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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have no idea why I ordered this book, but I'm pleased I did. A surprisingly amusing and at times hilarious (I lolled more than once) novel set in 1920s Ireland during the 'troubles'.
The situational hilarity of PG Wodehouse crossed with a historic seriousness redolent of Forster or Rushdie.
Imagine an ex-British army major bound, through accident and his own free will, to a labyrinthine hotel falling down around their heads and an ever mutating throng of cats. Throw in a tally-ho old landlord, a pack of doddery old ladies, a sullen waiter, and a country slowly pulling itself apart, and you've got quite the melting pot.
Structure a little lacking in the final third. I wasn't quite sure what the point of it was besides the continuation of preexisting jokes. If it had been 150 pages shorter it would've been a 5-star read.
The situational hilarity of PG Wodehouse crossed with a historic seriousness redolent of Forster or Rushdie.
Imagine an ex-British army major bound, through accident and his own free will, to a labyrinthine hotel falling down around their heads and an ever mutating throng of cats. Throw in a tally-ho old landlord, a pack of doddery old ladies, a sullen waiter, and a country slowly pulling itself apart, and you've got quite the melting pot.
Structure a little lacking in the final third. I wasn't quite sure what the point of it was besides the continuation of preexisting jokes. If it had been 150 pages shorter it would've been a 5-star read.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I listened to this not realizing it was abridged. That might explain why I didn't understand it. (E.g., who are "the twins"?) The story was too weird and empty. I am not sure what it's about, except maybe an impressionist's take on a declining hotel and its lingering residents living an obsolete lifestyle.
However, I did like the music between scenes.
However, I did like the music between scenes.
A sparkling and witty, often hilarious, novel taking place at the rapidly deteriorating Majestic Hotel in Ireland against the backdrop of the Troubles in the years after the Easter Rebellion in 1919.
A slow burner but worth sticking with to the end
"These days, of course, he was never asked to do anything, for his reason was quite clearly unhinged. He was merely there, a cadaverous relic of a happier time."
I really enjoyed J.G. Farrell's "Troubles"... such a fun read!
Major Brendan Archer has just returned to the war and heads to Ireland to figure out whether he is really engaged to Angela Spencer, whom he corresponded with during the war and seems to have developed an "understanding" with prior to leaving. He stays in her family's crumbling hotel, the Majestic, as the country's unrest over Irish independence, known as The Troubles, starts to reach a fever pitch.
There are great characters here, especially the beleaguered Major who seems unable to fix any of the troubles he encounters. I'm looking forward to reading more of Farrell's novels.
Major Brendan Archer has just returned to the war and heads to Ireland to figure out whether he is really engaged to Angela Spencer, whom he corresponded with during the war and seems to have developed an "understanding" with prior to leaving. He stays in her family's crumbling hotel, the Majestic, as the country's unrest over Irish independence, known as The Troubles, starts to reach a fever pitch.
There are great characters here, especially the beleaguered Major who seems unable to fix any of the troubles he encounters. I'm looking forward to reading more of Farrell's novels.
What can I say about this book? Well, it's a story about Ireland and the Irish, in a fairly melancholy, pessimistic tone. The story is told an several sections, in a way that seems almost disjointed, it is so episodic; only the mood remains consistent. Readers who have suggested that the story is more telling the life of the broken-down old hotel 'The Majestic' are probably closest to the clearest reading of the text. Symbolism abounds in the text, which has by authorial sleight of hand managed to contract the entire Anglo-Irish political upheaval. However, in contrast to other stories of Irish domestic life, the like of which [a:Frank McCourt|3347|Frank McCourt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1263585664p2/3347.jpg] or [a:Iris Murdoch|7287|Iris Murdoch|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1238673382p2/7287.jpg] produce, [a:J.G. Farrell|1417512|J.G. Farrell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1307625399p2/1417512.jpg] writes in a way that is more empty, more hopeless - a better analogy to his work would be [a:Samuel Beckett|1433597|Samuel Beckett|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393220740p2/1433597.jpg]. Tragically he was swept out to see while fishing, at the age of 44, and has only a limited catalogue as a result.