I have a few giveaways coming up over the next week – so stay tuned. This is giveaway 1 of 3.
To mark the official UK publication date, Random House have kindly offered a signed first edition of Ian McEwan’s new novel, Solar. Now I know there are many McEwan fans out there, so as you put your name in comments to enter please tell us all why you are a fan. (Don’t be put off by that – if you haven’t read McEwan before, tell us why you want to try him.)
There are also 3 promotional t-shirts. They come in sizes small and large. I shall give these away as consolation prizes. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture or measurements. This will just need to be a surprise. Don’t forget to tell me which size you’d like to receive.
Want to know more about the book? Here’s the blurb.
With a global scope, Solar deals directly with the crises of today.
Michael Beard is in his late fifties; bald, overweight, unprepossessing – a Nobel prizewinning physicist whose best work is behind him. Trading on his reputation, he lectures for enormous fees and half-heartedly heads a government-backed initiative tackling global warming. An inveterate philanderer, Beard finds his fifth marriage floundering. When Beard’s professional and personal worlds are entwined in a freak accident, an opportunity presents itself, a chance for Beard to extricate himself from his marital mess, reinvigorate his career and very possibly save the world from environmental disaster.
The competition is open WORLDWIDE and I’ll put random.org to work next Monday.
Lizzy's Literary Life (Volume One) 
Please put my name in the hat. I am one of those weirdos who have about four of McEwan’s books on my shelf, but never get around to picking them up. I don’t know–I’ve read his interviews and think he’s such an earnest writer. Eventually I’ll blow off the dust from his covers, haha.
And I’ll put my name in the hat (Thankyou Lizzy!). Why do I like him? I like him because of the way he takes one situation or event and then teases out the psychological fallout from that – look at Enduring love, Atonement, On Chesil Beach, Saturday. I’ve enjoyed them all. Enduring love has a wonderful first chapter. (T-shirt – small)
I’m a fan too–primarily because of Atonement (which I read well before the film was made or released, and am snob enough to want to underline that!). My favourite thing about Atonement was something I didn’t quite notice until I got to the end–and then it made me reread immediately. McEwan’s writing changes as Briony grows older–he starts out with what is almost stream of consciousness, very aware of the material world, both fascinated and shocked by what it sees. And then, slowly, the style changes and changes again until it has become the contemplative writing that ends the book. It felt as though he was also trying to evoke the development of the consciousness of Briony as a writer, and he did a fine job.
Am a UK size 14… so I guess large?
Since I can’t enter my own prize draw, I’ll enter yours! I am conflicted with McEwan – sometimes I’m impressed (Black Dogs, Atonement), sometimes irritated (Saturday), sometimes in between (Enduring Love, On Chesil Beach). But I’m willing to find out more! (Just for the book, please, not sure I’m convinced enough about him to wear a T-shirt!)
Please pop me in as well. I like McEwan because, despite the fact that he was one of my set texts at A Level and I analysed the crap out of the book, I still adored A Child In Time and I’ve heard this is one of his lesser works. So I can’t imagine how good a decent work of his would be :-). Winning this would possibly give me the chance to find out!
I’ve been a fan since The Cement Garden and In Between the Sheets, and would love to be the owner of a signed copy of one of his works.
I have read every McEwan since The Cement Garden. Personal faves include The Innocent and Atonement, although Amsterdam was disappointing. This Yank in Las Vegas will buy Solar even if I don’t win it, as McEwan is a top-5 worldwide living author.
Please enter me, thanks! I love McEwan for the way he hits you when you least expect it. He builds the momentum up so subtly and then wham!
Please enter me! I find Ian McEwan hit and miss and I’ll be interested to know where Solar falls! I really enjoyed Atonement on the second reading (not the first) and Enduring Love but On Chesil Beach I found irritating and don’t even get me started on The Cement Garden which I found highly disturbing!
I would love to enter to win the book. I’ve just started reading Atonement & am already very much liking his writing style after 100 pages so would love to win another McEwan to try!
I also find him hit and miss. I loved Atonement, loathed Saturday – everything about it irritated me – and though I enjoyed On Chesil Beach, I couldn’t really believe it. I’m about to start The Innocent; not my choice, it’s for book group although it does look promising.
I’m a huge McEwan fan- I think he’s a master prose stylist. I’m a fan because his books always affect me one way or the other- you can’t be neutral reading one of his books! Thank you for entering me in the giveaway!
I’d love to have a copy of “Solar”! I’ve been a huge fan since I read “Comfort of Strangers” and I love to observe how his style and intrests change with each book. I can’t say I’ve read them all, but very many of them, and I still want more.
(aha, my size is S)
I’d be honored to receive a shiny new copy of Solar. Thanks for arranging this offer! Why McEwan? Because despite being perplexed and annoyed at the absurd behavior of the characters in Enduring Love, I ultimately liked the book a lot; the intelligent, engaging style of his writing won me over.
The number one reason I’m a fan? Atonement. (Which, also, I read wayyyy before the movie came out. Movie didn’t nearly measure up to the book.)
I honestly hated the book when I started reading it, just because of the subject matter, but by the end I decided he has to be one of the best contemporary authors about.
I love the layers of meaning that ATONEMENT has, the subtle commentaries it makes, the clues that hint that all may not be quite as it seems, and the subtle subtexts – it’s an English major’s dream! i.e., a damn well-written book.
I’d love to win a signed copy of this one. Many thanks for arranging it. I love all the McEwan’s I’ve read so far – The Child in Time stands out, but amazingly I’ve not read Atonement.
I have only read On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, that was beautifully written and would love to try something a bit different. Size small.
I would love to try something by Ian McEwan – he is someone that I always mean to read and then never really seem to get round to. Atonement and On Chesil Beach are on my virtual to read list – someday I will! Thanks for the entry – size small for the tshirt.
I love McEwan’s ability to mine people’s capacity for self-deception. Don’t typically wear t-shirts so I will say L for the husband. Thanks for the great contest.
I have only read Atonement and On Chesil Beach and loved both, so would like to read more McEwan.
Please enter me in the draw. I also find Mcewan a hit and miss but I adore Atonement which is one of my favourite novels.
McEwan puts a nice spin on normality, I find. Loved and was creeped out by ‘The Cement Garden’. I also love his titles. And a t-shirt won’t be bad. 🙂 (size- large, I suppose?)
Please enter me in the giveaway. I have been very curious to read this book. I second Sasha’s comment: I have 3 books by McEwan on my shelves and keep wanting to pikc one of them up. I just want to give the books the time they deserve (I feel they probably deserve a lot of time).
Giveaway now closed.
I read McEwan’s ‘On Chesil Beach’ and I am hooked ever since. I love McEwan for his characterization. His ability to describe the sensitivities of the characters is amazing. He dissects relationships so well! I could go on and on about McEwan, but you get the point 🙂
Please consider me for the giveaway. As for T-shirt size, I guess I am a medium.