I really enjoyed the book but, for me, not all of Lillian’s encounters during her walk were as successful or as meaningful as others. Neither convenience nor difficulty is my objective”).Īnother theme seems to be how bigotry and prejudice can cause people to miss out on potentially fulfilling relationships. People are forever tearing something down, replacing something irreplaceable”) and a celebration of walking and the art of flanerie (“ Typically neither closeness nor distance matter much to me on my walks. (About her other bête noire, Julia): “She had a beautiful smile, if you like people who have thousands of teeth and no evident capacity ever to be sad.” Double ouch!Īs well as the story of Lillian’s life, the book is a love letter to New York (“Any day you walk down a street and find nothing new but nothing missing counts as a good day in a city you love. (About her colleague and bête noire, Olive): “I marvelled at her mother’s prescience in having named her daughter after a green – with envy – cocktail garnish: hollow and bitter.” Ouch!
New Year’s Eve is a bigger thug than any mugger, the way it makes people feel.” “My mother resented Sadie like a stepsister resenting Cinderella, but she was polite. Some of my favourites “Lillianisms” include: Lillian takes pride in her ability to use words as tools (whether to craft advertising copy or poetry) but also, on occasions, as weapons. During her walk on New Year’s Eve, we learn about her pioneering career in advertising, her relationships and get hints of darker times that are only fully revealed towards the end of the book.
Lillian is stylish, witty (even waspish at times), single-minded, successful, generous but also a woman whose life has not followed an untroubled path. Sassy octogenarian Lillian Boxfish’s walk through the streets of New York on New Year’s Eve stirs up memories and results in chance encounters My review
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