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Room on the Sea
Paul was reading a newspaper. Catherine was reading a novel. So begins Room on the Sea, André Aciman's scorching and elegiac love-story about a middle-aged man and woman who meet in the bullpen of jury selection and spend a sultry summer’s week trespassing ever further into each other's hearts.
What begins as a flirtation quickly evolves into something deeper, something Paul and Catherine must carry on in secret—and with the understanding that anything more than a casual crush is out of the question. But as the week draws to a close, the end of their rendezvous comes into focus, and Paul and Catherine are forced to decide whether to act on their feelings or leave the fantasy of what could have been to the annals of the past.
By turns scintillating and philosophical, Room on the Sea is a compulsively listenable story of love, fate, and last chances.
©2022 Andre Aciman (P)2022 Audible Originals, Inc.
What begins as a flirtation quickly evolves into something deeper, something Paul and Catherine must carry on in secret—and with the understanding that anything more than a casual crush is out of the question. But as the week draws to a close, the end of their rendezvous comes into focus, and Paul and Catherine are forced to decide whether to act on their feelings or leave the fantasy of what could have been to the annals of the past.
By turns scintillating and philosophical, Room on the Sea is a compulsively listenable story of love, fate, and last chances.
©2022 Andre Aciman (P)2022 Audible Originals, Inc.
Audible Audio
Published January 20, 2022
About the author
André Aciman
47 books9,228 followersAndré Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. He has also written many essays and reviews on Marcel Proust. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Paris Review, The New Republic, Condé Nast Traveler as well as in many volumes of The Best American Essays. Aciman received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University, has taught at Princeton and Bard and is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at The CUNY Graduate Center. He is currently chair of the Ph. D. Program in Comparative Literature and founder and director of The Writers' Institute at the Graduate Center.
Aciman is the author of the Whiting Award-winning memoir Out of Egypt (1995), an account of his childhood as a Jew growing up in post-colonial Egypt. Aciman has published two other books: False Papers: Essays in Exile and Memory (2001), and a novel Call Me By Your Name (2007), which was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and won the Lambda Literary Award for Men's Fiction (2008). His forthcoming novel Eight White Nights (FSG) will be published on February 14, 2010
Aciman is the author of the Whiting Award-winning memoir Out of Egypt (1995), an account of his childhood as a Jew growing up in post-colonial Egypt. Aciman has published two other books: False Papers: Essays in Exile and Memory (2001), and a novel Call Me By Your Name (2007), which was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and won the Lambda Literary Award for Men's Fiction (2008). His forthcoming novel Eight White Nights (FSG) will be published on February 14, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 14, 2022
“Nessuno dei due voleva apparire apertamente compiaciuto per la propria carriera. Inoltre si sforzavano di non ficcare il naso nelle rispettive vite. E ciò infuse alla loro passeggiata un carattere leggero, disteso e informale, cose che entrambi apprezzavano.”
Così inizia l’idillio tra un uomo e una donna ormai maturi, come un semplice incontro casuale, uno scambio di opinioni, una chiacchierata informale e la condivisione di un boccone al bar. Ma il locale è gestito da un giovane napoletano espansivo, e Napoli nel loro immaginario incarna quella idea di fuga verso un altrove che appare ormai troppo lontano, impossibile da raggiungere.
Impossibile come un amore tardivo, o un’attrazione semplice che velocemente si trasforma in una relazione complessa.
Perché “A volte ti capita di vivere un momento che sembra normale, come tanti, e poi, qualche istante dopo, ti accorgi che invece emanava una luce speciale.”
Passeggiando sulla High Line, New York, Paul e Catherine avranno modo di riflettere sulle proprie vite, sulle conquiste e i fallimenti, su ciò che nutre i rapporti intimi fondamentali prima che il silenzio a poco li distrugga, scavando separazioni profonde e innalzando muri invalicabili. E continuando, nonostante tutto, a sentirsi semplicemente normali, non troppo insoddisfatti, non troppo soddisfatti. Ovvero, vogliamo dirlo? Praticamente infelici.
“Hai mai avuto la sensazione che le nostre vite potrebbero essere il mero resoconto di innumerevoli rendez-vous manqués, occasioni perse che fanno ancora male e ci perseguitano, questioni che molto spesso rimangono irrisolte?”
Un racconto con molte domande e nemmeno una risposta.
