“Previously, gay life had seemed a merry series of cabinet reshuffles and rearrangements, in which everyone was single for a time, then paired off for a time. If you stood still with a welcoming smile on your face, sooner or… — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
“Previously, gay life had seemed a merry series of cabinet reshuffles and rearrangements, in which everyone was single for a time, then paired off… — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
I think you can tell when you meet someone whether they read novels. There's some hollowness if they don't. — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
The Humbling is not vintage Roth, despite its compelling premise. The bizarre series of episodes -- mostly sexual encounters with women -- which make up this short novel don't play to Roth's strengths. (...) The Humbling disappoints because it avoids these universal implications, and veers off into a baroque world of the unique and fantastic, never quite deigning to make… — Philip Hensher Copy Share
“The thing I truly object to,” Kitty said, “and I know this sounds trivial and I don’t care if it sounds a bit snobbish, but I don’t care about these awful people and I do care about this. It’s that the whole world now thinks about Hanmouth as being this sort of awful council estate and nothing else, and Hanmouth… — Philip Hensher Copy Share
It [fiction] allows us to see the world from the point of view of someone else and there has been quite a lot of neurological research that shows reading novels is actually good for you. It embeds you in society and makes you think about other people. People are certainly better at all sorts of things if they can hold… — Philip Hensher Copy Share
“It’s material deprivation that starts all this off.” “They’ve got dishwashers, Miranda,” Billa said. “They’re not examples of material deprivation.” — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
I think you can tell, when you meet someone, whether they read novels or not. There is some little hollowness if they don't. — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
“Depressing realization sets in. Writing was invented not by human beings but by accountants. Most of the early writing systems are records of how… — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
“You need to start making an effort,” Richard said. “There’s a thing called the gay scene nowadays. It happens in large cities – London,… — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
“... something very unusual, a chocolate-flavoured log of goats’ cheese. “Made by lesbians in Wales,” Sam had explained superfluously.” — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
“It happened to some people, that obsession with throwing their clothes off at an age when it would be best to keep them on.” — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
“Why do we say ‘the cockles of your heart’?” David said. “Nothing to do with whelks, I suppose.” — Philip Hensher Copy Share Image
