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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
This is a book to be studied. It was completely unreal but also depicted exactly what real people think, feel, and experience. I'll come back to this again in the future.
I did not enjoy this book. It reminded me of why I don't like theater - it's pretentious, overwritten and self-conscious. If there was an overarching point, I missed it. And I didn't enjoy reading it either. A fail on both levels.
This feels like the work of a young author - it is trying way too hard. It is awkward, trying to make a grand statement about the nature of life - and missing. Stylistically this worked for the Luminaries, set in Victorian New Zealand, but it did not work for contemporary teenagers.
A real disappointment.
This feels like the work of a young author - it is trying way too hard. It is awkward, trying to make a grand statement about the nature of life - and missing. Stylistically this worked for the Luminaries, set in Victorian New Zealand, but it did not work for contemporary teenagers.
A real disappointment.
3.75. I did. Like this but I think it would have been better if I had read it in fewer sittings / less when I was tired bc I think her writing needs a lot of energy. But really interestingly written and intriguing
I hardly know where to start with this novel...it was very strange and very confusing - intense, dark and very different to anything else I've read. But I really, really enjoyed it. I think it was the language that grabbed me. Dialogue was delivered as it might be in a theatrical performance with no attempt at making the voices seem 'real', and yet many passages captivated me and made me pause and think, because they seemed to perfectly capture emotional truths that I could relate to.
There are some excellent reviews of this book on goodreads already - so I will let myself off the hook and just jot down a few notes.
The most obvious theme was that of reality versus performance...and the challenge to the reader is to try to decipher what really happened and what was part of a theatrical production, fantasy or memory. The characters at the centre of the 'sex scandel' are written as minor players, and we are left trying to piece together what went on from pieces of second- or third-hand information which may or may not be true. I'm interested in the idea that we all 'perform', to fit our roles in society and in relationships, to impress, to shock, to put people at ease, to make our lives easier, to make us feel good about ourselves etc. There was heaps to think about here, especially about how it is as teenagers and young adults that we are experimenting the most with different 'performances' as we find our place in the world and in society. Do we perform less as we get older (becoming more comfortable in our own skins, more satisfied with who we really are), or is it that our performances have simply become more polished and natural because we have been inhabiting them for so long? Does anyone not perform and how are these people accepted in society? Imagine if someone really spoke as bluntly as the saxophone teacher does?!?
The saxophone teacher was an intriguing character. She was sinister and perceptive, and although she was obviously speaking as in a performance (i.e. acting), she was the one who most often cut to the truth of the matter. She was aware of the fact that all of the characters were actors, but she also responded to them as if they were real. Near the end of the book at the final recital I think she sums up her point of view when she says "There are people who can only see the roles we play, and there are people who can only see the actors pretending. But it's a very rare and strange thing that a person has the power to see both at once: this kind of double vision is a gift."
The theme of power, and abuse of power, also ran though the novel...the power that parents have over children and teachers over students in particular. I liked how this ran both ways though, with exploration of the power that the girls themselves had over their teachers, parents, boys and the other girls in their peer-group.
A throughly interesting and absorbing read with so much to think about...recommended as long as you don't mind feeling a bit uncomfortable and being a little bamboozled!
There are some excellent reviews of this book on goodreads already - so I will let myself off the hook and just jot down a few notes.
The most obvious theme was that of reality versus performance...and the challenge to the reader is to try to decipher what really happened and what was part of a theatrical production, fantasy or memory. The characters at the centre of the 'sex scandel' are written as minor players, and we are left trying to piece together what went on from pieces of second- or third-hand information which may or may not be true. I'm interested in the idea that we all 'perform', to fit our roles in society and in relationships, to impress, to shock, to put people at ease, to make our lives easier, to make us feel good about ourselves etc. There was heaps to think about here, especially about how it is as teenagers and young adults that we are experimenting the most with different 'performances' as we find our place in the world and in society. Do we perform less as we get older (becoming more comfortable in our own skins, more satisfied with who we really are), or is it that our performances have simply become more polished and natural because we have been inhabiting them for so long? Does anyone not perform and how are these people accepted in society? Imagine if someone really spoke as bluntly as the saxophone teacher does?!?
The saxophone teacher was an intriguing character. She was sinister and perceptive, and although she was obviously speaking as in a performance (i.e. acting), she was the one who most often cut to the truth of the matter. She was aware of the fact that all of the characters were actors, but she also responded to them as if they were real. Near the end of the book at the final recital I think she sums up her point of view when she says "There are people who can only see the roles we play, and there are people who can only see the actors pretending. But it's a very rare and strange thing that a person has the power to see both at once: this kind of double vision is a gift."
The theme of power, and abuse of power, also ran though the novel...the power that parents have over children and teachers over students in particular. I liked how this ran both ways though, with exploration of the power that the girls themselves had over their teachers, parents, boys and the other girls in their peer-group.
A throughly interesting and absorbing read with so much to think about...recommended as long as you don't mind feeling a bit uncomfortable and being a little bamboozled!
It was readable, but this book went absolutely nowhere. The writer seemed more interested in exploring the perspectives/motivations of the various characters than on establishing anything resembling a story. There is exactly one event in this book, surrounded by a lot of conversation and, for lack of a better word, drama. I wouldn't waste your time.
(Review first appeared here: http://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.com/2014/04/the-rehearsal-plays-thing.html)
Eleanor Catton's debut novel, The Rehearsal, written as her master's thesis, was published when she was only 23 years old. Her follow-up, The Luminaries, is a hugely complex, massive novel that won her a buttload of awards, recognition, and fame.
