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rosie18's review
Totally disengaged. No sense of character, place, time, anything - and there is so much potential for all these given the setting. Maybe I'm missing something but I fail to see why this was so highly acclaimed.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
Jo Baker is a literary chameleon. I have witnessed her slip into the words of two very different authors now and have been utterly convinced each time. In Longbourn, Baker gave us another perspective on Pride and Prejudice. In A Country Road, A Tree, Baker dips into the life and words of Samuel Beckett as he struggles to physically and mentally survive World War II. I hate to say it this way, considering the enormous amount of death and suffering the war brought, but this war might have the making of Beckett as a writer and thinker...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
kristengbaker's review against another edition
4.0
This was a bit of a slow starter for me, but once it got going it was hard to put down.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book.
june_englit_phd's review against another edition
5.0
My word, this was a five star read - the second book in succession to get one of these from me (the other being another contender for the Walter Scott Prize)! I thought I had a favourite book of 2017 already, but this one has fought its way into my radar and it is up there with the best.
This was the last of six books I read that have been shortlisted for the 2017 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. It has also been shortlisted for Edinburgh University's esteemed James Tait Black Prize for Literature this year. With being a 'double-lister' I started this book with high expectations but yet a little trepidation.... after all, two different panels of judges can't be wrong, can they?
Well, I have to say that this book is phenomenal. It exceeded my expectations by a HUGE margin, and is now one of my best reads of 2017 so far. The author's references to James Joyce and Ireland reflect so much the static, paralytic and suffocating nature of that land so often portrayed in Joyce's imagery; so much so that the protagonist (unnamed but universally acknowledged as being author Samuel Beckett) has to emigrate abroad in order to progress in his career as a writer.
Most of the action occurs in France during the outbreak and length of WW2, with two Irish episodes almost bookending the main story. Without giving away spoilers, what I loved about the narrative were the metaphors the author used: trees appear at specific points during the text, almost like chapter markers; the country roads are like the experiences traversed between these chapters. Indeed, the hostility and difficulty of travelling along these roads to reach the final destination is effectively described, and I felt weary and sore as a fellow traveller. Finally, the man becomes the creative instrument, like the piano he plays at the Saint-Lô bar towards the end of the book. While at one stage he physically, emotionally and creatively resembled the pianos who were 'tangled wires and splintered teeth' and no good to anyone, now he is the creative energy, albeit a little imperfect.
This book is amazing. I have this thing where if I love reading a text, I give it a hug when I finish it. This one got a hug. I sincerely hope this one does well in both prizes; very well done, Jo Baker.
This was the last of six books I read that have been shortlisted for the 2017 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. It has also been shortlisted for Edinburgh University's esteemed James Tait Black Prize for Literature this year. With being a 'double-lister' I started this book with high expectations but yet a little trepidation.... after all, two different panels of judges can't be wrong, can they?
Well, I have to say that this book is phenomenal. It exceeded my expectations by a HUGE margin, and is now one of my best reads of 2017 so far. The author's references to James Joyce and Ireland reflect so much the static, paralytic and suffocating nature of that land so often portrayed in Joyce's imagery; so much so that the protagonist (unnamed but universally acknowledged as being author Samuel Beckett) has to emigrate abroad in order to progress in his career as a writer.
Most of the action occurs in France during the outbreak and length of WW2, with two Irish episodes almost bookending the main story. Without giving away spoilers, what I loved about the narrative were the metaphors the author used: trees appear at specific points during the text, almost like chapter markers; the country roads are like the experiences traversed between these chapters. Indeed, the hostility and difficulty of travelling along these roads to reach the final destination is effectively described, and I felt weary and sore as a fellow traveller. Finally, the man becomes the creative instrument, like the piano he plays at the Saint-Lô bar towards the end of the book. While at one stage he physically, emotionally and creatively resembled the pianos who were 'tangled wires and splintered teeth' and no good to anyone, now he is the creative energy, albeit a little imperfect.
This book is amazing. I have this thing where if I love reading a text, I give it a hug when I finish it. This one got a hug. I sincerely hope this one does well in both prizes; very well done, Jo Baker.
booktwitcher23's review against another edition
3.0
I felt I would have enjoyed this novel more if I had known more about Samuel Beckett. However, it was well written and conveyed the atmosphere of wartime France well.
hannahlee's review against another edition
4.0
An understated and lovely fictionalization of Samuel Beckett's life during WWII in France and his time in the French resistance. Baker has a very even hand at pulling in bits of Beckett's works to the story of his life, without creating a false equivalency or implying that all his writing is direct from personal experience. It's a dark and desperate story, as most things related to Beckett are, but a well-written piece from an interesting historical perspective.
sophronisba's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting but ultimately not as inventive as Baker's previous novel, Longbourn. I am somewhat prejudiced against World War II novels because there are so many of them and they all begin to sound the same to me and struggle to say anything new. I hope this would be an exception but I was disappointed. Still worth picking up if you have an interest in Samuel Beckett's early adulthood.
mirubookaholic's review against another edition
I’ve never DNFed a book before,but I can’t get through this.
hannahmayreads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When I started reading this book I didn't know it was a fictionalised account of writer Samuel Beckett's time in occupied France during World War Two. I noticed a couple of chapters in that I had no idea what the main character's name was and the not knowing began to irritate me. Irrational perhaps, but it certainly tainted my reading. In a moment of distraction, flicking through the pages of the book I came across the author note and discovered the Beckett connection. Things made much more sense from this point, and I felt able to let go and really try and connect with the characters.
Having got over my annoyance I could start appreciating Jo Baker's writing. The descriptions of post-war France, particularly Paris, are lyrical and poetic despite their bleakness. Lines like "the half-broken, skin-and-bones, scraping-by life of the place" clearly evoke the feeling that while the war may be over, life has not returned to how it was and probably never will in a city marked by obvious scars like bullet holes in the walls and piles of rubble, but also the less obvious - the missing friends, family and neighbours, and the memories carried by all.
Having got over my annoyance I could start appreciating Jo Baker's writing. The descriptions of post-war France, particularly Paris, are lyrical and poetic despite their bleakness. Lines like "the half-broken, skin-and-bones, scraping-by life of the place" clearly evoke the feeling that while the war may be over, life has not returned to how it was and probably never will in a city marked by obvious scars like bullet holes in the walls and piles of rubble, but also the less obvious - the missing friends, family and neighbours, and the memories carried by all.
amberw27's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Writing that's a joy to read, life in occupation for Irish writer