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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Originally I found this book extremely difficult to get into. I wasn't sure if I liked the authors style of writing. I perserved and in the end, I'm glad I did. It paid off and made it worthwhile. I really connected with the main characters and although I wanted to hate them for their actions but found myself often sympathising with them. A difficult read but would recommend to a lover of the classic and unorthodox romance fans.
(4.5) this is one of the most interesting things i had to read last semester at uni and it's a shame that i had to read it in a rush and couldn't properly finish until now. the best thing about this novel is all the meta stuff, reading chapter 13 for the first time was AMAZING i had a grand time, it's so cool to have an insight into what the author thinks about the novel, and writing and literature itself whithin the own novel, in such a plain, careless way. it's so interesting and fun. the historical contemporsry point of view of the victorians, and the revision of this era was very enjoyable too, since this IS a victorian story. the way fowles plays with the fact that he is writing in a future age, and keeps adding references of things that precede the victorian times was great.
the characters or the plot are not something remarkable, but that's fine, they are ok (charles is a bit of a dick and sarah is a v interesting character) but style and form and insight are the best thing about this.
the characters or the plot are not something remarkable, but that's fine, they are ok (charles is a bit of a dick and sarah is a v interesting character) but style and form and insight are the best thing about this.
The literary inventiveness of TFLW is something to behold on its own but combined with an intriguing story and clever writing, it soars to new heights. Fowles was introduced to me through the Magus and I immediately took to his strange, fantastical, winding style. Though a more conventional story, this novel kept my interest from beginning to end, never ceasing to entertain. The way Fowles takes the typical Victorian love genre and spins it on its head is quite incredible and witty; I love how the reader is pretty much taken through his writing process while at the same time engaged in a fictional plot. While it's not supposed to be historical fiction per say, I actually came away with more insight into the culture and life during the Victorian period. He is meticulous in painting a luscious picture of life back then and as someone who studies history, I found it quite accurate. The themes of love, feminism, sexuality, societal pressures and male ego/personality, are explored with biting and smart commentary. If you're looking for a novel that will engage you in a unique reading experience, TFLW is worth checking out.
It was... okay. I really enjoyed some of Fowles descriptions of loneliness and sorrow. Things like “It’s sorrow welled out of it as purely, naturally and unstoppable as water out of a woodland spring” or “It was as if she has become addicted to melancholy as one becomes addicted to opium. Her sadness becomes her happiness” or “In such wells of loneliness is not coming together closer to humanity than perversity?”
But then, he kept doing strange things that I wasn’t fond of such as saying that he (as the author) is not in control of the characters and then he also has a little fake ending, but it clearly isn’t the end because you can feel about a sixth of the book remaining in your hands.
I also didn’t really like any of the characters at all. Charles was irritating and had a bit of a saviour complex and Sarah was also irritating.
The only reason I somewhat enjoyed this book was for the nice bits of description of the coast and loneliness.
But then, he kept doing strange things that I wasn’t fond of such as saying that he (as the author) is not in control of the characters and then he also has a little fake ending, but it clearly isn’t the end because you can feel about a sixth of the book remaining in your hands.
I also didn’t really like any of the characters at all. Charles was irritating and had a bit of a saviour complex and Sarah was also irritating.
The only reason I somewhat enjoyed this book was for the nice bits of description of the coast and loneliness.
Since I'm a "must read before seeing the movie" person, I genuinely had very little idea what to expect beyond "romance."
Turns out it's actually a great read - very interesting interactions between the classes while Fowles is also snubbing his nose at them.
I missed this "3 endings" stuff - I got 2 of them, but the third just felt like an extension of the second. I've re-read it at least four times and I still feel that way - but all the Cliffs-Notes-esques critiques say there are three endings so I'm just wrong...
Anyway, the writing is great - it's very readable, the characters are pretty much all dislikable (which I always love) although you do tend to feel sorry for them anyway. The "romance" is a buyer beware situation and while the reader catches on to that early on, it still doesn't happen exactly the way you think it will.
The author's insertion of himself into the story really sets the tone for the dark humor Fowles is using to question everyone and everything. Every action is suspect, every outcome could have gone another way (it's almost time travel theory) which means, at least for me, it's not a passive read.
I'm surprisingly in favor of this book and would recommend it to readers of general literature. Although it can read like a Victorian novel at times, I think it easily stands beside some of today's tongue-in-cheek novels and could stand for a little renewed appreciation.
Turns out it's actually a great read - very interesting interactions between the classes while Fowles is also snubbing his nose at them.
I missed this "3 endings" stuff - I got 2 of them, but the third just felt like an extension of the second. I've re-read it at least four times and I still feel that way - but all the Cliffs-Notes-esques critiques say there are three endings so I'm just wrong...
