Rating: 
Summary: Boring and fatalistic
Review: I promised myself I would NOT read anymore Irish novels and I wish I had kept that promise. Trevor's fatalistic characters really make me angry. I can't accept that the parents in this book wouldn't try harder to find out what happened to their child, or that the lawyer helping the child wouldn't try harder to find the parents. And Lucy's so-called life!! Ugh!! Or as I would like to say to her, "Get a life!" What's with these Irish old maids? I don't get it. I read the entirel 227 pages, but I never really felt like picking the book up after about page 50. Soooo boring!
Rating: 
Summary: Too much guilt
Review: I truly enjoyed the premise of this book, a young girl's defiant scheme to keep her parents from leaving Ireland turns tragic when they mistakenly leave without her. Lucy's plan to run off and stay with a beloved servant to show her parents how badly she doesn't want to move backfires when she breaks her leg in the woods. Her parents find some of her clothing on the beach and incorrectly assume she has drowned. Heartbroken they leave their home and travel through Europe leaving no forwarding address. Lucy is eventually found and has to live with the guilt of having caused everyone, including herself, such heartbreak. The problem is she never forgives herself, she denies herself the right to any sort of happiness and it became difficult to continue to sympathize with a character so utterly guilt ridden. Maybe I should have enjoyed the departure from a typical happy ending but this book could have used one.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: I'm sorry, but I guess I just don't get it. Trevor's prodding prose is often beautiful, but the story is a little hard to follow. This is the stuff that legends are made of? And whatever happened to character development? I didn't really care for any the characters nor did I care what happened to them. And *that's* my standard for judging a book a good read. Can't really give it a thumbs-up.
Rating:
Summary: The Point Is Lost
Review: I've never read William Trevor before and never shall again. Although not the most boring book I've ever read, "The Story or Lucy Gault" rates up in the top 5. The plot and storyline has been gone over ad nauseum, so I will spare any who are reading this. Quite frankly, by the end of the book I couldn't figure out exactly why it had been written. Well, unless Mr. Trevor's idea was to write about the most singularly boring life ever. This book firmly stretched the bounds of credibility as the years go past and Lucy never does anything with her life. The reader is lead to think she awaits forgiveness, yet when it comes she does not remember what it was for and cannot accept it. So, it leaves one asking, "Just why did this book need to be written, and how did it ever get published?" I could not identify with any of the characters in this book, and especially felt nothing but contempt for Lucy's self-pity. It was suggested in the book that perhaps Lucy had meant to be killed at 8 years of age. I wish in fact that had been the case, as the majority of anything interesting takes place during the first 50 pages. William Trevor is, I understand, a short story writer. That is perhaps what he should stick to. Novels require too much development and involvment for him, evidently.
Rating: 
Summary: "Love is beyond all reason when it is starved"
Review: In an attempt to ward off intruders from his estate Captain Gault fired a warning shot in the dark that would forever change his life and those around him. As Protestants the Gaults felt their well-being was continually threatened as Partition undermined the political and social foundations of Ireland in 1921. As a result Captain Gault decided to return to the safety of England with his wife and young daughter, Lucy. But Lucy isn't happy at all with the prospect of leaving the only home she has known and she is too young to fully comprehend the reasons. On the day of their anticipated departure Lucy is believed to have drowned when some of her clothing articles was discovered near the shore. It is widely acknowledged that the sea has a tendency to swallow both unaware ships and swimmers. In the midst of their grieving and loss Captain Gault and his wife continue their plans of emigrating, but as they begin their journey they decide that England is not far enough away from the source of their pain. Without communicating with a single person from their previous life they venture on to Switzerland and Italy. Meanwhile back in Ireland it is realized that Lucy has not drowned and is indeed alive but unfortunately there is no way to pass on the news to her parents because no one knows how to reach them. Decades pass while the separation between Lucy and her parents created deep psychological consequences that continue to affect their livelihood.
THE STORY OF LUCY GAULT is a somber and dark tale of individuals searching for redemption and forgiveness for the innocent acts they have committed in their past. William Trevor created a poignant mix of characters that are forever marked with the choices that they have made. This book is admittedly small, but it contains a shocking and realistic story of how one girl's mischief has resulted in such devastating results for all. Individuals living in the surrounding villages all were accustomed with the tale of Lucy Gault, and her life was forever introduced to newcomers. It is a tale that is sure to live for generations in that section of Ireland. While reading this slim book I was sincerely touched by Trevor's portrayal of the longing for forgiveness and the haunting of regret. He excelled in getting inside the minds of his characters and shedding light on the emotional conflicts within their individual consciousness. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Alert for Henry James' lovers
Review: In reading the reviews, I'm struck by the fact that there is no "tepid" review; one either loves the book or is completely bored by it. And I'm not surprised. "Lucy Gault" is a Henry James' character, and the book's action is about inaction, or, the action of the mind. Lucy is a "portrait of a lady," perfectly lovely, totally unattainable. I, for one, loved this book and found it refreshingly restrained, and I am grateful to Trevor for the consistency of restraint that avoided a Hollywood ending.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting and Heart-Rending.
