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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Much better than The Thursday Murder Club in my opinion and I feel Richard Osman may well have read this whilst writing his book. Well written, very cutting and funny remarks but I found the entanglements between characters confusing.
You probably only have to read one Muriel Spark novel to realise she doesn't hold human beings in very high esteem. Unless, perhaps, they are mad. She has a soft spot for mad women, as long as they are disruptive. As if this for her is the most adept and wise response to life.
Momento Mori gathers together a set of characters in their twilight years all of whom behave as if they are immortal and are motivated almost exclusively by base emotions. The mercenary self-absorption to which they are prey should be tempered by a series of disarming telephone calls they receive. "Remember, you must die," the voice always says. The voice, of course, is Muriel Spark's. But will her characters listen to her?
The other day I had to stand in line behind an elderly man who was buying dozens of lottery tickets, dozens of scratch cards and a copy of The Daily Mail. I can imagine it was a similar experience that inspired Muriel Spark to write this novel.
This novel is a little longer than is usual for Spark. It's madcap and often very funny. But I can't give all her novels five stars. So this is a 4+.
Momento Mori gathers together a set of characters in their twilight years all of whom behave as if they are immortal and are motivated almost exclusively by base emotions. The mercenary self-absorption to which they are prey should be tempered by a series of disarming telephone calls they receive. "Remember, you must die," the voice always says. The voice, of course, is Muriel Spark's. But will her characters listen to her?
The other day I had to stand in line behind an elderly man who was buying dozens of lottery tickets, dozens of scratch cards and a copy of The Daily Mail. I can imagine it was a similar experience that inspired Muriel Spark to write this novel.
This novel is a little longer than is usual for Spark. It's madcap and often very funny. But I can't give all her novels five stars. So this is a 4+.
I tried so hard with this, my second voyage into the strange world of Muriel Spark. Try as I might, I cannot get on with her, or her style of writing. There were a small handful of amusing moments, but for the majority of the book I was left wishing it was all over. I won't be reading her again.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
Full review at https://kingshearte.blogspot.com/2021/10/memento-mori-muriel-spark.html (minor spoilers)
In the beginning it was hard to get into this book because it felt like I was hoping into a middle of a series and I should already know these characters. But maybe that was intentional because it is a book about old age, or maybe it was the writing style. However I did end up enjoying it as British satires about old people are a genre that i enjoy.
dark
funny
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Novels about the elderly are pretty rare, and comedic ones even more so, I imagine. So Memento Mori is a gem simply for its content and genre. Not every page was interesting, and the cast of characters was a tad too vast for comfort, but I laughed aloud several times and softly chuckled a few more. The humor is rather British, so be prepared for that. People of that era would probably call this cast a bunch of “mean old bats” as most are cruel or careless or both. It’s like each of them sunk a little too far into their own personalities. I certainly didn’t find MM life-changing or even contemplative, but I did have a bit of fun.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes