---
product_id: 286576007
title: "The Swimming-Pool Library"
price: "R$17"
currency: BRL
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.com.br/products/286576007-the-swimming-pool-library
store_origin: BR
region: Brazil
---

# The Swimming-Pool Library

**Price:** R$17
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- **What is this?** The Swimming-Pool Library
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## Description

The Swimming-Pool Library [Hollinghurst, Alan, West, Samuel] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Swimming-Pool Library

Review: Lord and Laddie - In Alan Hollinghurst's debut novel, The Swimming-Pool Library, Will, a promiscuous, self-absorbed layabout, finds his upper-class world both shaken and stirred after he saves the life of an elderly gay aristocrat in a public lavatory. Both grateful, and believing his life story to be one worthy of a written biography, Lord Nantwich asks that Will assume authorship of his project. Refusing to make a commitment, Will agrees to research Nantwich's life through the man's diaries and many years worth of letters, and then come to a decison. As the 25-year old's friendship with the elder man develops, Will finds it difficult to concentrate much on research; he's much too busy cruising the showers at the clubby gym where he swims, partying with best (and only?) friend, James, picking up various young men (emphasis on the "young") around town and chumming around with his preternaturally mature 6-year old nephew, Rupert, a character who is not only endearing but exceedingly wise and sophisticated. Meanwhile, Will's teenage black boyfriend, Arthur, a recent refugee from the drug-related violence of public housing, has disappeared without a trace so that's one more thing occupying Will's mind, if not his time. Set in the pre-AIDS London of the early 80's, The Swimming-Pool Library vividly depicts the free-spirited camaraderie of openly gay men (particularly the relationship between Lord Nantwich and Will) while examining issues pertaining to class, racism, police entrapment and homophobia, all presented with an edgy urgency that pulls the reader further into the tale Alan Hollinghurst so skillfully weaves. There is a lot of (often explicit) sex going on in The Swimming-Pool Library but the book never feels exploitative or smutty; indeed, it is sins of the distant past that cause the novel's protagonists to question their place in the world, and to re-examine themselves and their privileged lifestyles. I first read Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty several years ago and immediately found myself admiring the quality of his writing and storytelling. I find that I enjoyed The Swimming-Pool Library at least as much, if not more. My familiarity with the world portrayed in both novels, and of the wonderful characters inhabiting this world only enhances my appreciation for his work: reading his books gives me a genuine sense of a place and time when I was, for better and for worse, a lot like the young men he writes about. I highly recommend The Swimming-Pool Library as a precursor to The Line of Beauty, both of which are among my favorite works of modern fiction.
Review: Strangely disturbing and comforting at the same time. - I really liked the evolution of this book. The author takes his time developing the main characters, Will and Charles, although Charles' development is in the form of journals written throughout his life and given to Will to read. The book got better as it progressed and by the end it became very interesting. The lives of Will and Charles are linked in a way that is quite original and not very obvious (I didn't see it coming). One of the themes of the book deals with casual promiscuity in a gay culture of the past, which can at times be disturbing. However, by the end of the book another subtle theme reveals itself, and that is that everyone has a story, and everyone's story is interesting even if it is not told or written down in a journal. I don't know, I guess I just really liked how all the stories were somehow linked together in this book. I recommend it and I'll read some more from this author.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #428 in LGBTQ+ Genre Fiction (Books) #45,871 in Books on CD |
| Customer Reviews | 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (955) |
| Dimensions  | 5.5 x 5.5 x 0.25 inches |
| Edition  | Unabridged |
| ISBN-10  | 1491537639 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1491537633 |
| Item Weight  | 9.6 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Publication date  | August 5, 2014 |
| Publisher  | Brilliance Audio |

## Images

![The Swimming-Pool Library - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61sVL+caRvL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lord and Laddie
*by B***S on July 9, 2018*

In Alan Hollinghurst's debut novel, The Swimming-Pool Library, Will, a promiscuous, self-absorbed layabout, finds his upper-class world both shaken and stirred after he saves the life of an elderly gay aristocrat in a public lavatory. Both grateful, and believing his life story to be one worthy of a written biography, Lord Nantwich asks that Will assume authorship of his project. Refusing to make a commitment, Will agrees to research Nantwich's life through the man's diaries and many years worth of letters, and then come to a decison. As the 25-year old's friendship with the elder man develops, Will finds it difficult to concentrate much on research; he's much too busy cruising the showers at the clubby gym where he swims, partying with best (and only?) friend, James, picking up various young men (emphasis on the "young") around town and chumming around with his preternaturally mature 6-year old nephew, Rupert, a character who is not only endearing but exceedingly wise and sophisticated. Meanwhile, Will's teenage black boyfriend, Arthur, a recent refugee from the drug-related violence of public housing, has disappeared without a trace so that's one more thing occupying Will's mind, if not his time. Set in the pre-AIDS London of the early 80's, The Swimming-Pool Library vividly depicts the free-spirited camaraderie of openly gay men (particularly the relationship between Lord Nantwich and Will) while examining issues pertaining to class, racism, police entrapment and homophobia, all presented with an edgy urgency that pulls the reader further into the tale Alan Hollinghurst so skillfully weaves. There is a lot of (often explicit) sex going on in The Swimming-Pool Library but the book never feels exploitative or smutty; indeed, it is sins of the distant past that cause the novel's protagonists to question their place in the world, and to re-examine themselves and their privileged lifestyles. I first read Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty several years ago and immediately found myself admiring the quality of his writing and storytelling. I find that I enjoyed The Swimming-Pool Library at least as much, if not more. My familiarity with the world portrayed in both novels, and of the wonderful characters inhabiting this world only enhances my appreciation for his work: reading his books gives me a genuine sense of a place and time when I was, for better and for worse, a lot like the young men he writes about. I highly recommend The Swimming-Pool Library as a precursor to The Line of Beauty, both of which are among my favorite works of modern fiction.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strangely disturbing and comforting at the same time.
*by K***A on September 18, 2009*

I really liked the evolution of this book. The author takes his time developing the main characters, Will and Charles, although Charles' development is in the form of journals written throughout his life and given to Will to read. The book got better as it progressed and by the end it became very interesting. The lives of Will and Charles are linked in a way that is quite original and not very obvious (I didn't see it coming). One of the themes of the book deals with casual promiscuity in a gay culture of the past, which can at times be disturbing. However, by the end of the book another subtle theme reveals itself, and that is that everyone has a story, and everyone's story is interesting even if it is not told or written down in a journal. I don't know, I guess I just really liked how all the stories were somehow linked together in this book. I recommend it and I'll read some more from this author.

### ⭐⭐⭐ I enjoyed Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty so much
*by C***Y on December 31, 2014*

I enjoyed Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty so much, that I purchased this. This book actually wasn't as engaging for me. I actually like reading fiction by authors who identify as homosexual, even though I am not one. I enjoy reading about that alternate world of experience, I feel as if I am learning something and I am also intrigued by lifestyles so different and foreign to my own. However, I didn't like the main character of Will. I found him to be lazy, promiscuous, predatory, vain, entitled.., actually there wasn't anything that I liked about his personality at all. The story did have an interesting moralistic twist that sort of taught the egocentric, pleasure seeking and shallow Will a real life lesson. I don't like to reveal plot details, I feel it spoils the book for the potential reader, but I will say that Hollinghurst is a gifted author and the book is worth a shot.

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*Product available on Desertcart Brazil*
*Store origin: BR*
*Last updated: 2026-02-16*