Review: Ireland, early 20th-century: in the midst of a volatile political climate, a family is forced to move in a hurry. They go to France, believing their young daughter dead-but she's not. Lost while visiting her favorite local places for what she believes to be the last time, among the crags and cliffs by the sea, an item of clothing caught in a branch seems proof to the horrified family and friends that she is gone, drowned. William Trevor's riveting and suspenceful novel is the work of an experienced and masterful storyteller. More conventional in plot and form than most books I review, I can tell you no more than the information in that first paragraph unless I want to do a book report, not a book review. The review is that this novel is captivating, horrifying, tender, and astoundingly beautiful. Trevor writes not a word too few or a word too many, and his plotting and narrative timing are close to perfect. Genius, it's probably not. But I'm getting incresingly tired of writers who shoot the moon every single time. I've read Trevor's stories, and there as here find him to be a supurb craftsman in an established British prose tradition-but what makes him stand out is his empathy--the capacity to genuinely affect the reader-and the lyrical atmosphere, his uncanny ability to create a lush literary landscape peopled with those crippled with gut-wrenching anxieties and pain. The result is a stylistic and narrative resonance of taut and tempestuous power. If you want something fast-paced and saucy, you won't find it here. But if you can enjoy a novel by, say, Graham Greene, or appreciate the unique talent involved in writing such a book....then the present volume is better even than that. Or at least it won't let you down. For when it comes to telling a story, lots of people can do it. But for me, when the story is told well, in a traditional way, and yet the feeling it leaves me with is best described as "eerie" or "disquieting"--then maybe it wasn't so traditional after all.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF HIS BEST WORKS
Review: It saddens me to see another reviewer call THE STORY OF LUCY GAULT a 'failure' for William Trevor ' I think it's one of his most beautiful, satisfying works. There is a gentle, patient quality to Trevor's writing ' it seeps into the mind, heart and soul of the reader, emerging into a fullness that envelops and surrounds. The reader experiences the story as if surrounded by it. As in most of his other works, there are no frantic action sequences here ' the pace is almost languid, but it is never uninvolving. I liked the comment by another reviewer that this novel is really an epic poem ' it certainly has the language of that form, as well as the sense of the eternal about it. In the story, we follow the life of Lucy Gault from her childhood through most of the rest of her life. At the outset of the book (in the 1920s), she lives with her parents in relative privilege and security on an estate in the Irish countryside. They are good people ' but resented by those in the growing Irish independence movement for their English ties, and the fact that Lucy's father served in the English army. After a frightening incident in which arsonists attempt to burn down the Gaults' home with the family inside, the parents come to the painful decision that it would be best for them to close up the house and move to England until the 'troubles' blow over. Lucy, being a nine year-old girl, is not consulted in this decision, and resents it greatly ' and on the eve of the family's planned departure, she decides to run away and seek out the family's recently-dismissed maid as a refuge, thinking that the time it takes them to find her will give them the opportunity to change their mind about the move. The nearby village is very dependent on the sea for much of its income ' and knows first-hand and all too well that the sea is an unforgiving and powerful partner. The sight of women keening on the strand over husbands who have not returned from a stormy night is not an uncommon one. When Lucy disappears, and a couple of articles of her clothing (actually lost by her on earlier trips to the shore) are found in the subsequent search, the family and the village assumes that she has been taken by the sea, that she is dead. Plunged into grief over the loss of their only child, her parents accept their assumption as fact and determine that the only thing for them to do is to leave the country. They set out on a pilgrimage of healing and mourning that takes them through several countries in pre-WWII Europe, settling at last in Italy. After Lucy's survival comes to light back in the village, repeated attempts are made to contact the parents ' none of which meet with success. She is taken in by the old couple who have been assigned the task of caretakers for the estate in the absence of the Gaults, and she grows into an adult under their care. They love her dearly, and are wonderful surrogate parents to her. I'll leave off describing any more of the plot here ' I'll allow the reader to experience that firsthand. The beauty of this book ' as with all of Trevor's works ' lies in his language and pace. Being of Irish descent himself, he has a loving first-hand knowledge of the Irish people. The characters depicted in the novel are not the crass stereotypes found in too many places ' neither are they overly romanticized. They come across as simple, honest people ' uneducated and unexposed to the world at large, perhaps ' who try their best to live their lives to the fullest in the surroundings to which they were born. Their values are never preached ' they are lived, which makes them all the more honorable. In the capturing of their speech patterns and cadences, Trevor is particularly successful ' there are no catchphrases from ridiculous Irish jokes here, just everyday conversations made real by their honesty and simplicity. It's a joy to read anything that William Trevor produces ' and it's a joy to see that his creative powers are as strong as ever. His work is some of the best in 20th century literature ' experience it and you'll see that's not an overstatement.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF HIS BEST WORKS
