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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Premessa doverosa: questo è soprattutto un romanzo scritto per gli inglesi. Racconta la storia della Gran Bretagna attraverso alcuni eventi cardine, dalla fine della guerra, la vittoria del mondiale contro la Germania dell'Ovest, fino al funerale della principessa Diana. In ciò si allontana molto da ciò che pensavo che fosse, ovvero, ingannata dall'immagine in copertina, una sorta di "Fabbrica di cioccolato" in chiave adulta, con giusto un po' di realismo magico.
Forse anche per questo ho faticato un po' nella prima parte, e senz'altro anche perché molti degli episodi storici evocati sono inevitabilmente distanti per me: ne ho sentito parlare, ma non li ho vissuti sulla mia pelle, non li ho potuti percepire con il patriottismo degli inglesi (cito ad esempio il capitolo dedicato ai funerali della Principessa Diana, che sconvolsero l'Intero popolo inglese; ma anche lo spot pubblicitario della Austin Metro). Eppure, nonostante ciò, il romanzo trasmette molto anche a chi sia vissuto lontano da tutto ciò e non l'abbia sperimentato in prima persona, grazie alla capacità di Coe, splendido narratore, di avvicinare questi episodi storici alle vicende dei personaggi. Bello, e molto toccante osservarli crescere, trovare il loro posto nel mondo e invecchiare sullo sfondo della storia inglese, di volta in volta raccontata da un diverso punto di vista. Tra tutti è quello di Mary ad avermi colpita di più, forse perché Coe è così naturale e delicato nel mostrarla bambina e giovane donna, protagonista della vicenda, e poi collocarla sullo sfondo, che ci si abitua alla sua presenza, come qualcosa di rassicurante. Come la fabbrica di cioccolato Cadbury di Bournville, cui il romanzo deve il titolo.
Uno dei migliori, se non il migliore, tra i romanzi letti quest'anno.
Forse anche per questo ho faticato un po' nella prima parte, e senz'altro anche perché molti degli episodi storici evocati sono inevitabilmente distanti per me: ne ho sentito parlare, ma non li ho vissuti sulla mia pelle, non li ho potuti percepire con il patriottismo degli inglesi (cito ad esempio il capitolo dedicato ai funerali della Principessa Diana, che sconvolsero l'Intero popolo inglese; ma anche lo spot pubblicitario della Austin Metro). Eppure, nonostante ciò, il romanzo trasmette molto anche a chi sia vissuto lontano da tutto ciò e non l'abbia sperimentato in prima persona, grazie alla capacità di Coe, splendido narratore, di avvicinare questi episodi storici alle vicende dei personaggi. Bello, e molto toccante osservarli crescere, trovare il loro posto nel mondo e invecchiare sullo sfondo della storia inglese, di volta in volta raccontata da un diverso punto di vista. Tra tutti è quello di Mary ad avermi colpita di più, forse perché Coe è così naturale e delicato nel mostrarla bambina e giovane donna, protagonista della vicenda, e poi collocarla sullo sfondo, che ci si abitua alla sua presenza, come qualcosa di rassicurante. Come la fabbrica di cioccolato Cadbury di Bournville, cui il romanzo deve il titolo.
Uno dei migliori, se non il migliore, tra i romanzi letti quest'anno.
I loved reading about this place which is not far away from where I live. I often wondered about Bournville, the place where Cadbury chocolate comes from and have been fascinated by what its story might be.
Bournville chronicles a family's journey through time and in a way West Midlands as well through the political discourse that underlines the plot. Right from the time the village was carved into the existence to the sweeping changes of the war and its aftermath, to the coronation, EU inclusion and later Covid, it takes a reader on a fascinating rollercoaster through time.
Love his writing and realised he is a prize winning author for his previous one. Must catch up on that one next!
Bournville chronicles a family's journey through time and in a way West Midlands as well through the political discourse that underlines the plot. Right from the time the village was carved into the existence to the sweeping changes of the war and its aftermath, to the coronation, EU inclusion and later Covid, it takes a reader on a fascinating rollercoaster through time.
Love his writing and realised he is a prize winning author for his previous one. Must catch up on that one next!
Rounded down from 3.5. I loved the start and then felt it lost its way a bit. And I don't think I'm ready to read about covid yet...
I've seen other readers complain that this book is too similar to Middle England, and that all Jonathan Coe does is samey state-of-the-nation novels. I have to disagree. I found this very different to Middle England - a completely different set of characters and tone. And while Coe does have a strong line in state-of-the-nation novels, he's SO GOOD AT THEM that I really don't mind. My only real gripe about this book (and I very rarely say this) is that it could have been longer.
The book is a series of snapshots in the life of Mary, who was born in Bournville, Birmingham in the 1930s. Each snapshot comes at a time of national togetherness or crisis (usually both) - VE Day, England winning the 1966 World Cup, the marriage of Charles and Diana, the COVID pandemic, among others. I thought it worked really well, but I would still have liked to have spent more time with the characters to get to know them in a bit more depth. For a work that spans a whole dynasty over eight decades, I felt like it could have been a fair bit longer.
I also really appreciated the parts of the book about lockdown and the pandemic. It's the first fiction I've read set around that time and I think he captured it really well - the paranoia, anxiety and confusion of February and March 2020; the disbelief; the isolation; the inequality in peoples' experiences of lockdown. It was all there and well rendered. I don't think anyone has really processed the pandemic, and as a society we definitely haven't. More good lockdown novels please!
The book is a series of snapshots in the life of Mary, who was born in Bournville, Birmingham in the 1930s. Each snapshot comes at a time of national togetherness or crisis (usually both) - VE Day, England winning the 1966 World Cup, the marriage of Charles and Diana, the COVID pandemic, among others. I thought it worked really well, but I would still have liked to have spent more time with the characters to get to know them in a bit more depth. For a work that spans a whole dynasty over eight decades, I felt like it could have been a fair bit longer.
