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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
NOTE: While this review is in English, I read the Italian edition of the book.
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Jonathan Coe novels have been a staple of my teenage years and early twenties. I got so much out of reading The Rotters' Club at fourteen, both in terms of relatable characters in my age range, and learning about many aspects of life in Britain for the first time. I loved finding the characters again in The Closed Circle, which, by the time it came out, I'd been looking forward to for years. The Winshaw Legacy was full of references and ideas I wasn't equipped to get the first time round, and got a thrill out of finally understanding in my twenties. They were some of my favourite books when I was younger, and, at one point, made me promise to myself that I'd always read anything Jonathan Coe would publish.
So here's the thing: nothing of his I've read as an adult has come close to feeling that and engaging. I suspect nothing ever will, because my taste in books has changed since fifteen or twenty years ago. It's not better, or worse...just different. It means I don't go out of my way to get his novels any more; they hardly even make it to my to-read list. My mother lovingly buys them to me as soon as she spots them in bookstores, much like the character of Mary Lamb in Bournville continues to buy chocolate bars for her sons long after they've moved out of the family home. It's sweet to think that the memory of this one thing I used to like has stuck with her, and I still read every single one. And, towards the end (but usually well before that), I find myself thinking meh. Just meh.
Bournville is an okay novel. It's written with a light, breezy tone that made it a fairly quick read for me. My main gripe is that it doesn't go deep enough. I remember The Rotters' Club as one of the funniest, most well-constructed coming-of-age stories I ever read, and The Winshaw Legacy had a cast of very specifically dysfunctional characters that made the story memorable. In Bournville, some of the characters are ordinary to the point of being bland. Conflict is hinted at and then passed over. Their lives are marked by some very significant personal events, but aside from the last few chapters about the pandemic, Coe seems to focus more on marking the passing of time and the past century's British history, than digging into people's innermost feelings, hopes and fears.
All this said, Bournville also reminded me of how good Jonathan Coe is at showing how the smaller pieces in the large puzzle of a family's life take on different meanings (or no meaning at all) for different people, how memories come to be, and how they live on through the passing of time. His ability to create unexpected connections, having seemingly minor characters and details reappear in significant ways later on, also gets its chance to shine. So, it wasn't a total waste of time. I was grateful for some light reading in between dark thrillers. Will I be anxious to get my hands on the author's next novel? Probably not. Then again, I suspect my mother will ensure it makes its way to me.
---
Jonathan Coe novels have been a staple of my teenage years and early twenties. I got so much out of reading The Rotters' Club at fourteen, both in terms of relatable characters in my age range, and learning about many aspects of life in Britain for the first time. I loved finding the characters again in The Closed Circle, which, by the time it came out, I'd been looking forward to for years. The Winshaw Legacy was full of references and ideas I wasn't equipped to get the first time round, and got a thrill out of finally understanding in my twenties. They were some of my favourite books when I was younger, and, at one point, made me promise to myself that I'd always read anything Jonathan Coe would publish.
So here's the thing: nothing of his I've read as an adult has come close to feeling that and engaging. I suspect nothing ever will, because my taste in books has changed since fifteen or twenty years ago. It's not better, or worse...just different. It means I don't go out of my way to get his novels any more; they hardly even make it to my to-read list. My mother lovingly buys them to me as soon as she spots them in bookstores, much like the character of Mary Lamb in Bournville continues to buy chocolate bars for her sons long after they've moved out of the family home. It's sweet to think that the memory of this one thing I used to like has stuck with her, and I still read every single one. And, towards the end (but usually well before that), I find myself thinking meh. Just meh.
Bournville is an okay novel. It's written with a light, breezy tone that made it a fairly quick read for me. My main gripe is that it doesn't go deep enough. I remember The Rotters' Club as one of the funniest, most well-constructed coming-of-age stories I ever read, and The Winshaw Legacy had a cast of very specifically dysfunctional characters that made the story memorable. In Bournville, some of the characters are ordinary to the point of being bland. Conflict is hinted at and then passed over. Their lives are marked by some very significant personal events, but aside from the last few chapters about the pandemic, Coe seems to focus more on marking the passing of time and the past century's British history, than digging into people's innermost feelings, hopes and fears.
All this said, Bournville also reminded me of how good Jonathan Coe is at showing how the smaller pieces in the large puzzle of a family's life take on different meanings (or no meaning at all) for different people, how memories come to be, and how they live on through the passing of time. His ability to create unexpected connections, having seemingly minor characters and details reappear in significant ways later on, also gets its chance to shine. So, it wasn't a total waste of time. I was grateful for some light reading in between dark thrillers. Will I be anxious to get my hands on the author's next novel? Probably not. Then again, I suspect my mother will ensure it makes its way to me.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5. Everything changes and everything stays the same...
Bournville is an enjoyable family saga, centred on the memorable Mary - inspired by Jonathan Coe's own mother - whom we first meet in her little village on VE Day.
Then an 11-year-old growing up in the literal shadow of the Cadbury's factory, and the metaphorical shadow of WW2, we follow Mary as she grows up, finds love and work and has a relatively normal British life. A life full of dreams connections, happiness, the odd regret.
We drop in on her every 10 years or so, at the big moments in the British century; The Queen's coronation, the '66 World Cup final, Diana's marriage and death. As well as Mary, we get to see her family and the country as a whole change. Or not. Concluding with the recent (current?) pandemic, Bournville paints a picture of a Britain surging with progress, leaning from optimism to pessimism, from acceptance to rejection.
The characters are believable and well drawn, the premise is tantalising and skillfully constructed. But it is a bit light and sentimental for my taste, and the politics is way too on the nose. Still, an enjoyable read and one I'm sure will do well.
Bournville is an enjoyable family saga, centred on the memorable Mary - inspired by Jonathan Coe's own mother - whom we first meet in her little village on VE Day.
Then an 11-year-old growing up in the literal shadow of the Cadbury's factory, and the metaphorical shadow of WW2, we follow Mary as she grows up, finds love and work and has a relatively normal British life. A life full of dreams connections, happiness, the odd regret.
We drop in on her every 10 years or so, at the big moments in the British century; The Queen's coronation, the '66 World Cup final, Diana's marriage and death. As well as Mary, we get to see her family and the country as a whole change. Or not. Concluding with the recent (current?) pandemic, Bournville paints a picture of a Britain surging with progress, leaning from optimism to pessimism, from acceptance to rejection.
The characters are believable and well drawn, the premise is tantalising and skillfully constructed. But it is a bit light and sentimental for my taste, and the politics is way too on the nose. Still, an enjoyable read and one I'm sure will do well.
funny
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes