Opening book details…
Can I read The Light of Evening : a Novel on EtoBox?
The Light of Evening : a Novel by O'Brien, Edna is a work of fiction available to read on EtoBox.
What is The Light of Evening : a Novel about?
In her 20th work of fiction, O'Brien meditates with haunting lyricism on the lure of home and the compulsion to leave. Dilly, 78 and widowed, lies in a Catholic hospital in rural Ireland waiting for her elder daughter, Eleanora, to arrive at her bedside. In gorgeous stream-of-consciousness from the masterful O'Brien ( Lantern Slides ), Dilly recalls her early years as well as decades of misunderstanding and conflict with Eleanora. Dilly's past unfolds in fits and starts: she leaves her mother behind in a small village in Ireland to seek a better life in 1920s Brooklyn, returning after a failed affair and the death of her brother, Michael. She promptly marries the rich Cornelius; they settle at Rusheen, his dilapidated family estate, and have two children. For Eleanora's story, O'Brien shifts to the third person: the daughter moves to England, marries an older novelist and begins a successful career as a writer before divorcing him and embarking on a series of affairs with married men, a life that Dilly both envies and scorns. The award-winning O'Brien evokes the cruelty of estrangement while allowing her characters to remain sympathetic and giving them real voice.
Who reads The Light of Evening : a Novel?
It is typically read by readers looking for immersive, entertainment-first reading.
Common subject areas: fiction, literature, genre fiction.
- Author
- O'Brien, Edna
- Publisher
- Mariner Books
- Published
- 2006
- Language
- EN
- ISBN
- 9780618919734
- Category
- work of fiction
- Subjects
- Literary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction
- Rating
- 3.24 / 5 (438 ratings)
- Updated
- 2026-03-14