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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
adventurous
mysterious
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:
No
I enjoyed it more than The English Patient but its overall plot and storyline was still hard to follow (perspective and time-wise); there were so many diverse characters to follow. Felt autobiographical but was a work of fiction — interesting voyage.
Poetic. Slowly reveals itself. Demands careful reading. You have to put together the clues (keep your eyes peeled on Miss Lasqueti and her pistol) and you are never quite sure whether the ultimate fates of Asuntha and her father are imagined or real. Then again, this is a work of fiction. Or is it? Is it also a 'message in a bottle' to Cassius? A story about damage in childhood and its effects on relationships later in life? Beautifully written. Ultimately enigmatic. In the tradition of Luc Dardenne, the filmmaker Ondaatje praises in the novel: "We should not feel assured or certain about [characters'] motives, or look down on them. I believe this. I recognize this as the first principle of art" ( p. 208).
While it seems impossible to imagine a story centered around a young boy's sea voyage from Sri Lanka to London as being subdued, this story is almost soporific. Perhaps it was the author's even, gentle voice narrating the tail, or his reflective pose as he recalled the various characters on board and the events that transpired during the passage, either way the book which could have been full of bombastic adventure was subtle.
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
Hearing the author read his own words was a huge part of the pleasure of this.fictionalized memoir.
"There is a story, always ahead of you. Barely existing. Only gradually do you attach yourself to it and feed it. You discover the carapace that will contain you and test your character. You find in this way the path of your life." (p. 181)
got to page 175 of it. now just wasn't the right time to read it. it was well written and an interesting story about a sea voyage as metaphor for growing up...
at least now I can I read Michael Ondaatje.
at least now I can I read Michael Ondaatje.
I liked this book very much, despite only awarding it three stars. I learned a lot from the beautiful writing, I enjoyed imagining the ship and its itinerary. And I liked Onddatje's way of moving forward in time to reflect on the experience he had had on the ship as a child, or his interactions later in life with some of the friends he made during the journey. So I recommend this as a very fine read. In the end the absence of story line--except for a few somewhat outlandish developments--made the book less engaging to me than it might have been.
exposition
no action
seems like lots of little character studies
i like good characters but this didn't seem to have a point beyond an accumulation of characters
oh, and a heavy handed coming of age
gave up after 60 pages
no action
seems like lots of little character studies
i like good characters but this didn't seem to have a point beyond an accumulation of characters
oh, and a heavy handed coming of age
gave up after 60 pages