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joreads7's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
2.0
bub_9's review against another edition
3.0
Having marvelously enjoyed The Blue Flower, I naturally made it a point to next read her sole Booker awardee, though later discovering (and I make no claims about any established agreement regarding my division) the split between the earlier works and her later ones marked by the publication of Innocence, it is perhaps not entirely surprising that I found myself enjoying this less. Perhaps a bit of a McEwan and Amsterdam situation, if you will.
The writing is again marvelous here, and so is the exploration of relationships. But the intentionality of the plot and its development cannot even begin to hold a candle to The Blue Flower, much less Innocence.
The writing is again marvelous here, and so is the exploration of relationships. But the intentionality of the plot and its development cannot even begin to hold a candle to The Blue Flower, much less Innocence.
gemmabenglish's review against another edition
4.0
good just in a way i didn’t particularly care about
gyeng002's review against another edition
5.0
A perfect, beautiful little book that I wish had been at least twice as long--even by the second chapter, I was so caught in this little river-barge world that I had to stop and wonder at Fitzgerald's talent to conjure it up so quickly. There are also such stunning sentences in this book, truly: "...at flood tide, they saw the river as a powerful god, bearded with the white foam of detergents, calling home the twenty-seven lost rivers of London, sighing as the night declined." Tilda was by far my favorite, and reminded me a lot of Pullman's Lyra (especially when she's on the Gyptian boats). Perhaps an homage.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Offshore is apparently the shortest book to win the Booker. It did so in 1979. I really enjoyed the quirky cast of characters (Martha and Tilda especially), their warm and indefatigable community spirit, and felt for their struggles on the margins of society, even when many of the problems were of their own making. That everyone lived on houseboats immediately gave this book bonus points. The unique sense of place was vividly brought to life.
whatwordsdidnttouch's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
gabesteller's review against another edition
4.0
another edition of #MOMRECS ! For like 5 years my mom has been saying "this is one of my favorite books its really short and it won the Booker Pls pls read it already" and so i finally have. and it is in fact good stuff!
Its all about a community of people who live on houseboats of varying levels of decrepitude and their PERSONAL PROBLEMS of which their are MANY. I read that Penelope Fitzgerald is very careful about the way the title is translated but because she wats it to convey the liminal space the characters occupy which i think is really smart, cuz they are all caught between different worlds and choices that they're trying to dodge or avoid. Just a wonderful little melancholy book, about adults being happy and sad at the same time, that also featured some of the best written kids I've encountered.
Dug it! thanks mom!
Its all about a community of people who live on houseboats of varying levels of decrepitude and their PERSONAL PROBLEMS of which their are MANY. I read that Penelope Fitzgerald is very careful about the way the title is translated but because she wats it to convey the liminal space the characters occupy which i think is really smart, cuz they are all caught between different worlds and choices that they're trying to dodge or avoid. Just a wonderful little melancholy book, about adults being happy and sad at the same time, that also featured some of the best written kids I've encountered.
Dug it! thanks mom!
dianelaw's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
schnauzermum's review against another edition
5.0
This is perfect. Fitzgerald combines humour and sadness in this story of a collection of eccentric people:
‘The barge-dwellers, creatures neither of firm land nor water, would have liked to be more respectable than they were. They aspired towards the Chelsea shore, where, in the early 1960s, many thousands lived with sensible occupations and adequate amounts of money. But a certain failure, distressing to themselves, to be like other people, caused them to sink back, with so much else that drifted or was washed up, into the mud moorings of the great ride way.’
In the introduction to my edition, Fitzgerald’s biographer, Hermione Lee, describes her as ‘a humorous writer with a tragic sense of life’ and quotes the author herself: ‘I am drawn to people who seem to have been born defeated or even profoundly lost’. In the hands of another writer, the sadness might be overwhelming. It is almost miraculous how Fitzgerald writes with such humour and compassion, even about characters you expect to be unsympathetic.
Not a word is wasted, and Fitzgerald writes elegantly beautiful prose. The ending is brilliant too.
‘The barge-dwellers, creatures neither of firm land nor water, would have liked to be more respectable than they were. They aspired towards the Chelsea shore, where, in the early 1960s, many thousands lived with sensible occupations and adequate amounts of money. But a certain failure, distressing to themselves, to be like other people, caused them to sink back, with so much else that drifted or was washed up, into the mud moorings of the great ride way.’
In the introduction to my edition, Fitzgerald’s biographer, Hermione Lee, describes her as ‘a humorous writer with a tragic sense of life’ and quotes the author herself: ‘I am drawn to people who seem to have been born defeated or even profoundly lost’. In the hands of another writer, the sadness might be overwhelming. It is almost miraculous how Fitzgerald writes with such humour and compassion, even about characters you expect to be unsympathetic.
Not a word is wasted, and Fitzgerald writes elegantly beautiful prose. The ending is brilliant too.