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januaryreads's review against another edition
2.0
This was a confusing, frustrating, messy read. There didn't really seem to be any kind of story, the protagonist (antagonist?) seemed to know absolutely nothing, except how to whine endlessly, all the while thinking about sex and more sex, while everyone around him read him like an open book (pun intended). The Pregnant Widow is NOT worth your time. Trust me when I say you can live your life very happily without reading this book.
bryce_is_a_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
A born three point fiver. Slight as can be, but with some absolutely cracking one liners, paragraphs and lit criticism (natch). Then again when you're favorite parts of a book are the criticism of other books, rather than the story and plot, that kind of suggests a certain structural weakness. And I don't know that the underlying premise of the novel (that sleeping with a woman with a large clitoris dooms a man to a life of sexual neurosis) scans.
But in the final sixty pages of the book or so we get some of what Bruce Lee would refer to as emotional content, and one of my favorite dialogue exchanges in an Amis novel, so that rounds it up to a four.
But in the final sixty pages of the book or so we get some of what Bruce Lee would refer to as emotional content, and one of my favorite dialogue exchanges in an Amis novel, so that rounds it up to a four.
bossbg's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.25
makraemer's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading it. It made me laugh, it made me uncomfortable, but it isn't something that is going to stick with me long.
sophiemitchell's review
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rebus's review against another edition
4.5
There is no question that the two youngest generations are virtually illiterate and can't recognize good literature when they see it--see: all manga, fantasy, work by and for women, and modern super hero and Star Wars--but that's no excuse for the poor ratings average for this fine return to form for Amis. Few authors have had the run of novels he's had, with 4 of his first 6 being masterpieces (the other two are also excellent) and the Information not far behind. He fizzled out for more than a decade after that, with nothing much of note, but returned in 2010 with this blistering adult take on the coming of age work that began his career (and I'm only catching up on his last few works because of his recent passing, as devastated as this as I was upon hearing that we also lost Cormac McCarthy this year).
His recall of the era of the sexual revolution is remarkable, especially as it relates to his own psyche and the relationships that formed his own life. He pokes fun at the modern fetishism inherent in Trans ideology, indeed poking fun at all 3 generations after his own Boomer class, and it's a delight to see that this angry young man matured into a curmudgeonly old man, even as he admits that his was the first entitled 'Me Decade' and that every decade and generation since has been self absorbed to the point of narcissism (which I'm sure the kids didn't like; it seems only my own Gen X escaped narcissism!). He speaks of those enlightened parents who "allowed and forgave everything" something only possible for the upper classes, as the lower classes from which I was birthed could tolerate no waste and would beat their children for breaking a plate or a cup (which these fools smashed with glee on their drinking binges). He does get it a bit wrong by suggesting there were skinheads in the early 70s, but that is a minor flaw, especially when he imparts the insight that by the 70s beauty was gone and only the truth remained (it's odd that he is not lumped in with Postmodernists for that view, but he wrote more in the style of classic modernism). Indeed, we now live in the world he projected, one where surface supersedes essence and style replaces substance, but he may have just been quoting Oscar Wilde. He even notes that the Boomer ideology was to elect people who would benefit only their generation, the greatest cash grab in history for a generation. He also doesn't see himself as part of the upper middle class, viewing the rich as people who expect to be accepted for who they are, even as they engage in the ideology of repressing nothing and doing anything one desires, like Hassan Sabbah suggested (even as his character predates 'me too' and actually drugged someone to AVOID sex in order to have an affair!) He also imparts his useful insights into how religion is such a strong influence on class through some ultimately quite uptight (for the era) female characters who are hardcore christians.
He is still a bit of an establishment tool at times, spewing hated toward Islam or Russia, while failing utterly to see the evils of his own UK, Europe or the US (their death tolls are nothing compared to the white western world). He may not have been as well educated as he thought, going to schools that were affordable to the successful father/author who (barely) raised him, but the man can write in a way that no one before or since ever could, with insight, clarity, and the depth that has been lacking in virtually all literature from the last 30 years.
He did wrongly believe that the systems of class, race, and sex were dying, when they have only become more repressive in the more than a decade since this book was written, but he couldn't have been prescient about everything that has happened in the last 15 years. It's sad that he held so tightly to his belief that smoking was one of life's great joys, because it has robbed we readers of one of the finest literary minds from the last 50 years (just see his books of criticism). He also missed the boat somewhat by saying that the true Golden Age for the world was 1948-75, which has some truth in it, but if one has read Kafka and Camus--and Amis seemed focused only on Brits from the late 1800s--they would know that the separation of feeling and thought had been happening far before 1975 (though he does see it in DH Lawrence and offers beguiling takes on that great artist). It was accurate, however, for him to extrapolate that this led to feeling and sex becoming separated, which was the hallmark of the 70s. It was an additional delight to hear him say that psychology and psychologists/psychiatrists only serve to fuck us up more deeply and that porn ultimately industrialized and made this disconnect deeper.
