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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Periodically I am asked if I've been to Oxford. I glibly reply, yes, I've been to both. Perhaps my first sentence is an overstatement, but i have offered my response a few times in my life and mean it. I don't consider Square Books and Rowan Oak to be tantamount to the learned city on the Isles, but the southern locale is a cultural hub. My wife and i last went to Oxford, on the Thames, a few winters ago. It was a delightful cold and wet day. Our minds were occupied with Inspector Lewis and second-hand books rather than discerning the vapor trails of Senor Marias.
I loved All Souls for its discretion. It struggles to find a pragmatic middle path in life. That said it didn't lose itself in serpentine digressions. Perhaps here, I am looking at you [b:Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear / Dance and Dream / Poison, Shadow, and Farewell|9653380|Your Face Tomorrow Fever and Spear / Dance and Dream / Poison, Shadow, and Farewell|Javier Marías|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348998393s/9653380.jpg|14540925]
It was intriguing to note the number of observations in All Souls which resurface in YFT: the thesis on cider tax and the booksellers' distinction of Richard Francis Burton (Captain Burton for those inclined) were but a few. Alas, contrary to the novel, we didn't discover any intrigue, only wonderful Lebanese food and a knapsack stuffed w/ books from the tented stalls.
I loved All Souls for its discretion. It struggles to find a pragmatic middle path in life. That said it didn't lose itself in serpentine digressions. Perhaps here, I am looking at you [b:Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear / Dance and Dream / Poison, Shadow, and Farewell|9653380|Your Face Tomorrow Fever and Spear / Dance and Dream / Poison, Shadow, and Farewell|Javier Marías|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348998393s/9653380.jpg|14540925]
It was intriguing to note the number of observations in All Souls which resurface in YFT: the thesis on cider tax and the booksellers' distinction of Richard Francis Burton (Captain Burton for those inclined) were but a few. Alas, contrary to the novel, we didn't discover any intrigue, only wonderful Lebanese food and a knapsack stuffed w/ books from the tented stalls.
This book had some funny moments but mostly just felt very old fashioned.
Javier Marías does W.G. Sebald, except towards the end where it suddenly became apparent that details he'd been focussing on added up to a kind of mystery plot, which was kind of a surprise since there's no real initial tip off that there's something to know in the beginning.
I don't know, it doesn't matter, it isn't immensely sad.
medium-paced
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Una distorsión, un espacio de tiempo que sólo tiene sentido, quizá, para el que lo relata. Y un lugar peculiar.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Como ver pintura secar hasta el penúltimo capítulo. Historia que poco cautiva pero, ey, tiene estilo.
The central motif of memory and the erudite detours reminded me a lot of Sebald. The prose with its frequent hyphens and parentheses (serving largely to further clarify and advance the narrator’s thoughts) were delightedly familiar to the workings of my own mind. Again, Marias has brought a melancholic smile to my soul.
Writing a negative review is really such a hard thing for me. I really though did not like this book. It is definitely a book without a plot which perhaps not my favorite way to take in a book I can deal with it. My biggest issue with this book is that I didn’t like the unnamed narrator. and though we work a fiction, it felt very much like a memoir and so I very much did not like the author. This book was so full of attention and conceit and selfishness I couldn’t do anything but give it one star