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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Just not the right time. Will return to it at a later date.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
The Black Prince follows (anti)hero *cough* Hamlet *cough* I mean Iris Murd- I mean Bradley Pearson, as he attempts to navigate his identity -and what it means, to be an writer and story -I mean “truth” teller.
Oh, as well as including -but not limited to; a murder, an affair, a rather strange (possibly Oedipus-esq) relationship, a suicide and rape (?) -or at least a pretty uncomfortable, sexual encounter.
Let’s just say I’m glad this wasn’t my first foray into Murdochs work, as it’s certainly not the easiest or enjoyable of reads.
To summarise; Started off well, middle section SERIOUSLY dragged, but I did find the ending somewhat intriguing -shame it wasn’t enough to win my over in the long run though.
Think mediocre -somewhat philosophical, soap opera. Featuring a plethora of thee most frustrating, toxic and egotistical of characters, and outlandish plot, and you’re not too far off.
2.5/3 stars
Oh, as well as including -but not limited to; a murder, an affair, a rather strange (possibly Oedipus-esq) relationship, a suicide and rape (?) -or at least a pretty uncomfortable, sexual encounter.
Let’s just say I’m glad this wasn’t my first foray into Murdochs work, as it’s certainly not the easiest or enjoyable of reads.
To summarise; Started off well, middle section SERIOUSLY dragged, but I did find the ending somewhat intriguing -shame it wasn’t enough to win my over in the long run though.
Think mediocre -somewhat philosophical, soap opera. Featuring a plethora of thee most frustrating, toxic and egotistical of characters, and outlandish plot, and you’re not too far off.
2.5/3 stars
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"This is a form of insanity, Bradley. Only the insane think there are planes which are separate from other planes. It's all a muddle, Bradley, it's all a muddle. God knows, I'm saying this to you in kindness."
A muddle indeed.
Ok, so Bradley Pearson (B.P., you see?) is a "writer." He's the author of this text, sure, but the discerning reader will quickly realize that he is in fact a tax man of some sort. He is surrounded by an impressively realized cast of caricatures, a bumbling group of parasites who have all latched onto Bradley for one reason or another, and his attempts to satisfy or avoid their expectations form the basis of the plot, mostly. The catch, though, is that just as Bradley is clearly not being entirely honest with his readers, none of these characters are honest with one another. I don't think there's a single conversation in this book that isn't immediately followed by one that completely contradicts it. I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrator, and this book is full of them. This really was an excellently constructed book in these regards, particularly the way the text rises and falls with Bradley's emotional state.
Unfortunately, the book is marred by a number of seemingly endless philosophical asides where Bradley addresses the reader directly. The worst part about these is that they just make explicit (painfully, painfully explicit) the themes and insights that the reader should be picking up through the story anyway. Poor form, Murdoch.
(also, and I don't think this is giving too much away here, but even if you are writing an old-man-and-young-girl love story from some sort of critical perspective that leads the reader to feel disgusted with the man... it's still an old-man-and-young-girl love story, which is so, so tiresome and problematic)
A muddle indeed.
Ok, so Bradley Pearson (B.P., you see?) is a "writer." He's the author of this text, sure, but the discerning reader will quickly realize that he is in fact a tax man of some sort. He is surrounded by an impressively realized cast of caricatures, a bumbling group of parasites who have all latched onto Bradley for one reason or another, and his attempts to satisfy or avoid their expectations form the basis of the plot, mostly. The catch, though, is that just as Bradley is clearly not being entirely honest with his readers, none of these characters are honest with one another. I don't think there's a single conversation in this book that isn't immediately followed by one that completely contradicts it. I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrator, and this book is full of them. This really was an excellently constructed book in these regards, particularly the way the text rises and falls with Bradley's emotional state.
Unfortunately, the book is marred by a number of seemingly endless philosophical asides where Bradley addresses the reader directly. The worst part about these is that they just make explicit (painfully, painfully explicit) the themes and insights that the reader should be picking up through the story anyway. Poor form, Murdoch.
(also, and I don't think this is giving too much away here, but even if you are writing an old-man-and-young-girl love story from some sort of critical perspective that leads the reader to feel disgusted with the man... it's still an old-man-and-young-girl love story, which is so, so tiresome and problematic)
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
There's a good bookshop in Cork, Vibes & Scribes, and I went in there during my very last trip only I had no money & didn't know if I'd be staying in Ireland & had no room in my bag for the hardcover book I'd picked off the shelf at random and felt compelled towards. I'd have loved to get the same edition--I just loved the cover with Julian-as-Hamlet on it--but I am just lucky I found it at all. When I got to Golden I went to Bacchus first thing and bought this book, I couldn't wait at all, I had to have it.
The bare essentials of the plot & premise, the fact that it's consists chiefly of a bunch of toxic relationships and infidelities among a bunch of middle-class white Londoners, seems entirely uninteresting. A middle-aged writer-man with performance anxiety (sexually & artistically) is banal. But of course it's more than that because Bradley Pearson is so unreliable as to require five afterwords, none of which really clear things up, and I'm curious as to why all of the praise on the back of the novel has to do with it being a "love story" because it's not that in the least.
I was in this mostly for the rich writing and the meditations on art and different types of artists. I kept wanting to put the book down and get to my own writing which was both frustrating and encouraging. It's not about whether I agreed with anything BP said, really, but the fact that it put forward so many ideas and ways of thinking about writing and craft and I like nothing better than tossing about numerous and opposing ideas. I loved the sinister element throughout it, I loved how many contradictions it contained, and I loved the proposed ways of analysing it suggested by the numerous afterwords. Even in those commentaries you have to pick and choose what is to be believed (I agree with most but not all of Marloe, loved Rachel's suggestion that BP had never read Homer, felt rattled by Julian not telling us anything more concrete). I can see why a lot of people wouldn't like this book, and the plethora of one-star reviews doesn't surprise me, but for me, in it were a lot of things that I wanted to find.
The bare essentials of the plot & premise, the fact that it's consists chiefly of a bunch of toxic relationships and infidelities among a bunch of middle-class white Londoners, seems entirely uninteresting. A middle-aged writer-man with performance anxiety (sexually & artistically) is banal. But of course it's more than that because Bradley Pearson is so unreliable as to require five afterwords, none of which really clear things up, and I'm curious as to why all of the praise on the back of the novel has to do with it being a "love story" because it's not that in the least.
I was in this mostly for the rich writing and the meditations on art and different types of artists. I kept wanting to put the book down and get to my own writing which was both frustrating and encouraging. It's not about whether I agreed with anything BP said, really, but the fact that it put forward so many ideas and ways of thinking about writing and craft and I like nothing better than tossing about numerous and opposing ideas. I loved the sinister element throughout it, I loved how many contradictions it contained, and I loved the proposed ways of analysing it suggested by the numerous afterwords. Even in those commentaries you have to pick and choose what is to be believed (I agree with most but not all of Marloe, loved Rachel's suggestion that BP had never read Homer, felt rattled by Julian not telling us anything more concrete). I can see why a lot of people wouldn't like this book, and the plethora of one-star reviews doesn't surprise me, but for me, in it were a lot of things that I wanted to find.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Good
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated