The average user rating for this Book is 7.7 out of 10 (based on 22 Votes).
Rosie R gave it a9: Fluent and captivating, The Line of Beauty proves that the novel form is alive and kicking and still relevant today. Hollinghurst's elegant prose carries the reader deep into the political and sexual machinations of the eighties. One of the best novels in English to come out of the last decade.
Jay B gave it a10: I read this the first time and was dissapointed by its languid feel after the intense, obsessive brilliance of The Folding Star. It took 2 more re-reads to realise that I was missing the subtleties of what is actually a work of rare genius.
Amanda gave it a5: Well written (but little else going for it).
JoAnn D gave it a10: Brilliant, absorbing, witty and completely engaging! Definitely a favorite. Have enjoyed discussing it with several of my peers at our bookstore. A true pleasure. It is both elegant and stimulating and so much more!
Simon D gave it a1: So terrible I gave it up -- with great delight -- after 150 pages. Unconving about Oxbridge but even less conving characterisations. The narrator comes across as a cipher and it is not clear why anyone likes him, And over-written too. Several of my friends read this book as well and had the same opinion.
Hakan A gave it a6: First of all. This is a wonderfully written book. I had great expectations before I started ... and was sadly dissapointed. It's a Hello mazagine turned into art. Beautiful, witty, satiric about rich, supposedly clever, decadent people who fall from grace but has nothing to say either about art or human condtions.
Donna H gave it a5: Not bad, but I expected more from a Booker winner. Lovely prose, captivating descriptions; an inside look (or what passes for an inside look anyway) at the British version of the greed-is-good '80's. But not one of the characters is likeable -- not even the narrator. Why the other characters let him hang around with them, and indeed, freeload off them, is quite inexplicable, except that if they didn't, there wouldn't be a novel. To sum it up, the book just takes itself way too seriously.
Andrew T gave it a10: What's up with England these days? Turning out such masterful novels! This novel is the other extreme from 'Cloud Atlas' the other masterpiece nominated for the Booker Prize this year. That novel's wild exuberance is matched and equaled by this novel's elegant restraint. This novel is haunted by Henry James in so many ways. If the term weren't so stuff, "classic" would suit this book more than any novel in ages.
Devin S gave it a10: beautifully written and a superb evocation of an era. The characters are unforgettable- I want to know more about them
Michael C gave it a9: A lovely book. Hollinghurst's prose borders on the poetic - there were paragraphs I had to reread just so that I could continue to enjoy them. This story has been told before, but not, I think, this well.
Havelock S gave it a1: A book with the occasional clever turn of phrase but ultimately not worth the journey. Superficial characters and a opaque plot make it a very tedious experience. To think it got the Booker...
tim b gave it a3: highly disappointed, curiosity is what drove me to read and disappointment is driving me to type this.
I Work For Peanuts gave it a10: My daughter recommended this book to me, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The portrayal of life in the 80's was spot on!
metacritic girl gave it a10: A wonderful read. I am sorry it's over!
Pete gave it a9: The reviews are correct. This is book of high literature that is great to read. I've just read it once and am about to re-read it.
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