3,5
Così inizia l’idillio tra un uomo e una donna ormai maturi, come un semplice incontro casuale, uno scambio di opinioni, una chiacchierata informale e la condivisione di un boccone al bar. Ma il locale è gestito da un giovane napoletano espansivo, e Napoli nel loro immaginario incarna quella idea di fuga verso un altrove che appare ormai troppo lontano, impossibile da raggiungere.
Impossibile come un amore tardivo, o un’attrazione semplice che velocemente si trasforma in una relazione complessa.
Perché “A volte ti capita di vivere un momento che sembra normale, come tanti, e poi, qualche istante dopo, ti accorgi che invece emanava una luce speciale.”
Passeggiando sulla High Line, New York, Paul e Catherine avranno modo di riflettere sulle proprie vite, sulle conquiste e i fallimenti, su ciò che nutre i rapporti intimi fondamentali prima che il silenzio a poco li distrugga, scavando separazioni profonde e innalzando muri invalicabili. E continuando, nonostante tutto, a sentirsi semplicemente normali, non troppo insoddisfatti, non troppo soddisfatti. Ovvero, vogliamo dirlo? Praticamente infelici.
“Hai mai avuto la sensazione che le nostre vite potrebbero essere il mero resoconto di innumerevoli rendez-vous manqués, occasioni perse che fanno ancora male e ci perseguitano, questioni che molto spesso rimangono irrisolte?”
Un racconto con molte domande e nemmeno una risposta.
3,5
February 4, 2022
Kaut kas, ko biju meklējusi, to īsti neapzinoties. Un meklējusi visās nepareizajās vietās.
January 28, 2022
Why do I keep listening to sappy romance novels by Aciman?
February 20, 2022
Really enjoyed this short story and, gee, who knew Jeff Daniels could sound so sexy and comforting at the same time? Great narration.
December 31, 2022
Aciman's writing is pure magic! In this short story, we have two people in their late sixties finding themselves and what they like through each other. I loved the fact that they met during jury duty, while she was reading Wuthering Heights!
Beautifully narrated, endearing story of how love finds you in the places you least expect.
Detailed review coming soon.
Beautifully narrated, endearing story of how love finds you in the places you least expect.
Detailed review coming soon.
August 27, 2022
Two older people meet on jury duty and begin an affair. This was a bit bland but OK. 2.5*
January 28, 2022
Chill and sunny short story about two strangers in their sixties meeting in a jury room. I chose this novel because I love Acimans work, “call me by your name.” This one, while still nice, couldn’t be more different. CMBYN is a love story filled with passion and longing. This love story is more about understanding one another.
February 5, 2022
Equal parts romantic and sad. A story about being old enough to know what you want but (maybe) being too deep into your life to change course.
November 15, 2023
Cathrine e Paul due persone arrivate alla sessantina, con le loro vite fatte di abitudini ed emozioni ormai morte e sepolte da tempo, si conoscono per puro caso in un tribunale. Da lì parte il loro percorso di una settimana fatto di dialoghi e riflessioni su ciò che è stato e ciò che potrebbe essere. Aciman scrittore forse a volte un po' troppo mieloso ci racconta questa sua riflessione non tanto sull'amore quanto su come a volte tendiamo a mettere da parte le nostre sensazioni per prendere dei percorsi dettati da ciò che ci sei presenta durante il percorso della nostra vita. Una scrittura molto scorrevole , a volte un po' troppo ricca di cliché e stereotipi soprattutto sull'Italia e un andamento un po' scontato , ma resta comunque un romanzo dolce e tenero come a volte si ha bisogno di sentire e provare.
February 24, 2022
Really only read it because Aciman is one of my favourite authors, it was free and I was in jury service at the time. It was okay. There’s always something weirdly unrelatable about the characters in that they’re both old, cultured urban professionals who go to coffee shops and talk about being old.
May 24, 2022
Incipit
Lui stava leggendo il giornale. Lei, un romanzo. Lui la guardò . Lei non ricambiò .
Idillio sulla High Line Incipitmania
Lui stava leggendo il giornale. Lei, un romanzo. Lui la guardò . Lei non ricambiò .
Idillio sulla High Line Incipitmania
March 22, 2023
For when you want to hear a master tell another master’s story of a mature affair.
March 4, 2022
Listened to as an audible read. So beautifully written. Romantic
January 31, 2022
I hadn't read or listened to any of Aciman's other works but this was an interesting study of two lonely strangers whose personal lives were filled with regret.
