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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
A Single Man is a tale of loss and the loneliness that comes with it. The novel follows a day in the life of George, a middle-aged university professor from England living in California, who has recently lost his long-term partner, Jim.
Not only is George mourning the loss of his one true love, but he is also mourning the loss of his future and his past, and finds himself stuck somewhere between the two, unable to resolve them into anything that makes sense. Throughout the novel he visits a number of people – his dead lovers’ former lover, his best friend and fellow ex-pat, Charlotte, one of his male students – in order to find an answer as how to move on. But just as he seems to be coming to grips with this, the universe plays a cruel trick…
This was my second Isherwood – I’d previously read ‘Goodbye to Berlin’ for my masters – and it won’t be my last. His prose is captivating and his penchant for the melancholy is beautifully alluring.
Not only is George mourning the loss of his one true love, but he is also mourning the loss of his future and his past, and finds himself stuck somewhere between the two, unable to resolve them into anything that makes sense. Throughout the novel he visits a number of people – his dead lovers’ former lover, his best friend and fellow ex-pat, Charlotte, one of his male students – in order to find an answer as how to move on. But just as he seems to be coming to grips with this, the universe plays a cruel trick…
This was my second Isherwood – I’d previously read ‘Goodbye to Berlin’ for my masters – and it won’t be my last. His prose is captivating and his penchant for the melancholy is beautifully alluring.
Closer to 4.25/4.5. I didn't see the end coming but thinking more than two seconds about what kind of book it is and when it was written kinda gives it away. Well worth reading in any case.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
sad
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:
Complicated
Masterful. Moving. Flawless. Pick one and that won't even begin to describe it.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was sad and had a mysterious ending....did Geo die of a heart attack or no? I need to watch the movie with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore to see how different it is than the book and to see if it resolve the ending for me. The main theme of mid-life loneliness resonated with me.....
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't expecting anything from A Single Man. I haven't seen the movie and I didn't know much about the plot except for what the movie trailer shows. But this blew me away, I can't quite put my finger on why. There's no great plot to speak of, it's just a day in the life of George. I feel like this is one of those novels that the less you know the better, which is why, for a 5 star books it seems like such a half arsed review. But this is all sorts of depressing, hopeful, lovely, wondrous and I'm so glad I finally read it.