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nadoislandgirl's review against another edition
3.0
The Last Bookstore in LA send me this as part of a curated book bundle. I could see why they recommended it for me -- really interesting people, great sense of place -- but in the end, it just didn't gel for me.
What a crazy time and place - Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the roaring 20's. And his nutso friends and family, partying it up, drinking and swapping wives.
Got some Ceylon food for book club to go with this!
What a crazy time and place - Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the roaring 20's. And his nutso friends and family, partying it up, drinking and swapping wives.
Got some Ceylon food for book club to go with this!
niapaz's review against another edition
5.0
perfect book about family affairs and how little our memory holds onto things,, how little our words actually explain our thoughts
nferre's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first Ondaatje book and it certainly won't be my last. The writing was extraordinary and very readable. Ondaatje is from Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka. He comes from the typical all Ceylonese family - much like the typical family the world over -- highly disfuctional! Full of secrets and misunderstandings and family feuds, it was quite entertaining. Did I come out of the book with a full understanding of who he is and where he came from? No. The book is short and I think most of what you get from the book is inferred.
Having said that, I related to many of the thoughts he had regarding his father. In that respect, I found it very enlightening.
"The island seduced all of Europe. The Portuguese. The Dutch. The English. And so its name changed, as well as its shape—Serendip, Ratnapida (“island of gems”), Taprobane, Zeloan, Zeilan, Seyllan, Ceilon, and Ceylon—the wife of many marriages, courted by invaders who stepped ashore and claimed everything with the power of their sword or bible or language."
"No story is ever told just once. Whether a memory or funny hideous scandal, we will return to it an hour later and retell the story with additions and this time a few judgements thrown in. In this way history is organized."
Having said that, I related to many of the thoughts he had regarding his father. In that respect, I found it very enlightening.
"The island seduced all of Europe. The Portuguese. The Dutch. The English. And so its name changed, as well as its shape—Serendip, Ratnapida (“island of gems”), Taprobane, Zeloan, Zeilan, Seyllan, Ceilon, and Ceylon—the wife of many marriages, courted by invaders who stepped ashore and claimed everything with the power of their sword or bible or language."
"No story is ever told just once. Whether a memory or funny hideous scandal, we will return to it an hour later and retell the story with additions and this time a few judgements thrown in. In this way history is organized."
bogdanalovesmarigolds's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Michael Ondaatje book, and I have to say I was not disappointed. The book revolved around the author's own telling of his family's stories. In particular, the structure was surrounded by the author's own regard and understanding of his father. Structurally, my favourite thing was his way of weaving and storytelling of events in which he obviously held no presence in. The author still makes it incredibly believable for the reader. But for me, it was the narrative of Lalla, the author's grandmother that had me the most captured and brought me to tears. The reflective writing style and truth writing paint a beautiful picture of a family as well as a possible memoir for his father.