered by his presence, at school he ends up friends by default with the only other Asian boy in his year, despite them having little in common, and later in life he is fetishized by some of his white lovers, and in his acting career constantly mistaken for a more famous (but much shorter!) British-Chinese actor.

Unlike some of Hollinghurst’s best-known work, it has as its focus the events of recent years. This may not be apparent for much of the book, which begins in the 1960s and spends much of its time (as is customary for Hollinghurst) in other late twentieth century decades. But it is signposted with its recent-past introduction, and made very apparent in its later pages, which I won’t go into in too much detail as there be serious spoilers down that route. It’s safe to say though that the book shows in its later stages that one of its primary interests is an exploration of what has really changed over these decades when it comes to discrimination in Britain, particularly race-based discrimination. Brexit is there as a signifier of some of this, though its incporporation is subtle and impactful where it could easily have been heavy-handed.

Giles, the figure we hear discussed at the start of the book, ultimately plays a little less obviously significant a role than one might expect from that bit of seemingly obvious foreshadowing. As David himself observes, there are long periods of his life in which Giles plays no role at all, and their paths do not cross. When they do, they offer brief windows into how their lives have diverged, but nothing earth-shattering. What Giles does act as is a shadowy figure lurking in the background, representative of fairly unpleasant undercurrents in British society that may look like they’ve gone away, but are always lurking just below the surface, ready to reemerge at unpredictable and occasionally shocking moments.

Rather than the expected closure to the framing device opened at the start of the book, it is closed with an altogether different frame, and one which encourages a fresh reassessment of the moments that are presented in the book. Again, it’s not right to give too much away about this, but it’s definitely a book that you’ll want to pick up again to read in a fresh light following its conclusion. On a first read, I was somewhat intrigued by the rapid lurches between time periods represented by each chapter. Unlike in other ‘historical sweep’ novels, we’re given little in the way of information (such as dates and locations) as to where we have landed at the start of each section, which typically begins in media res at some point not necessarily obviously related to what came before. It’s only with the context of the novel’s conclusion that we start to make sense of why (and by whom) the particular fragments might have been chosen, and what they illustrate in terms of understanding the path leading to that conclusion.

I found this structural shiftiness to be a highlight of an already very enjoyable read. I had some initial doubts about Hollinghurst being the right person to write David Win’s story, given the central importance of race, but to my (white male) eyes he has handled a challenging perspective with significant success, with its narrative of difference handled with real insight and empathy. (It’s probably also the case that I am the wrong person to judge this, in which case I am happy to stand corrected). Beyond this, it’s all good. The book’s central characters (David, his mother and her partner, and David’s various lovers) are typically three dimensional, vulnerable and relatable. Its interactions with history are lightly handled and occasionally amusing (such as the brief recurrence of Mrs. Thatcher, in rather less dramatic a context than her scene-stealing cameo in The Line of Beauty). Its musings on life and love are tender and beautiful. But it’s the novel’s unexpected ending that I think elevates it to another level in terms its relevance to our modern world.

(9/10)

Our Evenings is a beautifully written novel about David Win - a gay actor of English and Burmese heritage. We are introduced to David as a teenager and follow him throughout his life learning of his career path, friends, lovers and relationships as well as the racism and homophobia he regularly endures, which causes him to question his place in the world.

The characters in Our Evenings are beautifully portrayed - flawed, nuanced and believable. I particularly loved David's relationship with his mother and her partner and how this developed throughout the story. Whilst slow paced at times, Our Evenings is heartfelt and moving right up until a shocking ending that left me utterly shocked.

Recommended - a novel that will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan, Picador and NetGalley for the ARC.

The story of David Win's life, family and loves shows Hollinghurst at his very best, as you follow a young Dave from his humble beginnings as the mixed-race son of a single mother to his acting successes and then tragic end in a very modern situation.

Everything is so detailed and believable, the empathy and understanding of so many different characters in their fallible detail, all builds up a convincing and masterful picture of British life from the 1950s to the present day.

It's a not uncommon story of a young boy lifted by his education and connections, but you'll be sad to see the end of Dave when you're done, he'll stay in your thoughts long after you finish reading.