有哪些文筆優(yōu)美的英語原版書？

閱讀英語原版書不僅可以讓我們提升詞匯量，還有助于我們感受地道英語的文采，提升遣詞造句的能力。我在之前的文章里面介紹過小說All the light we cannot see，不少同學讀完后反映很不錯，這一期再推薦一本文筆很不錯的原版書：The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 作者Rachel Joyce是英國BBC Radio Four頻道的資深劇作家，她也是2007年Tinniswood Award最佳廣播劇獎的得主。The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry是她的第一部長篇小說，在出版后大受歡迎，得到了各大媒體的積極評價。

雖然這本小說的中文版譯名是《一個人的朝圣》，但這本書跟“朝圣”、“修行”這些宗教概念并沒有關系。它實際上講訴了一個關于成長與自我發(fā)現(xiàn)的故事：主人公Harold Fry（哈羅德·弗萊）一直是一個默默無聞的人，他在釀酒廠干了四十年的銷售代表后默默退休，他沒有敵人，也沒有朋友，退休時公司甚至連歡送會也沒有開。他跟妻子Maureen住在英國鄉(xiāng)下，生活平靜，感情不咸不淡。這一切直到他收到好友Queenie病危的消息后有了改變。哈羅德決定徒步從英國最西南一路走到最東北去看望Queenie，只因心懷一個信念：只要他一直在路上，Queenie就不會死。同時這場旅程也是主人公的自我反思之路，他在途中反省自己與妻兒的種種往事，最終勇敢地決定直面過去與現(xiàn)實，重新找回幸福與平靜，這也是書名中Pilgrimage一詞的寓意。

作為一名資深劇作家，Rachel Joyce的文字功底非常深厚，從小說的遣詞造句中可以看出作者對語言的駕馭能力。同時，小說的劇情設置也非常巧妙成熟（這與作者多年寫劇本的經(jīng)歷可能也有關），可讀性很高。

作者在書中對于很多細節(jié)的處理都特別到位，舉幾個例子：

Harold lowered his limbs into the seat beside hers. A heavy stillness crept over him and, after resisting for a moment, he closed his eyes. The light glowed red against his eyelids, and the sounds of birdsong and passing cars merged into one, that was both inside him and far away.

這一段的背景是哈羅德在旅途中停下來在一戶人家里面休息，在躺椅上睡著了。作者對于人物感受的描寫很仔細：通過the light glowed red against his eyelids來描寫在陽光中閉上雙眼所看到的亮紅色，用the sounds of birdsong and passing cars merged into one, that was both inside him and far away來描寫聽著鳥叫聲與車鳴聲逐漸入睡的狀態(tài)。

For the first time in his life, it was a disappointment to find that the post box cropped up sooner than expected.

這一句話的背景是哈羅德收到Queenie病危的信件后寫了一份回信，并準備拿到郵筒投遞。在走去郵筒的路上哈羅德想了很多事情，并希望郵筒能慢點出現(xiàn)，這樣他有更長的時間來思考。因此it was a disappointment to find that the post box cropped up sooner than expected這句話就寫出了人物的這種心理。

There were single drivers, and he supposed they must be office workers because their faces appeared fixed as if the joy had been squeezed away, and then there were women driving children, and they looked tired too.

哈羅德在路途中看到很多司機都表情僵硬，看起來似乎生活的樂趣都被擠干了，as if the joy had been squeezed away這一比喻用得很形象。

Harold hovered outside the breakfast lounge, hoping it might be empty. He and Maureen could pass hours without saying a word, but her presence was like a wall that you expected to be there, even if you didn’t often look at it.

哈羅德和妻子Maureen的感情一直不咸不淡，他們在日常生活中并沒有多少交流。對于哈羅德來說，妻子的存在就像屋子里的墻——讓人覺得理所當然，同時又不會引起你太多關注。這同樣是一個非常精彩的比喻。

People were buying milk, or filling their cars with petrol, or even posting letters. And what no one else knew was the appalling weight of the thing they were carrying inside. The superhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a part of things that appeared both easy and everyday. The loneliness of that.

很多人表面上過著非常平靜的生活，但其實除了他們自己，沒有人能夠理解他們內(nèi)心經(jīng)歷的掙扎。維持“正?！辈⒉豢偸且患p而易舉的事情，但能互相理解的人并不多，所以才有這樣的說法：人生而孤獨。

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry這本書不僅僅文筆優(yōu)美，書中還涉及到對許多人生問題的探討，相信它們會給你帶來思考與啟發(fā)。推薦你去讀一讀這本小說。

來源：英文悅讀