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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A well written book, and fascinating in its own disturbing way, but really too creepy for me. I had hoped (wished) for a happier ending, but that was not to be.
This thriller tells the story of Frederick, obsessed with Miranda, an art student, decides to kidnap her.
This book has a first-person narrative, through Frederick in the first part and in the second by Miranda’s point of view.
I couldn’t help to compare the narrative and main character to Lolita’s, where we can’t trust what the narrator is telling us (excuses, facts, etc.)
The autor puts our critical judgement to test by forcing us to accept or reject Frederick’s actions. All what Fred wants is love? There we see an irony where we can’t interpret an abduction as a love.
Then comes the Miranda’s POV, through her diary.
When we star feeling sorry or any kind of sympathy for Fred, Miranda’s diary makes you change your mind.
Fred’s actions aren’t excusable, justifiable in any way, that can be seen in Miranda suffering.
In this book we accompany social status comparisons and also what an abduction victim goes through, all of this expertly portrayed by the author.
Finishing this book, I felt kind of disappointed, but over time I realised what a tremendous book this is. This is the father of all thrillers involving psychopaths.
Masterfully written, deprived of plot twists but still creepy.
I read The Butterfly Garden and I can’t but feel that was based on this book… There are so many similarities. But while The Butterfly Garden focuses more on the explicit, and this one more on inner suffering, other than physical. Both perpetrators have different goals with the abductions. It’s a banal example of Fowles work, where americanisation can be seen.
Follow my readings on Instagram: @sam_livralma
Follow my blog: samlivralma.blogspot.com
This book has a first-person narrative, through Frederick in the first part and in the second by Miranda’s point of view.
I couldn’t help to compare the narrative and main character to Lolita’s, where we can’t trust what the narrator is telling us (excuses, facts, etc.)
The autor puts our critical judgement to test by forcing us to accept or reject Frederick’s actions. All what Fred wants is love? There we see an irony where we can’t interpret an abduction as a love.
Then comes the Miranda’s POV, through her diary.
When we star feeling sorry or any kind of sympathy for Fred, Miranda’s diary makes you change your mind.
Fred’s actions aren’t excusable, justifiable in any way, that can be seen in Miranda suffering.
In this book we accompany social status comparisons and also what an abduction victim goes through, all of this expertly portrayed by the author.
Finishing this book, I felt kind of disappointed, but over time I realised what a tremendous book this is. This is the father of all thrillers involving psychopaths.
Masterfully written, deprived of plot twists but still creepy.
I read The Butterfly Garden and I can’t but feel that was based on this book… There are so many similarities. But while The Butterfly Garden focuses more on the explicit, and this one more on inner suffering, other than physical. Both perpetrators have different goals with the abductions. It’s a banal example of Fowles work, where americanisation can be seen.
Follow my readings on Instagram: @sam_livralma
Follow my blog: samlivralma.blogspot.com
I really hated this book. The first 130 pages were somewhat intriguing. However, it quickly became boring. The book is meant to make us think about classism in England but the entire thing is a pompous mess. The book reads like the self-obsessed/defensively high self-esteem douchebag bragging about himself and everything he thinks he knows about the world at a party filled with people who just want him to shut the fuck up. Everyone in the book is so deeply unlikeable. All the men in this book are sexist pigs suffering from a Madonna/Whore complex. Miranda is also deeply unlikable because she is not actually a woman. She is a man’s idea of a female character and nothing about her feels feminine at all. The ending of this book was particularly irksome. The sheer amount of violence against women that exists in the world, do we really need a story about a pathetic excuse of a human being capturing a woman because he thought she was pretty, and therefore belonged to him and then let her die and then felt justified in letting her die because she didn’t love him like she should of because he found her attractive and therefore she needed to love him? I get it, it’s a perfect reflection of what women experience on a regular basis. A complete dehumanisation. However, could we not have some semblance of justice for her? Could this book provide us with no level of hope? It doesn’t even feel like a good commentary on the female experience. In large part because Miranda decides that she love G.P. who is a disgusting and sexist piece of shit who says that he is in love with her and wants to fuck her because she is the daughter he never had. He is patronising and talks down to her and hates women as much as Fred.
7/10
"De Magiër"- een boek van John Fowles dat ik vorig jaar las - was magisch. "De verzamelaar" was minder magisch. Het eerste gedeelte was 4 sterren waard, deel 2 was langdradig, deel 3 en vooral 4 waren dan weer subliem. Overall dan toch maar 3 sterren. Volgend jaar lees ik "The French Lieutenant's Woman" van hem, hopelijk terug 4 sterren waard.
"De Magiër"- een boek van John Fowles dat ik vorig jaar las - was magisch. "De verzamelaar" was minder magisch. Het eerste gedeelte was 4 sterren waard, deel 2 was langdradig, deel 3 en vooral 4 waren dan weer subliem. Overall dan toch maar 3 sterren. Volgend jaar lees ik "The French Lieutenant's Woman" van hem, hopelijk terug 4 sterren waard.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this has been on my list for a while and whew that sure was a wild one. i was so very creeped out. this piece of shit guy was so expertly crafted, good job on that one mr. fowles (takes one to know one). i liked miranda's diary portion. let it be known that john fowles was a racist, antisemitic, & homophobic person
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Even knowing how these things end I was still outraged when I finished it.