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![Saturday by Ian McEwan 4th (fourth) Edition [Paperback(2006)] by Ian McEwan](https://assets.thestorygraph.com/assets/placeholder-cover-a3ae92250eb3301e32dc3eabf8d50576c2f047dda89f6ee7cfa9a859cb1fd746.jpg)
3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Mein erstes Buch von Ian McEwan. Da ich keinerlei Vorstellungen von dem Autor hatte, ging ich vollkommen ohne Erwartungen an dieses Buch ran - und wurde überrascht. Ein Buch, dass nur einen einzigen Tag im Leben eines einzelnen Mannes zeigt - eben den Samstag - welcher ein wenig anders als gewöhnliche Samstage verläuft. Als Ärztin gefiel es mir durch Zufall natürlich sehr gut, dass der Protagonist als Neurochirurg dargestellt wurde und einige Passagen von seiner Arbeit handelten. Ich bin beeindruckt von der Recherche McEwans, was den medizinischen Wahrheitsgehalt des Buches betrifft. Dieses Buch ist eine Empfehlung!
I did not enjoy this book as it really seemed to drag on- it takes place in one day but feels like an eternity. If I'm going to be so intimately involved with a character, I at least want to like or sympathize with him/her. I just really didn't care about the main character- or either of his brilliant offspring or perfect wife. Atonement is still my favorite book by this author; perhaps I should stop reading his work and quit while I'm ahead.
ebook.
i liked this novel. it's a short but complex story of one man's saturday. harry is a neurosurgeon, and a family man. he has two successful and bright children, a beautiful wife he loves, a lucrative career he takes pride in.
this saturday begins and ends with a sexual encounter with his wife. what happens in between is a lot of social and political commentary (and i'm usually not a big fan of social and political commentary), a car crash, a squash game, a concert...and a home intrusion.
it's a beautifully written novel, told by a master of storytelling. told by someone who knows the importance of perceptiveness in his characters and his readers.
i liked this novel. it's a short but complex story of one man's saturday. harry is a neurosurgeon, and a family man. he has two successful and bright children, a beautiful wife he loves, a lucrative career he takes pride in.
this saturday begins and ends with a sexual encounter with his wife. what happens in between is a lot of social and political commentary (and i'm usually not a big fan of social and political commentary), a car crash, a squash game, a concert...and a home intrusion.
it's a beautifully written novel, told by a master of storytelling. told by someone who knows the importance of perceptiveness in his characters and his readers.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Truly lyrical prose. Full of random insights. Interesting story.
First paragraph is spoiler free:
Saturday by Ian McEwan really made me realize how little I actually live in the moment. I loved the idea of stretching one day into a whole story, instead of jumping into a plot that spans weeks or months. It’s such a simple, clever approach, and it hit me because I often feel like I’m just drifting through my daily routine. Perowne’s life felt so intentional and planned—it made me want that for myself too.
Stop reading here if you don't want spoilers!
Baxter. I couldn't dislike him, truthfully. I found myself having a similar mindset to Perowne in that he cannot help his decline and that empathy must naturally lead the way. The living room scene wasn't unexpected - Henry deliberately parked his car to get Baxter's attention in my opinion, his admittance to wanting to see him again and follow Henry home was mentioned - but I naturally did feel uncomfortable with the whole ordeal.
I found myself questioning the ethics of Perowne going to operate on Baxter, too. Surely given the circumstances of what had previously occurred at his very house, to operate on this man would be a potentially dangerous thing especially if something were to go wrong. Conflict of interest. Potential of deliberate harm accusations? He should have at the very least informed the chief of surgery, surely. Then again, with so many off sick, was he the only option? I don't know. It was the only point I questioned. That being said I really enjoyed the accuracy of the medicine. Of the explanations of various things in this book. You can tell that proper research and effort went into it.
Saturday by Ian McEwan really made me realize how little I actually live in the moment. I loved the idea of stretching one day into a whole story, instead of jumping into a plot that spans weeks or months. It’s such a simple, clever approach, and it hit me because I often feel like I’m just drifting through my daily routine. Perowne’s life felt so intentional and planned—it made me want that for myself too.
Stop reading here if you don't want spoilers!
Baxter. I couldn't dislike him, truthfully. I found myself having a similar mindset to Perowne in that he cannot help his decline and that empathy must naturally lead the way. The living room scene wasn't unexpected - Henry deliberately parked his car to get Baxter's attention in my opinion, his admittance to wanting to see him again and follow Henry home was mentioned - but I naturally did feel uncomfortable with the whole ordeal.
I found myself questioning the ethics of Perowne going to operate on Baxter, too. Surely given the circumstances of what had previously occurred at his very house, to operate on this man would be a potentially dangerous thing especially if something were to go wrong. Conflict of interest. Potential of deliberate harm accusations? He should have at the very least informed the chief of surgery, surely. Then again, with so many off sick, was he the only option? I don't know. It was the only point I questioned. That being said I really enjoyed the accuracy of the medicine. Of the explanations of various things in this book. You can tell that proper research and effort went into it.
emotional
reflective
sad
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
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book has cemented two things about McEwan: his writing is outstanding, and that it is not for everyone. There is a dryness in the way he writes. It is a highly honed craft, technically astounding but, for me, lacking in emotion. His dialogue leaves a lot to be desired and, to my mind, breaks the realism.
Nevertheless, I found Saturday to be strangely magnetic. It has an incredibly slow build with McEwan describing almost everything in microscopic detail. It does feel meandering and a little self-indulgent (masturbatory, I saw a review on here describe it, not unfairly) but it did keep me reading. By the time it all kicks off in the final 70 or so pages I found that I couldn’t put the book down.
Nevertheless, I found Saturday to be strangely magnetic. It has an incredibly slow build with McEwan describing almost everything in microscopic detail. It does feel meandering and a little self-indulgent (masturbatory, I saw a review on here describe it, not unfairly) but it did keep me reading. By the time it all kicks off in the final 70 or so pages I found that I couldn’t put the book down.
Soooo good! Would that I could write like McEwan!! Must read