November 9, 2023
Catherine e Paul si incontrano per caso in un tribunale a New York, dovrebbero far parte di una giuria ma entrambi ne farebbero volentieri a meno. Non sono giovani, ma nemmeno vecchi. Lei è una terapeuta, lui un ex avvocato. Da subito tra i due nasce qualcosa che solo la parola idillio può descrivere. Paul dà il via alla conversazione chiedendo a Catherine cosa sta leggendo, lei capisce subito che qualcosa sta per accadere. Ognuno di loro dice di essere felice, ma è come se in questa felicità che vivono già con i rispettivi compagni, sia entrato il nuovo elemento della riscoperta. Iniziano piccoli rituali come il caffè da Pirro e la passeggiata sulla High Line che affaccia sull’Hudson. C'è una voglia di confidarsi, di attirarsi, di mancarsi come se sensazioni ormai sopite si fossero improvvisamente risvegliate. Forse la normalità ha preso il sopravvento nelle loro vite, e quando riscoprono che c'è qualcosa di meglio della quotidianità, sono disposti a rinunciarvi. Inizia un dialogo fatto di confidenze, prima solo intuibili, poi dichiarate e questa limpidezza di espressione crea una sincerità sconcertante.
“La maggior parte delle persone vuole un nuovo io che lo segua come un’ombra anche se non saprebbe riconoscerlo neppure se gli suonasse il campanello o gli mollasse un pugno sul naso”.
Un romanzo delicato che in alcuni casi fa riflettere.
“La maggior parte delle persone vuole un nuovo io che lo segua come un’ombra anche se non saprebbe riconoscerlo neppure se gli suonasse il campanello o gli mollasse un pugno sul naso”.
Un romanzo delicato che in alcuni casi fa riflettere.
May 18, 2022
‘La maggior parte delle persone non vuole tornare a chi era prima o a un tempo in cui le cose sembravano andare per il verso giusto, ma vuole altro, vuole qualcosa di meglio, vuole un nuovo io che li segua come un’ombra anche se non saprebbero riconoscerlo neppure se gli suonasse il campanello o gli mollasse un pugno sul naso. Quello che vogliamo davvero è prendere in prestito tante cose dalla vita che sappiamo che ci spetta e morire prima di doverle restituire. Morire pieni di debiti’
Il nuovo romanzo di André Aciman parla di seconde possibilità e di sliding doors inforcate un istante prima che diventasse tardi. Ci sono più capelli grigi, ma molti meno patemi d’animo, quasi a dirci che incontrarsi quarant’anni dopo, tutto sommato, è meglio: visto che le cose che ci parevano giuste le abbiamo portate a termine tutte, possiamo serenamente concederci di sparigliare tutto e di seguire, finalmente, il nostro desiderio.
Il nuovo romanzo di André Aciman parla di seconde possibilità e di sliding doors inforcate un istante prima che diventasse tardi. Ci sono più capelli grigi, ma molti meno patemi d’animo, quasi a dirci che incontrarsi quarant’anni dopo, tutto sommato, è meglio: visto che le cose che ci parevano giuste le abbiamo portate a termine tutte, possiamo serenamente concederci di sparigliare tutto e di seguire, finalmente, il nostro desiderio.
February 23, 2022
I didn’t hate this story but I also didn’t love it. I liked that the main characters were older people rather than teens or young adults. It’s rare to read a story about older couples falling in love. Then again, I’m not sure if the characters in this story fell in love with each other necessarily. I don’t think this is really a love story. I feel like this is a story about two people going through a mid-life crisis together. I think the main thing both characters had in common is that there were tired of their spouses. Neither of their spouses seemed like truly terrible people either. I felt like I was supposed to want the main characters to get together but I did not. I hated how this novel condoned cheating. I would have rather read a story about an elderly couple who still love each other. Stories like those are so rare though.
July 11, 2023
This book made me realize how much Aciman's books center around aging. As a comparatively young reader, his emphasis on the role aging plays in love and desire had evaded me until reading Room on the Sea -- a short story in which age itself may as well be a third main character between the two lovers.
After listening, Samuel Perlman's words come to mind - "We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new ... Remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it."
Elio's father was right about so many things, but Aciman proves him wrong with Paul and Catherine's story. What a comfort.
