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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Very funny, touches on the tropes of the difference between British and American culture, surprising plot-twists, but a somewhat anticlimactic ending. Recommended for academics.
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was given to me by a fellow teacher who I exceedingly appreciate. He asked me whether this novel, published in the mid 70s, still works today. I was born ten years after the satire hit the markets, so my colleague wasn't sure, I'd "get it".
Some of the ideas and politics within David Lodge's text have fallen out of time. From a 2024 perspective, some of exchanges seem dated - if not completely irrelevant. The swearing and open discourse of sexuality might have been shocking then, but surely appear harmless today. A bit of knowledge about certain social and political movements helps understand what's going on on this front and a bit of knowledge about English literature can't hurt either. None of both is necessary to "get it", though.
Having that out of the way, "Changing Places" at times is laugh-out-loud funny. It is sarcastic and clever, heartfelt and sincere and often displays all the little vanities and hypocrisies that are so innate to the human species - especially, it seems, in academia ;) Contrasting the academic systems of the UK and the US was amusing and informative. I thoroughly enjoyed all the wordplay, purposeful naiming of characters and places and nods I could find, eventhough it took me 50 pages to register Philip Morris! The sardonic views on authors and (academic) writing in general were cleverly woven into the plot. The stylistic choice to switch between text types I found to be skilfully done and quite entertaining and Lodge did not shy away making light of his own concepts.
"There's a whole chapter on how to write an epistolary novel, but surely nobody's done that since the eighteenth century?
Love from all of us here, Hilary"
According to Let's Write a Novel only one of the three types of ending can be considered the worst choice and keeping with the tone of the book, I think Lodge chose the freeze frame wisely, even if this miffed some readers. The author does not compromise :)
This was my first novel by David Lodge and I feel inclined to read more of his. This was a lighthearted, highly entertaining and clever read.
Some of the ideas and politics within David Lodge's text have fallen out of time. From a 2024 perspective, some of exchanges seem dated - if not completely irrelevant. The swearing and open discourse of sexuality might have been shocking then, but surely appear harmless today. A bit of knowledge about certain social and political movements helps understand what's going on on this front and a bit of knowledge about English literature can't hurt either. None of both is necessary to "get it", though.
Having that out of the way, "Changing Places" at times is laugh-out-loud funny. It is sarcastic and clever, heartfelt and sincere and often displays all the little vanities and hypocrisies that are so innate to the human species - especially, it seems, in academia ;) Contrasting the academic systems of the UK and the US was amusing and informative. I thoroughly enjoyed all the wordplay, purposeful naiming of characters and places and nods I could find, eventhough it took me 50 pages to register Philip Morris! The sardonic views on authors and (academic) writing in general were cleverly woven into the plot. The stylistic choice to switch between text types I found to be skilfully done and quite entertaining and Lodge did not shy away making light of his own concepts.
"There's a whole chapter on how to write an epistolary novel, but surely nobody's done that since the eighteenth century?
Love from all of us here, Hilary"
According to Let's Write a Novel only one of the three types of ending can be considered the worst choice and keeping with the tone of the book, I think Lodge chose the freeze frame wisely, even if this miffed some readers. The author does not compromise :)
This was my first novel by David Lodge and I feel inclined to read more of his. This was a lighthearted, highly entertaining and clever read.
This was a pretty funny book. It's not my usual, but I did like how it followed around two university professors who more or less switched lives as the novel wore on. The ending was unlike anything else I've ever read, and I'm honestly not sure whether I liked it or not. I was able to appreciate it, but it still brought the rating down slightly.
I got a notification from the library that my request was fulfilled and waiting for me and it was this book, which I had no memory of requesting. After reading it, I googled it, and one of the main characters was loosely based on a writer who'd written an article I had to read for jurisprudence. So I requested it in a totally perverse procrastination apparently, lmao.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
2,5*
'Who's going to get fucked in the streets when the revolution comes, tell me that? Women, that's who, whether they like it or not. [...] Call that a revolution? Don't make me laugh.'
Désirée, thank you.
'Who's going to get fucked in the streets when the revolution comes, tell me that? Women, that's who, whether they like it or not. [...] Call that a revolution? Don't make me laugh.'
Désirée, thank you.
David Lodge is lots of fun to read, especially if you are or have ever been in academics.