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fictionfan's review
4.0
The joys of ageing...
When their city neighbourhood begins to change and all their elderly friends gradually retire to quieter places, or die, Odette and Martial decide it's time to buy a little retirement home in a gated community. Odette is keen to move, Martial less so. The community is newly built and Odette and Martial are the first couple to move in. Early impressions are hampered by the constant rain while, until more people move in, the swimming pool and clubhouse remain closed. But there is a caretaker, though given his creepiness that's a bit of a mixed blessing. However, things perk up a bit when another couple and then a single woman move in, and the clubhouse is finally opened complete with a social secretary to provide a bit of fun. Thrown together in this isolated place, all the residents quickly become friends. But then the gypsies arrive...
I've had a bit of a mixed journey with Pascal Garnier so far. I enjoyed [b:Boxes|25074279|Boxes|Pascal Garnier|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429098031s/25074279.jpg|44759502], loved [b:The A26|15959249|The A26|Pascal Garnier|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354454107s/15959249.jpg|2750237], and sadly wasn't very taken with this one at all. It follows the same kind of format as the others – set up the characters, put them in a slightly odd, isolated situation, then make some terrible things happen to them. The writing is as good as ever, the quirky characterisation is great and there's the same vein of humour, growing increasingly blacker as the novella progresses. Perhaps I've just read them too closely together, but I felt this one was rather like painting by numbers.
The first bit of the book is great. The description of this couple trying to settle into their new lives rings very true. Martial in particular misses the busyness of his old home, where he knew everybody and only had to walk down the street to meet acquaintances. Now he finds it hard to find anything to fill his days. The story of their trip to the beach is a glorious piece of blackly comic writing – the wind at their back as they walk giving them a sensation of energy and vitality, till they have to turn and come back against the same wind whipping away their breath and leaving them shattered and exhausted. It's a great picture of people trying to come to terms with the fact that ageing is taking its toll on what they're physically able to do, and nicely satirical about all those pictures of happy, energetic retirees in the sunshine that populate brochures for these kinds of communities.
Unfortunately, when the horrors begin, they simply didn't ring true for me. The actual events didn't justify the paranoia and, avoiding spoilers, the character change of the person who does the deed was too sudden and not well enough supported. The whole thing also turned on a plot device that I couldn't believe in – namely, that if the electricity got cut off the electric gates to the community couldn't be opened manually. There is also a piece of totally unnecessary and gruesome animal cruelty, which never works for me. And finally, the ending depends on such a hugely unlikely coincidental event that it lost any remaining credibility.
I know many people have loved this as one of Garnier's best, so I'm certainly willing to assume that the problems I encountered with it are a result of too recent comparison with the others I've read. Certainly his writing, aided by an excellent translation by Emily Boyce, is as good as ever and I did enjoy the early part of the novella a good deal. But the plot didn't work for me this time round, I'm afraid. I have two other novellas of his on my Kindle, but I think I'll leave a good long gap this time to try to avoid that feeling of sameness that I found with this one. Tricky, when I'm being rather negative, but I do still recommend this – I suspect with these novellas everyone will find they have different favourites, but all the ones I've read so far have been well worth the reading, especially if you're more skilled at suspending disbelief than I am. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Gallic Books.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When their city neighbourhood begins to change and all their elderly friends gradually retire to quieter places, or die, Odette and Martial decide it's time to buy a little retirement home in a gated community. Odette is keen to move, Martial less so. The community is newly built and Odette and Martial are the first couple to move in. Early impressions are hampered by the constant rain while, until more people move in, the swimming pool and clubhouse remain closed. But there is a caretaker, though given his creepiness that's a bit of a mixed blessing. However, things perk up a bit when another couple and then a single woman move in, and the clubhouse is finally opened complete with a social secretary to provide a bit of fun. Thrown together in this isolated place, all the residents quickly become friends. But then the gypsies arrive...
I've had a bit of a mixed journey with Pascal Garnier so far. I enjoyed [b:Boxes|25074279|Boxes|Pascal Garnier|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429098031s/25074279.jpg|44759502], loved [b:The A26|15959249|The A26|Pascal Garnier|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354454107s/15959249.jpg|2750237], and sadly wasn't very taken with this one at all. It follows the same kind of format as the others – set up the characters, put them in a slightly odd, isolated situation, then make some terrible things happen to them. The writing is as good as ever, the quirky characterisation is great and there's the same vein of humour, growing increasingly blacker as the novella progresses. Perhaps I've just read them too closely together, but I felt this one was rather like painting by numbers.
The first bit of the book is great. The description of this couple trying to settle into their new lives rings very true. Martial in particular misses the busyness of his old home, where he knew everybody and only had to walk down the street to meet acquaintances. Now he finds it hard to find anything to fill his days. The story of their trip to the beach is a glorious piece of blackly comic writing – the wind at their back as they walk giving them a sensation of energy and vitality, till they have to turn and come back against the same wind whipping away their breath and leaving them shattered and exhausted. It's a great picture of people trying to come to terms with the fact that ageing is taking its toll on what they're physically able to do, and nicely satirical about all those pictures of happy, energetic retirees in the sunshine that populate brochures for these kinds of communities.