His little quips about fucking when you don't want to being sadder than not fucking when you want to marks this as one of the great (in his words) Pornotheological Farces in literary history. It's not quite the masterpiece of his early work, but it's got to be better than almost anything released in 2010.
His recall of the era of the sexual revolution is remarkable, especially as it relates to his own psyche and the relationships that formed his own life. He pokes fun at the modern fetishism inherent in Trans ideology, indeed poking fun at all 3 generations after his own Boomer class, and it's a delight to see that this angry young man matured into a curmudgeonly old man, even as he admits that his was the first entitled 'Me Decade' and that every decade and generation since has been self absorbed to the point of narcissism (which I'm sure the kids didn't like; it seems only my own Gen X escaped narcissism!). He speaks of those enlightened parents who "allowed and forgave everything" something only possible for the upper classes, as the lower classes from which I was birthed could tolerate no waste and would beat their children for breaking a plate or a cup (which these fools smashed with glee on their drinking binges). He does get it a bit wrong by suggesting there were skinheads in the early 70s, but that is a minor flaw, especially when he imparts the insight that by the 70s beauty was gone and only the truth remained (it's odd that he is not lumped in with Postmodernists for that view, but he wrote more in the style of classic modernism). Indeed, we now live in the world he projected, one where surface supersedes essence and style replaces substance, but he may have just been quoting Oscar Wilde. He even notes that the Boomer ideology was to elect people who would benefit only their generation, the greatest cash grab in history for a generation. He also doesn't see himself as part of the upper middle class, viewing the rich as people who expect to be accepted for who they are, even as they engage in the ideology of repressing nothing and doing anything one desires, like Hassan Sabbah suggested (even as his character predates 'me too' and actually drugged someone to AVOID sex in order to have an affair!) He also imparts his useful insights into how religion is such a strong influence on class through some ultimately quite uptight (for the era) female characters who are hardcore christians.
He is still a bit of an establishment tool at times, spewing hated toward Islam or Russia, while failing utterly to see the evils of his own UK, Europe or the US (their death tolls are nothing compared to the white western world). He may not have been as well educated as he thought, going to schools that were affordable to the successful father/author who (barely) raised him, but the man can write in a way that no one before or since ever could, with insight, clarity, and the depth that has been lacking in virtually all literature from the last 30 years.
He did wrongly believe that the systems of class, race, and sex were dying, when they have only become more repressive in the more than a decade since this book was written, but he couldn't have been prescient about everything that has happened in the last 15 years. It's sad that he held so tightly to his belief that smoking was one of life's great joys, because it has robbed we readers of one of the finest literary minds from the last 50 years (just see his books of criticism). He also missed the boat somewhat by saying that the true Golden Age for the world was 1948-75, which has some truth in it, but if one has read Kafka and Camus--and Amis seemed focused only on Brits from the late 1800s--they would know that the separation of feeling and thought had been happening far before 1975 (though he does see it in DH Lawrence and offers beguiling takes on that great artist). It was accurate, however, for him to extrapolate that this led to feeling and sex becoming separated, which was the hallmark of the 70s. It was an additional delight to hear him say that psychology and psychologists/psychiatrists only serve to fuck us up more deeply and that porn ultimately industrialized and made this disconnect deeper.
His little quips about fucking when you don't want to being sadder than not fucking when you want to marks this as one of the great (in his words) Pornotheological Farces in literary history. It's not quite the masterpiece of his early work, but it's got to be better than almost anything released in 2010.
randybo5's review against another edition
2.0
Incredibly disappointing. Billed as a "smart, meaty novel", I found it repetitive and was totally unable to sympathize with any character. If this is a portrait of the sexual revolution of the 70's, I'm glad I missed it.
bettyvd's review against another edition
1.0
Snel opgegeven: na 20 pagina's was ik al moe. En wat snuisteren in de reviews was niet bepaald motiverend om door te zetten. Maar House of meetings vond ik wel goed...
heyitssbt's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i may have found one of my new favourite writers… some of the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read & the first book I’ve found myself underlining sentences. definitely heartbreaking.