After listening, Samuel Perlman's words come to mind - "We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new ... Remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it."
Elio's father was right about so many things, but Aciman proves him wrong with Paul and Catherine's story. What a comfort.
February 16, 2022
Well written and very intellectual, maybe a bit too intellectual. There were at least two words I did not know and because I did the audiobook so I didn't know how they were spelled and couldn't look them up. But the real issue is that there was not enough happening to hold my interest. I did really like the characters, empathized with their situation, and was rooting for an impossible but good resolution for them. And, of course, Jeff Daniels did an amazing job. But ultimately I was glad it was so short.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2022
Thought it would be a good free listen for a car ride but it was pretty awful…
The premise wasn’t bad but it just didn’t play out well for me. Both were cheating on spouses… I didn’t get their attraction and the situation under which they met was not thought through.
Writing was simplistic to silly… audio narration wasn’t good… way too deep of a voice even turned up to 1.5x and no distinction between the male and female character so it was hard to follow… add to that it was incredibly boring!
The premise wasn’t bad but it just didn’t play out well for me. Both were cheating on spouses… I didn’t get their attraction and the situation under which they met was not thought through.
Writing was simplistic to silly… audio narration wasn’t good… way too deep of a voice even turned up to 1.5x and no distinction between the male and female character so it was hard to follow… add to that it was incredibly boring!
November 20, 2022
It was a simple story and it’s simplicity is what made me like it. It’s a story of two people who met in the unlikeliest of circumstances and found that they couldn’t imagine the rest of their lives without each other. It’s a story where two characters realise how mundane and unhappy was their life before the other person came along. It’s a short read, or listen, in this case and even though it took me a month to finish it (I had my own reasons for the delay), it still left me with a smile on my face.
April 16, 2022
This was more of a novella.
The story was simple and more character-driven.
Two characters called for jury duty met while waiting to be called in.
They never did do the jury duty but had to keep going to be chosen or rejected.
they become friends and really got on well. they were bot in long term marriages that had lost their magic.
The story was not exactly action packed it was a simple, developing relationship between the two but it was well told.
The story was simple and more character-driven.
Two characters called for jury duty met while waiting to be called in.
They never did do the jury duty but had to keep going to be chosen or rejected.
they become friends and really got on well. they were bot in long term marriages that had lost their magic.
The story was not exactly action packed it was a simple, developing relationship between the two but it was well told.
December 23, 2022
Eh. I kind of, just… nothing this book? Jeff Daniels narration is truly lovely, and the setup is quite nice, but it felt a bit like the disappointing cousin of Linklater’s Before trilogy in a way? Lots of conversation. I like Açiman’s lyrical prose generally, but I wonder if it’s better read on the page rather than performed — I just adored CMBYN (which I read in physical form) but Room on the Sea isn’t at that level.
May 23, 2022
I fell in love. Aciman reminded me of the loves we find, we keep, and we give away. With unbelievable insight, Acimen beautifully dissects love; not the love of children or teenagers, all raging hormones and drama, but the love of older adults who fall quickly but still with a reticence that only age can give. I fell in love.
February 4, 2022
I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this novella. It was a nice romance but it did make it seem as thought cheating is an okay thing to do once you're older. Who knows, maybe cheating is what all couples end up doing once the heat dead in their relationships.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2022
I have to say right of the bat that any book the promotes the idea of adultery to me is a turn off. This is the story of two people who have been in long and boring marriages. They meet while they are waiting to see if they are assigned to jury duty. The story goes from there.
June 17, 2022
Carino, niente di che. Ho preferito altri scritti di Aciman, come L'ultima estate. Idillio sulla High Line è un racconto piacevole, per occupare un paio di sere, ma a tratti l'ho trovato forzato ed eccessivamente melenso. Non da buttare ma sicuramente non un capolavoro
July 3, 2022
Romanzo veramente scorrevole, letto in una notte. Aciman, come al solito, riesce a rapire il lettore e a trasportarlo all'interno del libro. Travolgente storia d'amore che coinvolge e fa innamorare, allo stesso tempo, anche il lettore: Aciman non sbaglia mai.
July 15, 2022
Aciman non ne sbaglia una! Il suo talento nel descrivere i personaggi è paragonabile solo a quello di un pittore. Non mi sono mai immedesimata così tanto in due protagonisti così lontani da me (soprattutto per la loro età).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews