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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Well. This is just about the weirdest book I have ever read but I kind of love it. The characters are bizarre but not unlikable and I found myself really caring about them deeply. It's unwieldy and overwrought like Gormenghast castle itself, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am looking forward to the next (though maybe something lighter first).
Man, this guy knows how to stretch out a sentence. If you're looking for a bleak archaic word-portrait of a surrealist realm of melancholy, this is your ticket. My qualm is it's more of a grotesque painting (as the focus of the "novel" is almost solely on the description of one-note scenes with characters each defined by a particular kind of self-indulgence) rather than plot or character development. Unsure how this plays out in the next two books. Interesting from a stylistic perspective (I was interested in reading this after seeing China Mieville cite Mervyn Peake as his chief source of inspiration).
Actual Rating: I DO NOT KNOW
I am so conflicted about this book. On one hand, it is this classic novel, which manages to masterfully, over 500 pages, cultivate and build this general air of unease. The characters are individual, the plot unlike anything I've seen before, the description very well done.
Yet on the other hand, it took me about a week to make it through (the day after I finished it I read three books.) The characters were super. weird. ((some sophisticated literary criticism going on here)) and I liked each of them less and less as it went on and they all gradually went mad or died or both (there were one or two who didn't but even they weren't particularly likeable). There was no one really to root for, and a lot of people to root against.
Also, not huge amount of plot development. A lot of things happened, but not a lot of important ones.
If you like rambling unease and a sinister air this may be for you, but I think my main problem was just that I didn't really enjoy reading it.
I even read the plot of the next two, something I virtually never do, and I can't see myself forcing myself to read another 1000 pages.
However, I will say that it has stayed with me. I see hipbones I think of the unmarried sister, I see certain arrangements of belongings I think of the attic, and I am reminded of certain phrases or things he said rather often. So that, I think, is rather important.
I am so conflicted about this book. On one hand, it is this classic novel, which manages to masterfully, over 500 pages, cultivate and build this general air of unease. The characters are individual, the plot unlike anything I've seen before, the description very well done.
Yet on the other hand, it took me about a week to make it through (the day after I finished it I read three books.) The characters were super. weird. ((some sophisticated literary criticism going on here)) and I liked each of them less and less as it went on and they all gradually went mad or died or both (there were one or two who didn't but even they weren't particularly likeable). There was no one really to root for, and a lot of people to root against.
Also, not huge amount of plot development. A lot of things happened, but not a lot of important ones.
If you like rambling unease and a sinister air this may be for you, but I think my main problem was just that I didn't really enjoy reading it.
I even read the plot of the next two, something I virtually never do, and I can't see myself forcing myself to read another 1000 pages.
However, I will say that it has stayed with me. I see hipbones I think of the unmarried sister, I see certain arrangements of belongings I think of the attic, and I am reminded of certain phrases or things he said rather often. So that, I think, is rather important.
Rich imagery and world building - I want to explore the seemingly infinite hidden rooms in the castle. The language can be heavy but that is part of the fun of the novel as it allows for a sly humour.
I’m not saying this is 5 stars because it’s a masterpiece I’m saying it’s 5 stars because it’s just a bunch of weirdos in a castle doing things like arson. Wurthering Heights but batshit insane if you will.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Экспериментальную прозу, включая написанную развивающимся текстом, вообще не так просто читать, но в нужное время, в нужном месте, с нужным настроением всё может пойти именно так, как нужно. Читал, вспоминая феноменологические исследования Башляра о домах, гнёздах, сундуках и убежищах, читал, воображая чердак в паутине, на котором вместо Флэя и Свелтера по тому же поводу сходятся Набоков и Кафка, читал, предполагая, что Макондо не так далеко от Горменгаста, читал под пение водосточной трубы, вспомнив одновременно Вальтера Скотта и фразу "Эдинбург, Шотландия, делал мастер Гальвестон", читал, изведав отчаяние и насытившись им, читал под шорох лап и урчание стаи белых котов. Как это часто бывает, третьей книгой был несколько разочарован - не следует объяснять понятное, понимаемое, пока читаешь.
Горменгаст - везде и нигде.
Горменгаст - везде и нигде.
medium-paced
Interesting themes. Peake has a weird thing about describing the shape of the characters’ heads and about how fat a particular character is… #menwritingwomen vibes
dark
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes