Rating: 
Summary: a psychological thriller par excellence
Review: This is one of those books you don't want to put down, once you realize there may be more going on than you, at first, thought. Both Mr Hilditch and Felicia are pathetic characters, demanding sympathy, but which one survives their encounter may come as a surprise I won't reveal here. Very, very much like Ruth Rendell's psychological thrillers when she writes as Barbara Vine, so there are more books of the kind, like 'Gallowglass' (my favourite), and 'A Dark-Adapted Eye'. If you liked 'Felicia's Journey', you'll find many more excellent thrillers; just look up Ms Rendell or her close friend, Ms Vine.
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Summary: The mystery of the forgotten ones
Review: This novel investigates the mystery of the forgotten ones of our modern society, those that wander the streets, seemingly lost. We encounter them in our cities daily and criticize their lack of ability to fit into society. Yet, as William Trevor explores in his novel Felicia's Journey, it is society that is unable to fit into or around these people's lives. In this way, the novel, usually described as Hitchcockian, is also reminiscent of Kafka. Trevor, like Kafka, puts society under a microscope and studies how its inability for flexibility creates outcasts of individuals who previously had a seemingly 'normal' life. This story follows the journey of two characters, whose paths intersect, Felicia and Mr. Hilditch. When Felicia finds herself pregnant, she sets out on a journey that takes her from her home in Ireland to a town in England looking for the father of her baby. She soon encounters Mr. Hilditch, who the reader senses has a mystery of his own which must be uncovered as the plot advances. While he is seemingly a regular caring older man who holds a successful job and maintains an appearance of normality in his life, the crossing of paths of these two characters soon uncovers his hidden life. With the oppositional circumstances of the two characters-Felicia is homeless and friendless in England, and Mr. Hilditch has always lived in the same town and home in which he was raised-Trevor investigates and juxtaposes the circumstances within society that lead to the loss of direction, and even the disheartening loss of soul. Trevor writes a truly thought-provoking novel that illustrates the delicacy of the journey of life.
Rating:
Summary: a page turner that leaves an impression on your heart
Review: Trevor does an execptional job of captivating the reader and telling the story from the two main characters (Felicia and Hilditch). One cannot help but feel sad after reading this novel. All involved appear to be victims at various times and on various levels. Felicia, the victim of death (her mothers) and a jilted lover and Hilditch. Hilditch a victim of his mother and his need for "friendship". Trevor will keep you reading and feeling throughout the book. Do not expect to feel good after reading this novel. A great book for a book group discussion.
Rating:
Summary: Not a word wasted
Review: Trevor's style is such that if you have a fleeting thought while reading Felicia's Journey, you'd better go back and reread the last paragraph--you've likely missed something of vital importance. Felicia's Journey is not a "bag of chips" reading experience (to be consumed mindlessly in any quantity)--it is a "Godiva chocolate" experience (so rich that it must be savored slowly and singly to appreciate its fullness). The shocking ending haunts me and leaves me to ponder the meaning of redemption.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a downer.
Review: Warning: Do not read further if you plan to read the book. "Felicia's Journey" is a downer. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, many "down" books can be uplifting and even illuminating. Think "Sophie's Choice" or "Enemies: A Love Story," and see what I mean. Though well written, "Felcia's Journey" tells an all too familiar story of two lost characters who come together by chance, and the resulting conseqences. Trevor's style is internal and introspective, and has an almost Joycean time perspective, as we learn things about Felicia's and Mr, Hilditch's pasts right in the midst of the present time situations. This device and Trevor's language is skillfully informative, telling us not only about the cultural ethos of working class Ireland, but the loneliness and isolation leading to the emergence of a psychologically aberrant personality. And to a point the reader can sympathize with both characters. But Trevor also maintains a distance, which may please some, but left too much unanswered. For instance-- how does Felica escape? And just why is it she, of all the girls, who has such a profound effect on Hilditch? And why should it drive him to take his life, and how does he do it? Lastly, will Felicia spend book eternity endlessly jouneying? What is the point? Perhaps I am too outcome conscious, but there was more I wanted to know than was given. "Felicia's Journey" will soon be released as a film. I shall be curious to see how this threadbare text is expanded and dramatized for the screen. Trevor's novel is skillful and stylized, yet manages to miss the mark.
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Summary: A wonderful, thoughtful account of a troubling subject.
Review: What Alfred Hitchcock did for the disturbed individual incinema, William Trevor does in literature. Although thesubject of the book is basically lurid and troubling, it becomes a springboard for a work of true beauty and com passion in the hands of one of the true masters of the English language. Only William Trevor could write about a character so despicable and get us, the reader, to feel compassion for him. The book is a real pageturner in the Stephen King tradition, yet it is a moving, compelling experience. Treat yourself to this gem of a novel.
Rating:
Summary: Felicia's Journey
Review: When I discovered what the story was going to be, I wanted to stop reading--I do not like to be in worlds I do not like. However, I could not stop reading. The language, the way Trevor mixes images like a shuffling deck of cards. The two page description of the abortion was brilliant. I felt I knew Felicia and thus was so disappointed at her ending. The shred of hope put out with the description of her father and his change of heart made me hope for Felicia. Couldn't a shred of hope have been woven into Felicia's coda so that you just knew she would pull out in the time ahead; the Prodigal Daughter would finally go home. I was really disappointed by the summary dismissal of Felicia and began to think it was more the story of Hilditch as his story was resolved whereas Felicia was simply left in a depressing, downward slide.
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Summary: All Language, No Heart
Review: While I will readily admit that Trevor has incredible command of the English language, what is even more displayed in Felicia's Journey is the lack of a sympathetic character. The title character-a young, pregnant runaway searching for her baby's father-should have been one with whom you could sympathize. Instead, Trevor's love affair with language never quite manages to include his characters, leading to an unsatisfying reading experience. Couple the lack of emotion with a depressing ending, and you have a book best suited to gathering dust.
Rating:
Summary: A subtly suspenseful and creepy novel
Review: William Trevor is a master storyteller -- he gives the reader just enough information to know where the story is (probably) going, but not so much that he holds the reader's hand throughout. FELICIA'S JOURNEY is filmic, Hitchcockian: Trevor gives direction to the characters, who take unexpected paths to unexpected ends. The darker sides of Felicia and Mr. Hilditch elude us. Trevor gives us only brief glimpses of them, like figures disappearing around corners when the lights of a car give them away. Mr. Hilditch is one of the most memorable characters I've encountered of late. Like Count Fosco in Wilkie Collins' THE WOMAN IN WHITE, Hilditch appears to be a benign giant, overweight and always eating pastries, a charming man. Inside, however, he's dark. His past haunts him and compels him to act out unspeakable evils so unspeakable that Trevor leaves it up to us to figure out what exactly he has done. Therein lies the suspense: what are this man's crimes, what is the runaway Felicia up against, where are the bodies, if any? We watch, helpless, as Felicia slowly enters Hilditch's trap, wondering how she could possibly escape. The suspense builds steadily throughout, especially as we learn more and more about Mr. Hilditch, as we begin to feel sorry for this tortured soul. FELICIA'S JOURNEY is a little slow, perhaps, but a worthwhile read nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Well written but slight
Review: William Trevor's Felicia's Journey is a novella about two characters, Felicia who is rather vague and incoherent as she searches for the father of her unborn child. She meets Mr. Hilditch who is a mild-mannered, conventional serial killer who befriends lost girls and then murders and disposes of their bodies (this is not explicit -- possibly because Mr. Hilditch seems so inept it's hard to believe he actually could kill someone and dispose of their body without immediately being caught). While extremely well written and accurate, neither of these characters nor their situation are interesting enough to make this a really compelling book. Far more interesting a novel could have been made of Mr. Hilditch's relationship with his mother who turns to him as a lover (when he is presumably an adolescent) and she is no longer attractive enough to find anyone else. An exploration of a relationship like that would have been truly captivating. And Mr. Hilditch wouldn't have needed to murder anyone.
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