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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
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
Memento Mori defies easy categorization or distillation. To read the back cover is to imagine a thriller featuring the geriatric set of a tawny London suburb, but there are several sections of the book where that story line dips so far into the background that I nearly forgot it was, apparently, the story.
The novel's chief focus is on aging, the fragility of life, and mortality as seen from a group of characters who are almost all over the age of 70. As this group of well-to-do retirees careen in and out of one another's lives, they touch on issues of familial jealousy, class, honor, sanity, and religion. Many of these are well-worn, universal topics but rarely are they given voice by septau- and octogenarians with no counterpoint from the middle-aged or youth. The point of view is unique and despite Spark's relative youth (41 years) at the time she penned Memento Mori, I rarely felt as though she patronized or belittled her elderly pro/antagonists.
On top of that, Spark is whip smart and hilarious--some of her matrons will remind contemporary readers of the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey.
The novel's chief focus is on aging, the fragility of life, and mortality as seen from a group of characters who are almost all over the age of 70. As this group of well-to-do retirees careen in and out of one another's lives, they touch on issues of familial jealousy, class, honor, sanity, and religion. Many of these are well-worn, universal topics but rarely are they given voice by septau- and octogenarians with no counterpoint from the middle-aged or youth. The point of view is unique and despite Spark's relative youth (41 years) at the time she penned Memento Mori, I rarely felt as though she patronized or belittled her elderly pro/antagonists.
On top of that, Spark is whip smart and hilarious--some of her matrons will remind contemporary readers of the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey.
I wouldn't have thought that a book about a group of stuffy British septuagenarians (in the 1950s) could be gripping. Muriel Spark is an excellent writer. The pretext for the plot is vaguely thriller like (the previously mentioned group of elderly people starts getting a series of anonymous threatening phone calls) but this book couldn't be more different from a mystery. Social commentary and satire is more like it. Not my favourite Spark but I'm happy I read it.
I missed the mark here. Although I did smile here and there I can't describe it as a black comedy, a locution that often appears in other review.
It's a pleasant story, but I struggle to finish it.
It's a pleasant story, but I struggle to finish it.
dark
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wasn’t particularly fond of the novel, but I was able to finish reading it for my class. I found it quite boring at times, even in the context of character-driven books.
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this back in the 80s and remember really liking it. So I got another copy and dug in. Wow, how my perspective on what constitutes a great (or even good) book has changed! Parts of it were hilarious - a bunch of old people revealing their secrets and gossiping about one another - but the ending was so unsatisfactory, and, frankly, now that I'm in my late 60s, reading about elderly folks coming to grips (or not) with their inevitable demise isn't so darn appealing.