Unfortunately, when the horrors begin, they simply didn't ring true for me. The actual events didn't justify the paranoia and, avoiding spoilers, the character change of the person who does the deed was too sudden and not well enough supported. The whole thing also turned on a plot device that I couldn't believe in – namely, that if the electricity got cut off the electric gates to the community couldn't be opened manually. There is also a piece of totally unnecessary and gruesome animal cruelty, which never works for me. And finally, the ending depends on such a hugely unlikely coincidental event that it lost any remaining credibility.
I know many people have loved this as one of Garnier's best, so I'm certainly willing to assume that the problems I encountered with it are a result of too recent comparison with the others I've read. Certainly his writing, aided by an excellent translation by Emily Boyce, is as good as ever and I did enjoy the early part of the novella a good deal. But the plot didn't work for me this time round, I'm afraid. I have two other novellas of his on my Kindle, but I think I'll leave a good long gap this time to try to avoid that feeling of sameness that I found with this one. Tricky, when I'm being rather negative, but I do still recommend this – I suspect with these novellas everyone will find they have different favourites, but all the ones I've read so far have been well worth the reading, especially if you're more skilled at suspending disbelief than I am. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Gallic Books.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
loldesh's review against another edition
4.0
Canınız sıkkınken araya alabileceğiniz akıcı ve keyifli bir kitap arıyorsanız buldunuz! Hatta duruma göre tek oturuşta bitirebilir, zaman zaman ee şimdi ne olacak diyebilirsiniz bile. Belki hatrınızda sonsuza dek yer etmez ama kapağını görünce ay yaaa falan dersiniz bence.
Böyle bir şeye çok ihtiyacım vardı bu nedenle nerdeyse tam puan.
Böyle bir şeye çok ihtiyacım vardı bu nedenle nerdeyse tam puan.
merixien's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5Bu kitabı ismi çok ilgimi çektiği için incelemiştim. Açıkcası konusu da merak uyandırınca almıştım. Bugün de 800 sayfalık Sekizinci Hayat’ı taşımak yerine yanıma almak için kendisini seçtim.
Cennetteki Yeryüzü. emekli bir çiftin kendilerini devamlı tatilde gibi hissetmek için taşındıkları bir sitedeki birkaç haftalarının hikayesi. Önce eve taşınma sebepleri, sonra sitedeki yalnızlıkları ve yavaş yavaş gelen komşularla tanışıp kaynaşmalarını takip ediyorsunuz. Aslında çok ilginç karakterlerle oluşturulmuş, yüksek güvenlik ile çevrili kapalı sistem site yaşamlarına ve insanların iç dünyaya kapanmalarına dair etkili bir hiciv. Ancak ben kitabı okurken bitmiş bir romandan ziyade bir taslağı okuyor gibi hissettim. Bazı bölümler anlatılırken, sanki “bunu daha sonra detaylandırırım” diye düşünülüp bir sonraki bölüme geçilmiş gibi hissettim. Zaten çok kısa, bir kuaför ziyareti-saç boyanması sürecinde bitiyor. Ancak bana biraz hızlıca bitirilmiş gibi geldi. Açıkcası Odette ve Lea hakkında biraz daha detay öğrenmek istedim. Bir yandan da, kitabın da o yüksek güvenlikli siteler gibi yalnızca uzaktan göründüğü kadarını verip, detaylarını gizleme alegorisi açısından takdir edilebilir. Yorucu bir okumadan sonra dinlenmek için, ya da benim gibi bir bekleme süresini değerlendirmek için ideal kitaplardan.
Cennetteki Yeryüzü. emekli bir çiftin kendilerini devamlı tatilde gibi hissetmek için taşındıkları bir sitedeki birkaç haftalarının hikayesi. Önce eve taşınma sebepleri, sonra sitedeki yalnızlıkları ve yavaş yavaş gelen komşularla tanışıp kaynaşmalarını takip ediyorsunuz. Aslında çok ilginç karakterlerle oluşturulmuş, yüksek güvenlik ile çevrili kapalı sistem site yaşamlarına ve insanların iç dünyaya kapanmalarına dair etkili bir hiciv. Ancak ben kitabı okurken bitmiş bir romandan ziyade bir taslağı okuyor gibi hissettim. Bazı bölümler anlatılırken, sanki “bunu daha sonra detaylandırırım” diye düşünülüp bir sonraki bölüme geçilmiş gibi hissettim. Zaten çok kısa, bir kuaför ziyareti-saç boyanması sürecinde bitiyor. Ancak bana biraz hızlıca bitirilmiş gibi geldi. Açıkcası Odette ve Lea hakkında biraz daha detay öğrenmek istedim. Bir yandan da, kitabın da o yüksek güvenlikli siteler gibi yalnızca uzaktan göründüğü kadarını verip, detaylarını gizleme alegorisi açısından takdir edilebilir. Yorucu bir okumadan sonra dinlenmek için, ya da benim gibi bir bekleme süresini değerlendirmek için ideal kitaplardan.
efbeckett's review
3.0
I love to start a Garnier novel on a weekend day and finish it 2 or 3 hours later. Generally very lean and engrossing narratives, Gallic noir drawing in "ordinary" people.
This is well worth reading, but is the weakest of his that I've read so far. Oddly the reason is that this scenario needs MORE time to work properly, to have the onset of madness really make an impression.
This is well worth reading, but is the weakest of his that I've read so far. Oddly the reason is that this scenario needs MORE time to work properly, to have the onset of madness really make an impression.
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