READ THIS! {On Chesil Beach}

Good Morning! July has just flown by and it's time for July's READ THIS! book wrap-up! This month, the book was Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach.

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Amazon describes this novella as, "In 1962, Florence and Edward celebrate their wedding in a hotel on the Dorset coast. Yet as they dine, the expectation of their marital duties weighs over them. And unbeknownst to both, the decisions they make this night will resonate throughout their lives. With exquisite prose, Ian McEwan creates in On Chesil Beach a story of lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken."
I chose this book after reading McEwan's Atonement and falling in love with his prose and writing style. I was intrigued by the idea of turning one evening into an entire book and chose this for July's READ THIS! to give us all a chance to appreciate his work in a different way. 
McEwan's prose did not disappoint, however, I don't think that it was enough to carry the lacking plot in this short novel. The first almost 50 pages of this barely 200 page book were the most anti-climactic pages that I have ever read and I found myself wishing that McEwan would hurry up and make his point. The rest of the novel picked up the pace and began to flow, but I think that the poor beginning to this novel tainted my view of it a little bit. I didn't hate it, and it was enjoyable at times, but it was most definitely a letdown after reading Atonement.
Did you read On Chesil Beach? What was your take on it? If you're a huge McEwan fan, did you feel let down by his newest novel? And for those of you who picked this up prior to reading anything else he's written, did it inspire you to read more? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Now, the introduction of August's READ THIS book... Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn!

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From bestseller Gillian Flynn comes a new novel that Amazon describes as a thriller, stating, "On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?"
We're changing it up this month is a newly released thriller. Will you join me in reading August's READ THIS! selection? 
P.S. I'll be back this afternoon with July's edition of my blog series, Instalife. See you back here after 2 pm!