I also really appreciated the parts of the book about lockdown and the pandemic. It's the first fiction I've read set around that time and I think he captured it really well - the paranoia, anxiety and confusion of February and March 2020; the disbelief; the isolation; the inequality in peoples' experiences of lockdown. It was all there and well rendered. I don't think anyone has really processed the pandemic, and as a society we definitely haven't. More good lockdown novels please!
A compelling and insightful survey of social and economic change at the macro and micro levels, structured around one family and seven key dates in English history.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
They think it’s all over: after Jonathan Coe’s venture into Hollywood blockbusters in Mr Wilder and Me, we’re back on familiar ground, the postwar English Midlands and with our kind of people - in fact, relatives of the Trotter family who star in his Rotters’ Club sequence. As a follow on from Middle England, this is sturdy work, covid now added to the litany of modern day ills afflicting the disunited kingdom, all of which are embodied in the dramatis personae of Bournville.
It’s highly readable, with diverting strands taking in Welsh nationalism and the English blank incomprehension at why our fellow Brits might hate our guts, the chocolate wars between the British product emanating from the titular dormitory suburb and its more sophisticated continental rivals early on in UK membership of the Common Market, and a sour take on the 1966 World (football) Cup, portrayed as scarcely the well-organised festival of international bonhomie it’s now commonly commemorated as, these events being framed by the end of the war and various royal occasions. All stand proxy for the loss and nostalgia experienced by the English, even those not born until long after 1945, when contemplating her finest hour. (There’s probably a German word we can purloin for synthetic memories of glory - if there isn’t may I suggest Vollmelkshokolade?)
Coe is very good at this state of the nation articulated through the minor sadnesses and calamities that befall individuals and families thing, and some of Bournville clearly stems from his anger at the way our government handled the pandemic leaving people like his own mother to die in isolation; indeed Boris Johnson appears, early in his career, as a minor and disreputable figure, perhaps how he’ll be remembered in the long run. It’s too early for a full or in any way comprehensive disinquistion on the pandemic and its fallout, but this is an excellent interim report.
It’s highly readable, with diverting strands taking in Welsh nationalism and the English blank incomprehension at why our fellow Brits might hate our guts, the chocolate wars between the British product emanating from the titular dormitory suburb and its more sophisticated continental rivals early on in UK membership of the Common Market, and a sour take on the 1966 World (football) Cup, portrayed as scarcely the well-organised festival of international bonhomie it’s now commonly commemorated as, these events being framed by the end of the war and various royal occasions. All stand proxy for the loss and nostalgia experienced by the English, even those not born until long after 1945, when contemplating her finest hour. (There’s probably a German word we can purloin for synthetic memories of glory - if there isn’t may I suggest Vollmelkshokolade?)
Coe is very good at this state of the nation articulated through the minor sadnesses and calamities that befall individuals and families thing, and some of Bournville clearly stems from his anger at the way our government handled the pandemic leaving people like his own mother to die in isolation; indeed Boris Johnson appears, early in his career, as a minor and disreputable figure, perhaps how he’ll be remembered in the long run. It’s too early for a full or in any way comprehensive disinquistion on the pandemic and its fallout, but this is an excellent interim report.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jonathan Coe has a knack for writing sharp, witty state-of-the-nation novels, and this one is no different. It explores the clash between patriotism and xenophobia through the experiences of one family across seven key moments in English history over the past 75+ years—many of them tied to the royals. Events like the Queen’s coronation and Charles and Diana’s wedding become moments where unlikely groups of people—such as the Indian neighbours or Martin’s Black girlfriend—gather around the TV to watch the spectacle. Early on, Germans are the enemy, then it shifts to people of colour, and later, European bureaucracy.
In true satirical style, the characters represent larger ideas. Geoffrey, the family patriarch, is openly racist, while his eldest son, Jack, is a self-serving Brexiteer. Mary, the matriarch, is an Everywoman figure—she had a fulfilling career as a PE teacher and loves her family, but always wonders what her life would have been like if she had left Geoffrey for a dashing journalist. It’s a sweet nod to how most lives carry some form of regret. But Mary remains a bit of a blank slate, while her sons Martin and Peter stand out more. Martin gets involved in Cadbury’s attempt to expand into Europe, while Peter, a musician, discovers his sexuality later in life.
Coe plays around with different formats—monologues, diary entries, and a long childhood letter (though David’s role felt unnecessary and out of place). Some sections jump between the main action and transcripts of speeches, TV commentary, or government regulations. The pandemic looms over the prologue and the highly personal final chapter, where Coe’s frustration with the government’s hypocrisy is loud and clear. Boris Johnson pops up throughout the novel as the real villain.
The book digs into themes of nationalism, nostalgia, and the way history gets mythologized. I only wish I could have gotten closer to Mary. But overall, it’s a sharp and engaging novel that does exactly what it sets out to do. Its Midlands focus and the "Chocolate Wars" storyline make a nice change from the usual London setting. I especially loved how it dissects Britain’s obsession with the royal family—the chapter on Princess Diana’s funeral felt eerily relevant after the Queen’s death. And while the novel might have felt even timelier a year or two ago, it still captures the weirdness of the lockdown era.
This was a family saga mixed with British social history. At time political (which I liked but not everyone would) and also moving, particularly the final section which covered the time of the pandemic (I was reading it on a train and cried), my criticism would be that at times the writing felt slightly clunky and the story lines a bit contrived. Overall though a very enjoyable read and a solid 4 star from me.
informative
reflective
medium-paced