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martip5's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 probably fits this story best. It was difficult at times to actually follow the narrator but I can appreciate how this effect was part of the narrative intent. An odd ending for a book really trying to be "mysterious" at times. The trope of the troubled man is at times a bit redundant but still very effective and historically necessary for what the story is trying to say.
alishajenkins's review against another edition
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
Spectacularly written
neilcake's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm... would probably take another read to fully appreciate it, but it's not really interesting enough to read a 2nd time. It's a bit disjointed and the POW thing a bit of a damp squib.
bosskii's review against another edition
5.0
This is my second favorite book of all time. I like to think it was written about me!
crummeyforthewin's review against another edition
3.0
I have a feeling I will come to like this book the more I have a chance to reflect on it. It's a very interesting description of one man's quest to discover his "fall" from grace. Golding is not an easy writer to read; he can be very ambiguous, and approaches what he is saying from the side, almost always circling around to the point he is making. He makes the reader work for understanding (somewhat like his characters, I suppose), and to delay the gratification of truly understanding what is going on in the novel, but, as usual, he pulls it all together in the end, leaving the reader with quite an "ah ha" moment. I didn't like the book as much as some of his others (Pincher Martin, for example), but did enjoy what he said about the two realms of faith/supernatural and reason/natural, how, or if, the two can be bridged, and the implications if they cannot.
raytheron's review against another edition
5.0
I first read Free Fall some forty years ago and was struck by the intensity of the novel. This recent re-reading has done nothing to change my view, on the contrary, I probably appreciate it even more now.
Sammy Mountjoy the painter tries to discover when and where he went into "free fall", i.e. when he lost the ability to choose for himself -- when he lost his free will. The novel traces Sammy's life from a small child living with his widowed mother in Rotten Row, a slum, through his school and student life and his obsession with a girl in his class, and ends with him in a German POW camp during WWII.
What makes the novel outstanding is Golding's treatment of his character, showing all his flaws and strengths. Yet his flaws do not detract from his humanness, nor do his strengths (as artist, for example) exalt him. What Mountjoy goes through in his life is both universal and uncommon, and many a reader will see aspects of his or her own life in this. Golding's treatment of Sammy Mountjoy is both sympathetic and coldly objective, something quite rare in much of literature.
Free Fall, Golding's fourth novel, shows clearly why he eventually was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is, like all his works, a tour de force and a must read for anyone who wants to be considered a serious reader of English literature.
Sammy Mountjoy the painter tries to discover when and where he went into "free fall", i.e. when he lost the ability to choose for himself -- when he lost his free will. The novel traces Sammy's life from a small child living with his widowed mother in Rotten Row, a slum, through his school and student life and his obsession with a girl in his class, and ends with him in a German POW camp during WWII.
What makes the novel outstanding is Golding's treatment of his character, showing all his flaws and strengths. Yet his flaws do not detract from his humanness, nor do his strengths (as artist, for example) exalt him. What Mountjoy goes through in his life is both universal and uncommon, and many a reader will see aspects of his or her own life in this. Golding's treatment of Sammy Mountjoy is both sympathetic and coldly objective, something quite rare in much of literature.
Free Fall, Golding's fourth novel, shows clearly why he eventually was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is, like all his works, a tour de force and a must read for anyone who wants to be considered a serious reader of English literature.
orlion's review against another edition
5.0
More accessible than the Inheritors, not nearly as bleak as Pincher Martin, Free Fall begins to show the fruits of William Golding's experimentation after The Lord of the Flies, a labor that will eventually win him the notice and recognition of the Nobel Committee.
In this novel, the narrator ponders when he lost his "free-will", essentially: at what point in his life did he make a leap such that he is stuck in "free fall" unable to choose the course of his fate? The narrator is young, or rather the space in the novel can not exceed more than his first 28 years of life, but I'm not sure if this could be termed a bildungsroman. There are a lot of dialectics at play here, the most notable being rational/religious, forgiveness/guilt and, of course, freedom/set-course. And quite a bit of talk about the taste of potatoes.
Sammy's story does not flow chronologically, but rather in the way time flows in memory. This means that yes, Event A caused Event B, but you may consider Event G before arriving the other two, even as you see the influences of what came before on what came after. This demonstrates Golding's masterful structuring, but also will cause some confusion initially as you here about a person that has not been talked about yet.
Sammy's story is not anything grand. It is actually incredibly mundane ("the taste of potatoes" is a recurring refrain throughout the novel). The writing however is so immediate and powerful, that the mere happenings of Sammy are more intense than the first fifteen minutes of Saving Private Ryan.
William Golding, all ready a master novelist, begins to hit his stride with his fourth novel, Free Fall. Its heavy themes, pedestrian events and poetic writing make for an experience that is enlightening, intense, and somewhat brain-frying.
In this novel, the narrator ponders when he lost his "free-will", essentially: at what point in his life did he make a leap such that he is stuck in "free fall" unable to choose the course of his fate? The narrator is young, or rather the space in the novel can not exceed more than his first 28 years of life, but I'm not sure if this could be termed a bildungsroman. There are a lot of dialectics at play here, the most notable being rational/religious, forgiveness/guilt and, of course, freedom/set-course. And quite a bit of talk about the taste of potatoes.
Sammy's story does not flow chronologically, but rather in the way time flows in memory. This means that yes, Event A caused Event B, but you may consider Event G before arriving the other two, even as you see the influences of what came before on what came after. This demonstrates Golding's masterful structuring, but also will cause some confusion initially as you here about a person that has not been talked about yet.
Sammy's story is not anything grand. It is actually incredibly mundane ("the taste of potatoes" is a recurring refrain throughout the novel). The writing however is so immediate and powerful, that the mere happenings of Sammy are more intense than the first fifteen minutes of Saving Private Ryan.
William Golding, all ready a master novelist, begins to hit his stride with his fourth novel, Free Fall. Its heavy themes, pedestrian events and poetic writing make for an experience that is enlightening, intense, and somewhat brain-frying.
the_oblivious's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
2.25
margeryk101's review against another edition
4.0
I've been swithering about whether I should award this book three or four stars. I've opted for the larger award, as it is a rare candidate for a re-read.
It took me a long time to get into this book, and didn't sit well with reading in small snatches. For a while, I couldn't see where it was going, but I've experienced this before with Golding's novels and know that the reader is rewarded if he/she sticks it out, and so I was.
What made this novel more enjoyable than a simple fictional biography (for me) was the sequencing of the memories: the jumping to and fro gave an element of surprise combined with a satisfying picking up of a common thread, (a thread that only becomes apparent at the tail end of the book).
The language in the first chapter or two in particular was brilliant. Really enjoyed it.
It took me a long time to get into this book, and didn't sit well with reading in small snatches. For a while, I couldn't see where it was going, but I've experienced this before with Golding's novels and know that the reader is rewarded if he/she sticks it out, and so I was.
What made this novel more enjoyable than a simple fictional biography (for me) was the sequencing of the memories: the jumping to and fro gave an element of surprise combined with a satisfying picking up of a common thread, (a thread that only becomes apparent at the tail end of the book).
The language in the first chapter or two in particular was brilliant. Really enjoyed it.
karamelka_kar19's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0