David Foster Wallace's debut novel, The Broom of the System, written as his undergraduate thesis, was published when he was 24 years old. His follow up novel, Infinite Jest, was a hugely complex, massive novel that won him a buttload of awards, recognition and fame.
Interesting, isn't it?
There are other comparison between the two, especially, it seems, in their theories on pushing the envelope on what a novel is. And I'm quite certain David Foster Wallace would've LOVED Eleanor Catton's stuff. But it's a little sad to think about. I can tell you this, though, now having read both of Catton's novels: I'll read every word she publishes forever. She's that good.
And but so, The Rehearsal — what a strange, inventive little novel! Publisher's Weekly wrote about The Rehearsal when it was first published in the US in 2010: "It's a good piece of writing, but not an especially enjoyable novel." I actually think it's a GREAT piece of writing, and as piece of fiction read for pleasure, PW might be right that it's not as enjoyable as say, a Dan Brown novel, but it's still immensely enjoyable. It just takes a little work.
The story is this: In the aftermath of a sexual scandal (a teacher slept with a student) at an all-girl's high school, several girls attempt to come to terms with what happened. These girls are all connected by a mysterious saxophone tudor, to whom they tell about the daily goings on in their lives, including the fallout from the scandal. There are three protagonists — one is Isolde, the younger sister of the girl Victoria, who was seduced (or was she the seducer?) by the teacher. Julia is another, she's an outspoken saxophone student and in the same class as Victoria. She and Isolde become acquainted and begin a relationship (or do they?). Finally, intertwined with the story of these girls is the story of acting student Stanley, who has been accepted into the prestigious Drama Institute. The stories converge near the end as Stanley becomes more involved in Isolde's life than he'd probably want to.
Part of the point of the novel — and I highlighted about 37 passages in this novel that relate to this; Catton is AMAZING on a line-by-line basis — is that it's so hard to tell what's genuine and what's an act. Catton writes: “Every word that comes out of your mouth – they’re just lines. They’re lines that you’ve learned very carefully, so carefully you’ve convinced yourself they are yours, but that’s all they are. They’re lines I’ve heard many times before.”
I loved this novel, but I may be in the minority. It's not a "difficult" novel, per se, but it's certainly not a straightforward, point-A-to-point-B type of fiction. We jump back and forth in time, we have several points of view, and sometimes we're not sure if we're in real-time action, or if a character is simply telling a story. It's heady stuff, but even if you don't understand everything Catton's up to here (and I sure didn't!), it's still an absolute pleasure to read. She's quickly become one of my favorite writers.
Eleanor Catton's debut novel, The Rehearsal, written as her master's thesis, was published when she was only 23 years old. Her follow-up, The Luminaries, is a hugely complex, massive novel that won her a buttload of awards, recognition, and fame.
David Foster Wallace's debut novel, The Broom of the System, written as his undergraduate thesis, was published when he was 24 years old. His follow up novel, Infinite Jest, was a hugely complex, massive novel that won him a buttload of awards, recognition and fame.
Interesting, isn't it?
There are other comparison between the two, especially, it seems, in their theories on pushing the envelope on what a novel is. And I'm quite certain David Foster Wallace would've LOVED Eleanor Catton's stuff. But it's a little sad to think about. I can tell you this, though, now having read both of Catton's novels: I'll read every word she publishes forever. She's that good.
And but so, The Rehearsal — what a strange, inventive little novel! Publisher's Weekly wrote about The Rehearsal when it was first published in the US in 2010: "It's a good piece of writing, but not an especially enjoyable novel." I actually think it's a GREAT piece of writing, and as piece of fiction read for pleasure, PW might be right that it's not as enjoyable as say, a Dan Brown novel, but it's still immensely enjoyable. It just takes a little work.
The story is this: In the aftermath of a sexual scandal (a teacher slept with a student) at an all-girl's high school, several girls attempt to come to terms with what happened. These girls are all connected by a mysterious saxophone tudor, to whom they tell about the daily goings on in their lives, including the fallout from the scandal. There are three protagonists — one is Isolde, the younger sister of the girl Victoria, who was seduced (or was she the seducer?) by the teacher. Julia is another, she's an outspoken saxophone student and in the same class as Victoria. She and Isolde become acquainted and begin a relationship (or do they?). Finally, intertwined with the story of these girls is the story of acting student Stanley, who has been accepted into the prestigious Drama Institute. The stories converge near the end as Stanley becomes more involved in Isolde's life than he'd probably want to.
Part of the point of the novel — and I highlighted about 37 passages in this novel that relate to this; Catton is AMAZING on a line-by-line basis — is that it's so hard to tell what's genuine and what's an act. Catton writes: “Every word that comes out of your mouth – they’re just lines. They’re lines that you’ve learned very carefully, so carefully you’ve convinced yourself they are yours, but that’s all they are. They’re lines I’ve heard many times before.”
I loved this novel, but I may be in the minority. It's not a "difficult" novel, per se, but it's certainly not a straightforward, point-A-to-point-B type of fiction. We jump back and forth in time, we have several points of view, and sometimes we're not sure if we're in real-time action, or if a character is simply telling a story. It's heady stuff, but even if you don't understand everything Catton's up to here (and I sure didn't!), it's still an absolute pleasure to read. She's quickly become one of my favorite writers.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
dark
reflective
tense
fast-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
Eleanor Catton may be one of the most clever authors I’ll ever have the privilege of reading. That’s the only word I can think of to describe this book- clever. I spent the entire time in awe of her mind. There’s so much going on, so much that overlaps and I just came to terms with the fact that I might not fully understand it all. I was the same with the luminaries but I truly don’t think it makes for any less of an enjoyable experience. This still has the depth and intelligence of the luminaries but is 1/3 of the size so much less daunting. Now I need to find a copy of birnam wood