Anyway, the writing is great - it's very readable, the characters are pretty much all dislikable (which I always love) although you do tend to feel sorry for them anyway. The "romance" is a buyer beware situation and while the reader catches on to that early on, it still doesn't happen exactly the way you think it will.
The author's insertion of himself into the story really sets the tone for the dark humor Fowles is using to question everyone and everything. Every action is suspect, every outcome could have gone another way (it's almost time travel theory) which means, at least for me, it's not a passive read.
I'm surprisingly in favor of this book and would recommend it to readers of general literature. Although it can read like a Victorian novel at times, I think it easily stands beside some of today's tongue-in-cheek novels and could stand for a little renewed appreciation.
The year is 1867. The place is Lyme Regis. Charles Smithson, heir apparent to his uncle Sir Robert, is spending time with his fiancee Ernestina Freeman, who is visiting her Aunt Tranter in the seaside spa, supposedly for her health (which is nothing if not robust, but she has over-cautious parents). As they stroll along the Cobb, they encounter Sarah Woodruff, the titular French Lieutenant's Woman. Her attitude of tragedy is arresting to Smithson, but at first glance he dismisses her as unimportant to his life. But he continues to encounter this woman, until their lives become so entangled that it leads Charles to make some very serious decisions.
The French Lieutenant's Woman is a classic of modern literature, adapted into a film that starred Meryl Streep. I first read this book some twenty-odd years ago, for a university course. It's still marked up with my pencilled notations, few of which make any sense to me now. I was inspired to re-read it after visiting Lyme Regis on a recent holiday in the UK. Having seen the Cobb, and walked the streets named in the book, I have a sense of the geography, an idea of where to place the characters. Fowles lived in Lyme Regis and naturally knew the town well.
What fascinated me about the book as a student still fascinates me today, on this re-read. It's the utter playfulness that Fowles has towards language and structure. It was taught to me as an example of metafiction, which it certainly is, but I expect much metafiction of that era (the 1960s) doesn't hold up as well as this book. It's been a delight to re-enter Fowles' world. Hopefully, it won't take me quite so long to pick it up again.
The French Lieutenant's Woman is a classic of modern literature, adapted into a film that starred Meryl Streep. I first read this book some twenty-odd years ago, for a university course. It's still marked up with my pencilled notations, few of which make any sense to me now. I was inspired to re-read it after visiting Lyme Regis on a recent holiday in the UK. Having seen the Cobb, and walked the streets named in the book, I have a sense of the geography, an idea of where to place the characters. Fowles lived in Lyme Regis and naturally knew the town well.
What fascinated me about the book as a student still fascinates me today, on this re-read. It's the utter playfulness that Fowles has towards language and structure. It was taught to me as an example of metafiction, which it certainly is, but I expect much metafiction of that era (the 1960s) doesn't hold up as well as this book. It's been a delight to re-enter Fowles' world. Hopefully, it won't take me quite so long to pick it up again.
★★★★ 3.75 stars
Mini Review:
I really enjoyed this for its literary merit - the way it's written is so so clever but overall I just didn't fancy the plot much. Really, I think this excellent example of postmodernist writing sheds a lot of light on the reality of the Victorian age and that was one of my favourite parts about it. Also, it keeps you guessing. Writing about the 19th century from the 20th century allows a really intriguing narrative stance which elevates this novel. On paper it should have been an extraordinary story but some parts of the plot just let it down.
Mini Review:
I really enjoyed this for its literary merit - the way it's written is so so clever but overall I just didn't fancy the plot much. Really, I think this excellent example of postmodernist writing sheds a lot of light on the reality of the Victorian age and that was one of my favourite parts about it. Also, it keeps you guessing. Writing about the 19th century from the 20th century allows a really intriguing narrative stance which elevates this novel. On paper it should have been an extraordinary story but some parts of the plot just let it down.
John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman is this month’s reading group book for The Guardian. I’ve passed on a lot of the books they’ve picked—mostly because I wasn’t terribly interested in their choices—but I was intrigued by the inaugural article about this book that described its blend of Victorian pastiche and postmodernism. I love Victorian pastiche; it’s the extremely broad vocabulary and psychological tension that gets me. What that article didn’t prepare me for was just how funny this book could be, as the author-narrator takes constant potshots at the characters’ frequent hypocrisies...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
After reading The Collector and The Magus this is definitely not what I had expected from Fowles. Not another odd yet haunting novel, but one about the victorian age. Apparently conventional but after a few pages you observe the author's unique style yet again. Even though I strongly disliked the narrative( the whole story and its plots, unnecessarily long in my humble opinion) I was captivated by the narrator and his quirks, his frankness and his own personal reflections.
I didn't love it, I will probably not recommend it to someone else, but i definitely do not regret reading it. Au contraire
I didn't love it, I will probably not recommend it to someone else, but i definitely do not regret reading it. Au contraire