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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
"You look for one thing and find another"
I was successfully duped into playing detective, scrutinising and mentally cataloging characters movements (much like the obsessive character of Alec Warner) in search of a culprit. But of course, I should have remembered, I was reading Muriel Spark. (And while you're in the habit of remembering: remember you must die.)
A dark comedy about aging - reminding us that death comes for us all, and it is rarely graceful. As it is with Spark, we are introduced to a collection of largely unlikeable characters, each with their vices: gossiping, paranoid, meddlesome, arrogant, extorting, or obsessive; and each with at least one skeleton looming in their closet.
And what do we learn in our romp through the lives of these geriatrics? No matter how many times you change your will, you cannot control your legacy. The elderly are vulnerable - not because they are physically weak, but because they are presumed senile (even among themselves). Neither acknowledging nor ignoring the inevitability of death will save you from it. You won't find the answers you're looking for (but you might find something else).
Perhaps if I retain my faculties, I will remember to re-read this in my dotage...
I was successfully duped into playing detective, scrutinising and mentally cataloging characters movements (much like the obsessive character of Alec Warner) in search of a culprit. But of course, I should have remembered, I was reading Muriel Spark. (And while you're in the habit of remembering: remember you must die.)
A dark comedy about aging - reminding us that death comes for us all, and it is rarely graceful. As it is with Spark, we are introduced to a collection of largely unlikeable characters, each with their vices: gossiping, paranoid, meddlesome, arrogant, extorting, or obsessive; and each with at least one skeleton looming in their closet.
And what do we learn in our romp through the lives of these geriatrics? No matter how many times you change your will, you cannot control your legacy. The elderly are vulnerable - not because they are physically weak, but because they are presumed senile (even among themselves). Neither acknowledging nor ignoring the inevitability of death will save you from it. You won't find the answers you're looking for (but you might find something else).
Perhaps if I retain my faculties, I will remember to re-read this in my dotage...
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
A book of characters entirely made up of septuagenarians and octogenarians, and I loved every bit of it. I cannot wait to read more books by Muriel Spark.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
A book of characters entirely made up of septuagenarians and octogenarians, and I loved every bit of it. I cannot wait to read more books by Muriel Spark.
This was a surprisingly appropriate read for the end of the Lenten season and for finishing on Easter morning. At times riotously funny, this was also a serious meditation on being elderly and also being aware that one will die. Many of the characters spend their time wasting their lives in trivial pursuits, despite being so close to the end, never remembering to focus on the truly important things. Despite sounding a bit dreary, this was a joyful read and highly recommended.
This was a weird little story (as Muriel Spark's tend to be, it seems), but I really liked it. Her characters have humour and warmth, even when they're not good or nice. I liked the variety in her elderly characters; they were all individuals, with interesting interior lives.
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes