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dorthepedersen_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Denne bog nr. 3 i kvartetten er den hidtil mest letlæste, og det geniale perspektivskifte afslører lag på lag af årsager og konsekvenser og sammenhænge. Det kræver stadig en indsats at læse Durrell, men under arbejdet bliver man samtidig afhængig af Alexandria!
sarahreadsaverylot's review
4.0
Five stars for language, three stars for narrative choices which disappointed profoundly.
In the words of Balthazar, "Truth naked and unashamed. That's a splendid phrase. But we always see her as she seems, never as she is. Each man has his own interpretation."
How true this has proven in the first two novels, and indeed is still borne out in the characteristic epistolary passages that abound throughout Mountolive.
As a 'sibling' to Justine and Balthazar, I had my heart set on Mountolive being a further exploration of the nature of perspective (and the resulting and unavoidable human folly), but Durrell's choice of third person omniscient narration robbed me of the chance to see the relative 'truths' of his characters continue to unfold. While I can see how it helped to move events forward, it really felt like a bit of a cop-out to provide (however unreliable) an omniscient 'birds eye view' of the various dramas/characters/events etc.
Nevertheless, the prose is in top form:
In summary, heart-breakingly elegant prose, infuriating 'insights' and wisdom spouted (ironically? satirically? earnestly?) seamlessly from brilliantly conceived characters, and a narrative style with the most jarring omniscient perspective I've yet to encounter in literature.
Looking forward to Clea!
In the words of Balthazar, "Truth naked and unashamed. That's a splendid phrase. But we always see her as she seems, never as she is. Each man has his own interpretation."
How true this has proven in the first two novels, and indeed is still borne out in the characteristic epistolary passages that abound throughout Mountolive.
As a 'sibling' to Justine and Balthazar, I had my heart set on Mountolive being a further exploration of the nature of perspective (and the resulting and unavoidable human folly), but Durrell's choice of third person omniscient narration robbed me of the chance to see the relative 'truths' of his characters continue to unfold. While I can see how it helped to move events forward, it really felt like a bit of a cop-out to provide (however unreliable) an omniscient 'birds eye view' of the various dramas/characters/events etc.
Nevertheless, the prose is in top form:
Spoiler
especially memorable were the night-fishing scenes, the reactions to Narouz's death, and of course the Egyptian landscape and the city of Alexandria. I found myself wishing desperately for a return to some form of character-narration--how much more potent would the Nessim-Justine marriage proposal/political intrigue have been coming from Justine's perspective? Or Nessim's? Why couldn't Pursewarden's suicide be treated through the lense of Nessim's panic? And what if Mountolive had kept some sort of journal and introduced himself into the narrative, rather than being presented in Durrell's omniscient voice? It is clear that Durrell has the ability, so why avoid the opportunity?In summary, heart-breakingly elegant prose, infuriating 'insights' and wisdom spouted (ironically? satirically? earnestly?) seamlessly from brilliantly conceived characters, and a narrative style with the most jarring omniscient perspective I've yet to encounter in literature.
Looking forward to Clea!
kate_in_a_book's review
4.0
The most political in this series, and the least poetic.
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=1680
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=1680
lasanfe's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
greenspe's review
3.0
Wow, it took me almost 11 months to finish this book... Justine and Balthazar each took me about two weeks (granted, I did put Mountolive down from May to December).
I think the writing was better here than in the first two (I realize I am in a notable minority on that one), but I also had far less patience for the national/regional stereotypes. Several of the chapters near the end were among the best in the series.
Guess I will be reading Clea!
I think the writing was better here than in the first two (I realize I am in a notable minority on that one), but I also had far less patience for the national/regional stereotypes. Several of the chapters near the end were among the best in the series.
Guess I will be reading Clea!
rhonaea's review
4.0
My preference of the three, Mountolive really engages with the character of David Mountolive in a way the other characters seem shadowy, living on undisclosed sources, amoral and hedonistic (heyho, nice but not really believable). Mountolive encounters the story for a different perspective and discloses more of Pursewarden’s suicide, substantiates the character of Nessie and Leila, and reveals the gunrunning of Copts to Palestine. It finishes with a wake…
rupertowen's review against another edition
3.0
There's not much I can add to these review besides my own personal opinion. I enjoy Lawrence's work, language and ability to capture a moment. The first five chapters were artfully crafted but I found the core of the book to be laboured up until the point of the last three chapters, where it felt Lawrence had a renewed energy for the prose. The characters were all a bit dreamy and I understand that the setting probably overshadowed the diplomatic intrigue and characterisation, but for me there were but few gripping interactions between them. But having said that it is by no means a bad read or poor piece of work, but I had to find a compatible setting to compliment that of the book.
vpodhorny's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
sawsan_bhaa's review
3.0
هو انا متأثرة الحقيقة ان ناس كتير اعطتها 5 بس للاسف محبتش ابجزء ده يعني محستش له علاقة بالأحداث اوي ..حبيت الاجزاء اللي بتكشف عن علاقة نسيم وجوستين اكتر