I loved this new book By Ian McEwan as much as his other novels. Lessons is an all-encompassing story of Roland Baines's life from childhood in Tripoli to aging in London. Roland started life in overseas locations where his dad was in the military. When Roland got to proper school age, he was forced to attend a government-run boarding school in England. Naturally, his days there was misery, and he missed his much-loved mother and the love only she gave to the young boy.

In this sweeping life novel, McEwan manages, as always, to give us global history and current politics, from the Suez Canal crisis, the Bay of Pigs debacle, and the election of Trump along with a pandemic of COVID. Throughout the setbacks on the world stage, Roland managed to find love and always seemed to have a woman to fulfill his intimacy needs. Roland is, at times, likable and, other times, pathetic. McEwan gives us a story of ourselves, the deep secrets we care not to divulge. I loved this long novel and appreciate McEwan taking me up to current times in the age group I fit into today. I sound like a fangirl, but I have always been one in McEwan novels.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.