Year 7, Book 74

74. The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

I really enjoyed Enright’s Man Booker Prize winning novel The Gathering, so I wanted to read The Forgotten Waltz. I was still as entranced by Enright’s ability to use language in a beautiful and profound way in The Forgotten Waltz as I was with The Gathering, but I didn’t find the actual story of The Forgotten Waltz nearly as compelling. The story is a retelling by the narrator of how she wound up falling in love with the man she claims is the love her life while they were both married to other people. All of the characters really felt like they were only ever introduced on a surfacey level which makes it hard to engage with or care about any of them. Bottom line if you want to read some beautifully written prose telling a pretty boring story this book is for you. If not, then skip it. I give it a 5 out of 10.