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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
That was amazzzing.
“The journey south with his mother and the return north almost broke his heart again and again with happiness. It was when he felt most clearly that there was no distinction between himself and what was beyond him - a tree’s sigh or his mother’s song could, it seemed, have been generated by his body.”
“Then, after dinner, when his wife or any visitors had retired, he returned to its quiet and darkness, and before turning on the lamp, allowed himself to become conscious of the smell of the clockmaker’s oils that had once filled this space. He sat there weighing what was already written, half-dreamt during the day, until he fell on a scrap of a sentence, something uncommitted, that would open a door for him.”
“The journey south with his mother and the return north almost broke his heart again and again with happiness. It was when he felt most clearly that there was no distinction between himself and what was beyond him - a tree’s sigh or his mother’s song could, it seemed, have been generated by his body.”
“Then, after dinner, when his wife or any visitors had retired, he returned to its quiet and darkness, and before turning on the lamp, allowed himself to become conscious of the smell of the clockmaker’s oils that had once filled this space. He sat there weighing what was already written, half-dreamt during the day, until he fell on a scrap of a sentence, something uncommitted, that would open a door for him.”
Beautiful, lyrical and dreamy in its utter unwillingness to give the reader a plot to cling to, this will not be to everyone's taste. The first part deals with the story of three people who grew up together on a remote farm and the consequences of two of those sleeping together. But then we essentially get another novella, loosely connected to the first, about a French writer. For those who were really hoping to follow the characters of the first story, the shift might be disappointing. I was just able to wallow in the language, the imagery, and the purity of Ondaatje's writing and go along for the ride.
As I read this book I realized I was re-reading it... Although only faintly remembering each chapter as I came upon it again... enjoyed reading about the different characters and how their lives interconnect but didn't blow me away. [SW book club]
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Whilst I could appreciate the high quality of the writing, this book just didn't engage me the way some of his other books have.
A series of seemingly disconnected parts, with differing timelines, were at times confusing, though they did ultimately connect but ended without total resolution which some people may love, but for me felt frustrating.
I did finish this book but it wasn't a winner for me
A series of seemingly disconnected parts, with differing timelines, were at times confusing, though they did ultimately connect but ended without total resolution which some people may love, but for me felt frustrating.
I did finish this book but it wasn't a winner for me
I liked the chapter in which Claire is riding with the trucker through the Central Valley to Allensworth. I liked all the stuff about California. Unfortunately, getting through the second half of the book was downright painful and the writing just made me squirm.
2.5-3 stars.
My second Michael Ondaatje novel, and it was still with great confusion that I finished his book. I had to skim through the last pages of the book since it gets so dull towards the end with trivial details about characters In whom I can't be interested. Ondaatje seems to me a great writer, but not a good storyteller, and it gets boring reading over two hundred pages of beautiful but void of good plot content proses. I loved Anna and Claire, but all the other characters were rather shallow for me, like persons with no individuality. The first four-fifths of the novel I would rate 4-5 stars, but the last fifth was quite lacking and ruined the story for me, so 2.5-3 stars that is.
My second Michael Ondaatje novel, and it was still with great confusion that I finished his book. I had to skim through the last pages of the book since it gets so dull towards the end with trivial details about characters In whom I can't be interested. Ondaatje seems to me a great writer, but not a good storyteller, and it gets boring reading over two hundred pages of beautiful but void of good plot content proses. I loved Anna and Claire, but all the other characters were rather shallow for me, like persons with no individuality. The first four-fifths of the novel I would rate 4-5 stars, but the last fifth was quite lacking and ruined the story for me, so 2.5-3 stars that is.
Just shy of The English Patient and In the Skin of a Lion for me, but still completely ridiculous and nearly overwhelming in its scale, deilcacy, violence, and beauty. I actually think there were moments of this work that I liked perhaps the most of anything he's ever written, but as an overall novel it lost its cohesion and lagged a little at times. Did I care? No. That reviewer said it best when they described the treatment of love in this novel as feverish, but I can't stress enough how steady and careful the pacing is in this work. Every aspect of the fever is controlled. The prose is delirious, the story is utterly sane even in its most unlikely moments. MICHAEL ONDAATJE WHO ARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved this book. The language and description was so beautiful. The two story arcs seemed kind of incongruous at times, but they definitely paralleled each other. It is a book to be read not for the plot but the language. The only other book by Ondaatje I've read is The English Patient. I have to say I liked this one better.
Not my favorite Ondaatje novel. However, the chapter of Coop pulling off the casino heist was maybe my favorite Ondaatje chapter. I’d love for him to attempt a full book about a thief. It’s an idea he introduces in almost every book with Caravaggio or a similarly mischievous character.