Review: It saddens me to see another reviewer call THE STORY OF LUCY GAULT a 'failure' for William Trevor - I think it's one of his most beautiful, satisfying works. There is a gentle, patient quality to Trevor's writing - it seeps into the mind, heart and soul of the reader, emerging into a fullness that envelops and surrounds. The reader experiences the story as if surrounded by it. As in most of his other works, there are no frantic action sequences here - the pace is almost languid, but it is never uninvolving. I liked the comment by another reviewer that this novel is really an epic poem - it certainly has the language of that form, as well as the sense of the eternal about it. In the story, we follow the life of Lucy Gault from her childhood through most of the rest of her life. At the outset of the book (in the 1920s), she lives with her parents in relative privilege and security on an estate in the Irish countryside. They are good people - but resented by those in the growing Irish independence movement for their English ties, and the fact that Lucy's father served in the English army. After a frightening incident in which arsonists attempt to burn down the Gaults' home with the family inside, the parents come to the painful decision that it would be best for them to close up the house and move to England until the 'troubles' blow over. Lucy, being a nine year-old girl, is not consulted in this decision, and resents it greatly - and on the eve of the family's planned departure, she decides to run away and seek out the family's recently-dismissed maid as a refuge, thinking that the time it takes them to find her will give them the opportunity to change their mind about the move. The nearby village is very dependent on the sea for much of its income - and knows first-hand and all too well that the sea is an unforgiving and powerful partner. The sight of women keening on the strand over husbands who have not returned from a stormy night is not an uncommon one. When Lucy disappears, and a couple of articles of her clothing (actually lost by her on earlier trips to the shore) are found in the subsequent search, the family and the village assumes that she has been taken by the sea, that she is dead. Plunged into grief over the loss of their only child, her parents accept their assumption as fact and determine that the only thing for them to do is to leave the country. They set out on a pilgrimage of healing and mourning that takes them through several countries in pre-WWII Europe, settling at last in Italy. After Lucy's survival comes to light back in the village, repeated attempts are made to contact the parents - none of which meet with success. She is taken in by the old couple who have been assigned the task of caretakers for the estate in the absence of the Gaults, and she grows into an adult under their care. They love her dearly, and are wonderful surrogate parents to her. I'll leave off describing any more of the plot here - I'll allow the reader to experience that firsthand. The beauty of this book - as with all of Trevor's works - lies in his language and pace. Being of Irish descent himself, he has a loving first-hand knowledge of the Irish people. The characters depicted in the novel are not the crass stereotypes found in too many places - neither are they overly romanticized. They come across as simple, honest people - uneducated and unexposed to the world at large, perhaps - who try their best to live their lives to the fullest in the surroundings to which they were born. Their values are never preached - they are lived, which makes them all the more honorable. In the capturing of their speech patterns and cadences, Trevor is particularly successful - there are no catchphrases from ridiculous Irish jokes here, just everyday conversations made real by their honesty and simplicity. It's a joy to read anything that William Trevor produces - and it's a joy to see that his creative powers are as strong as ever. His work is some of the best in 20th century literature - experience it and you'll see that's not an overstatement.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic tale told with little gusto
Review: It seems there is a spate of books written about children losing their parents (see The Story of Pi by Yann Martel). The ideas of survival and loss are at their most fundamental in such a story and can make for a riveting read. In this case, I must say, I felt very much as if I was reading a skeleton version of the book. It was a cool, years-skipping, look at Lucy Gault's life after a childish mistake turns into years of tragedy. I would love to give this a better review, but I am afraid that the tale left me feeling a bit chill. I never developed affection for any of the charcters and though I sympathized with the situation, it was the writing style that cooled my empathy. There are so many other wonderful books out there, I must say that I wish I hadn't spent my time on this one.
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