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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
There are more pop culture references in this than may be expected. Honestly not sure I jive with that. This is darkly humorous with what seemed to be a heavier emphasis on the former adverb than the latter adjective. Mid-century British black comedies that culminate in grim punchline (or sherry line)-endings always seem to be good for a few nostril exhales (see also: Waugh’s The Loved One.)
No deposit, no return: do authors have a sell-by date? I wondered this about Philip Roth recently - whether we need anymore some old white American dude mansplaining the world. A bit of a shock to find it may be the same with La Bainbridge at least as far as The Bottle Factory Outing is concerned. Perhaps it feels so dated not just because of the coyly irritating attitudes of the central characters - good time girl Freda and her plain, timid flatmate Brenda, who seem a less adventurous and funny version of the Liber Birds, but also that it can’t make up its mind: social comedy, mystery or belle lettre, and as a result it’s an odd hybrid that confuses. Perhaps treated as a period piece it fared better, but I’d honestly prefer to drop it in the recycling bank.
As I began this book, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, the start, for me, was slow, however, I worked my way through the book, and by the time I reached the end, I realised that the book had extended tentacles that had curled around me and drawn me in. I had to read the end of one particular chapter three times to ensure that what I thought had happened had really happened. Freda and Brenda, two women who work together and live together in an overly-intimate, claustrophobic bedsit could not be more different. Freda, more romantic and yearning for a relationship is more assertive and bossy, taking what control she can over the course that she wants her life to take. Brenda, a wife who has fled from a marriage for reasons that the reader is mostly forced to take a guess at, is beaten down by her circumstances. She almost cannot say no, and finds her body constantly being raked over by the factory manager because she is unable to assert herself. I found this perhaps the most depressing aspect of this book - the way in which women were routinely subjected to sexual invasion and expected to accept it, if not be complicit in it. The narrative was intriguing, and there was a strong sense of character, with casual sexism and racism thrown in to depict a workplace that is simmering with underlying tensions. Perhaps a microcosm for the larger world in which we live? The ending sat uncomfortably with me and this is possibly one of the greatest strengths of the novel. I think I will certainly be moving on to explore more by this writer.
Starts out as a very 70s working class novel - I mean it deals with the working class... then it suddenly turns into a Agatha Christie's who done it. Towards the end it turns out to be a psyhcological novel. I enjoyed it but you must also be a bit interested in the social aspect of the past to appreciate it (I think).
This is an odd little book. Combo of absurdism, Joyce and Dreiser, this story tells the tale of a couple of friends' unfortunately happenings at a work picnic. The prose was sparse and none of the characters very developed, but it was quite readable. I don't know if I'd go as far as recommending it, but I wouldn't be upset if I caught you reading it.
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dipping my toe into the more batshit and bizarre and I had a good time with Beryl. Everyone in this book is so messy and comical yet matter-of-fact, it's such a window into madness and the lives of lost women
2009 bookcrossing:
I had never heard of Beryl Bainbridge before I picked up this book. It says in the front that she was born in the 30s in Liverpool. This book was first written in the 70s. It is set in London and focuses on two women: the dramatic and well-built blonde Freda, and the skinny, mousey Brenda, who have haphazardly joined forces in life. They share a bedsit and bed and work at an Italian bottle factory. Freda is keen to seduce the Italian manager, and arranges a works outing for one Sunday. Brenda is dreading it because she is being persued by another of the Italian managers. The day trip doesn´t exactly go to plan and ends really quite grimly.
The book really focuses in on the events and people´s conversations - I mean, time-wise this isn´t a long story. But this doesn´t make it boring or feel long and drawn out. It was a pretty addictive read: I finished it in a day. There are some fantastic characters in this book, and I would certainly try more of her work if I ever come across it.
One of the minor characters really fascinated me - Brenda´s mad mother-in-law. Some of the little anecdotes about what she did were brilliant. I particularly liked the one about her sneaking out in the wee small hours, stealing the hens´eggs to draw faces on them before putting them back.
I had never heard of Beryl Bainbridge before I picked up this book. It says in the front that she was born in the 30s in Liverpool. This book was first written in the 70s. It is set in London and focuses on two women: the dramatic and well-built blonde Freda, and the skinny, mousey Brenda, who have haphazardly joined forces in life. They share a bedsit and bed and work at an Italian bottle factory. Freda is keen to seduce the Italian manager, and arranges a works outing for one Sunday. Brenda is dreading it because she is being persued by another of the Italian managers. The day trip doesn´t exactly go to plan and ends really quite grimly.
The book really focuses in on the events and people´s conversations - I mean, time-wise this isn´t a long story. But this doesn´t make it boring or feel long and drawn out. It was a pretty addictive read: I finished it in a day. There are some fantastic characters in this book, and I would certainly try more of her work if I ever come across it.
One of the minor characters really fascinated me - Brenda´s mad mother-in-law. Some of the little anecdotes about what she did were brilliant. I particularly liked the one about her sneaking out in the wee small hours, stealing the hens´eggs to draw faces on them before putting them back.