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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
An excellent novel that takes the reader through a fascinating fictional life that collides with some of the most famous names and events of the 20th century. Boyd’s ambitious story of Logan Gonzango Mountstuart, a fictional English writer, whose diaries begin in his public school days (Prep School in American parlance) then proceeding through his undergraduate years at Oxford after the Great War, onto the whirl of London 1920’s society and English country life to Crash of 1929 and the Depression years, the Windsor and Wallace affair, the Spanish Civil war, the Second World War, the New York art scene in the post war years, the experimental 1960’s, radical political movements and terrorist cells of the 1970’s, the tragedy of Biafra, and the rise Margaret Thatcher.
Boyd has a wonderful sense of humor that is aptly conveyed in bits throughout—and when I stumbled upon them in the reading of Any Human Heart, I laughed out loud.
Well worth reading.
Boyd has a wonderful sense of humor that is aptly conveyed in bits throughout—and when I stumbled upon them in the reading of Any Human Heart, I laughed out loud.
Well worth reading.
Loved this book. Loved the style it was written in and especially liked the perspective it gave of an ordinary person living from 1900s to 1980s. His circle of friends was wonderful and it's great to see what Logan thought about Hemingway etc. I find myself remembering a lot the one entry in his journal that quoted someone as saying journals are for recording what you had for breakfast and newspapers are for recording what historical event happened that day. Still Logan was inspired by the moon landing and managed to slip in his breakfast order. It's a good read and lots of fun.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Life story of a character whose path crosses with many famous authors and artists. He’s not the most endearing person, but lovely writing.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
#the52bookclub24 #45 #chapters with date headings #A
Excellent. A few chapters in I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this but then I became totally engaged and captivated by LMS’s story as Boyd excellently builds his character. By mixing real life events so cleverly and the style of the journal writing, you could completely believe this fictional character was a real person whose journal you’re reading as an autobiography. I listened on audible and found the narration brilliant - perfect casting.
Excellent. A few chapters in I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this but then I became totally engaged and captivated by LMS’s story as Boyd excellently builds his character. By mixing real life events so cleverly and the style of the journal writing, you could completely believe this fictional character was a real person whose journal you’re reading as an autobiography. I listened on audible and found the narration brilliant - perfect casting.
Mmm I was lukewarm about this book. Interesting concept - a life lived vicariously through LMS’ diary entries over 8 decades - and beautifully written with some nice moments. Slow to start, picked up in the middle, bored late on, a bit grossed out after that (the the topic of grooming is uncomfortably glossed over), more interested towards the end but largely apathetic. But maybe that’s the point of the book - the ups and downs, excitements and boredoms and passions and privations of human life?
Certainly doesn’t work in Boyd’s favour that I read this at the same time Alex Haley’s Roots, also a saga of a life tenaciously lived, but one faced with infinitely more complexity and hardship so that LMS’ meandering musings seem comparatively self indulgent and banal. Possibly a harsh (or even irrelevant) comparison, but interesting nonetheless.
Certainly doesn’t work in Boyd’s favour that I read this at the same time Alex Haley’s Roots, also a saga of a life tenaciously lived, but one faced with infinitely more complexity and hardship so that LMS’ meandering musings seem comparatively self indulgent and banal. Possibly a harsh (or even irrelevant) comparison, but interesting nonetheless.
A fascinating tour of 20th century history as seen through the eyes of a participant. What is most intriguing though is not the people Logan met but how "ordinary" his life is given the extraordinary people and events that populated it.