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dorthepedersen_reads's review
4.0
Sidste bog i kvartetten - ærgerligt, at den ikke bliver ved i én uendelighed! Jeg tager mig selv i at ønske mig endnu en bog, endnu en vinkel - f.eks. kunne den hedde "Amril"!
Aldrig før har jeg oplevet en by blive beskrevet så menneskelignende, så sanseligt.
Jeg kommer til at savne Durrell! F.eks. side 210: "Sceneriet var allerede skrevet, skuespillerne valgt, tidspunkter og rytme gennemprøvet til sidste detaille i den usynlige forfatters hjerne, en forfatter, der måske i sidste instans ville vise sig bare at være byen selv, den menneskelige situations Alexandria. Kimene til fremtidige begivenheder bærer vi i os selv. De ligger i os og udfolder sig efter deres egen naturs love. Det er svært at tro, når man tænker sig den sommers fuldkommenhed og på det, der fulgte efter."
Aldrig før har jeg oplevet en by blive beskrevet så menneskelignende, så sanseligt.
Jeg kommer til at savne Durrell! F.eks. side 210: "Sceneriet var allerede skrevet, skuespillerne valgt, tidspunkter og rytme gennemprøvet til sidste detaille i den usynlige forfatters hjerne, en forfatter, der måske i sidste instans ville vise sig bare at være byen selv, den menneskelige situations Alexandria. Kimene til fremtidige begivenheder bærer vi i os selv. De ligger i os og udfolder sig efter deres egen naturs love. Det er svært at tro, når man tænker sig den sommers fuldkommenhed og på det, der fulgte efter."
sarahreadsaverylot's review
4.0
Beautiful and problematic.
(just like Clea herself?)
Based on my understanding of Durrell's project, I didn't expect any sort of neat-and-tidy conclusion, and a good thing!
The entangled and entwined characters, the metaphors (Freud!), the 'art'...they all come together and then move apart and then come together again, though not with any clear end in sight--even death does not provide any sort of finality.
The human drama, in tandem with (or in some cases, in spite of) the political drama and the social climate of the time only serves to intensify a commentary that is as exciting as it is problematic.
As for the romance...
As Justine so appropriately says, "Pursewarden and Liza, Darley and Melissa, Mountolive and Leila, Nessim and Justine, Narouz and Clea...The sort of pattern we make should be of interest to someone; or is it just a meaningless display of coloured fireworks, the actions of human beings or a set of dusty puppets which could be hung up in the corner of a writer's mind?"
Whatever it is, it's beautifully written.
Oh, and for those who were swept away by the elegance of his style, here are some buzz words that are guaranteed to provoke some serious questions the second time around: colonialism, feminism, psychoanalytic theory.
(just like Clea herself?)
Based on my understanding of Durrell's project, I didn't expect any sort of neat-and-tidy conclusion, and a good thing!
The entangled and entwined characters, the metaphors (Freud!), the 'art'...they all come together and then move apart and then come together again, though not with any clear end in sight--even death does not provide any sort of finality.
The human drama, in tandem with (or in some cases, in spite of) the political drama and the social climate of the time only serves to intensify a commentary that is as exciting as it is problematic.
As for the romance...
As Justine so appropriately says, "Pursewarden and Liza, Darley and Melissa, Mountolive and Leila, Nessim and Justine, Narouz and Clea...The sort of pattern we make should be of interest to someone; or is it just a meaningless display of coloured fireworks, the actions of human beings or a set of dusty puppets which could be hung up in the corner of a writer's mind?"
Whatever it is, it's beautifully written.
Oh, and for those who were swept away by the elegance of his style, here are some buzz words that are guaranteed to provoke some serious questions the second time around: colonialism, feminism, psychoanalytic theory.
an_enthusiastic_reader's review
4.0
The most compelling scenes from each of the Alexandria Quartet are where characters meet their fates in hyper-dramatic ways. In this final chapter, Darley returns to a city that has changed in big and small ways because of World War II and the fickle nature of love. There's one meandering chapter where a character writes a letter that is actually a treatise on poets and writing. But the rest is a fitting end to the entanglements of a city of vying interests.
naturalistnatalie's review
Durrell wraps up the stories of all the main characters. While they aren't all happy endings, it still was a nice wrap-up. I read this before I started learning French, and it was one of the books that prompted me to learn French. It's sprinkled throughout the book, with no translations. While I found it an annoyance when I first read the book, I'm sure I'd enjoy it more now that I know some French.
vpodhorny's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lauli's review against another edition
3.0
Now that I've finished the saga (after almost ten years!) I must say I was a little underwhelmed. I got to the Alexandria Quartet via Cortázar's Hopscotch, and I liked it and didn't like it for the same reasons that I liked and didn't like Cortázar's novel, which I guess makes sense.
LIKED
The way Durrell captures the atmosphere of Alexandria and its effect on its inhabitants (permanent or temporary) is astounding. The best passages in the novels are those that focus on the city itself, which in turn becomes a character. There are also some passages which are indelibly imprinted upon my memory: (SPOILER ALERT) Clea's accident, Fosca's death, Darley's conversation with Liza, are vividly and memorably conveyed to the reader by Durrell. Some of the reflections about art, and literature in particular, I also found quite interesting.
DIDN'T LIKE
Like Hopscotch, there is something sickeningly snobbish about the world Durrell describes. The characters are constantly quoting poets and artists, they are all learned expats, they have a cynical sort of humour, and there's an atmosphere of elegant decadence which really gets on my nerves. Some of the characters I could make neither heads nor tails of, and some of the "amusing" bits I didn't find amusing at all (it may be a case of humour not ageing well, or just me not understanding Durrell). It all felt quite fragmented, not in a good way. Too many digressions and detours which made my interest in the story dwindle.
LIKED
The way Durrell captures the atmosphere of Alexandria and its effect on its inhabitants (permanent or temporary) is astounding. The best passages in the novels are those that focus on the city itself, which in turn becomes a character. There are also some passages which are indelibly imprinted upon my memory: (SPOILER ALERT) Clea's accident, Fosca's death, Darley's conversation with Liza, are vividly and memorably conveyed to the reader by Durrell. Some of the reflections about art, and literature in particular, I also found quite interesting.
DIDN'T LIKE
Like Hopscotch, there is something sickeningly snobbish about the world Durrell describes. The characters are constantly quoting poets and artists, they are all learned expats, they have a cynical sort of humour, and there's an atmosphere of elegant decadence which really gets on my nerves. Some of the characters I could make neither heads nor tails of, and some of the "amusing" bits I didn't find amusing at all (it may be a case of humour not ageing well, or just me not understanding Durrell). It all felt quite fragmented, not in a good way. Too many digressions and detours which made my interest in the story dwindle.
teelight's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started reading Justine I was so many kinds of excited for this series. Each book in the series has eroded my excitement for it bit by bit. I'm pretty sure that the problem is that the way the prose is written in Justine is just so delicious and thick that the other three books end up feeling kind of flat. None of them are bad, it's just that the last three aren't the first one. I'm walking away liking Clea better than Mountolive. At least Clea narration wise matches up with the others in the series. There's bits here and there in this book that I really enjoyed, especially towards the end, it just doesn't have the same charm. The series as a whole kind of feels that way. I kind of think that's intentional though. Justine, the character, ebbs and flows in the same way the books do.
In the end I am glad that I read The Alexandria Quartet. It has been a great read. I'm not sure how many times I'll dip into in the future, but there's definitely things in this series that I'll carry around with me for a long time going forward. It's a slow series, a plodding series. It reminds me a bit of a longer, more well written, Great Gatsby. It's not for everyone, but if you enjoy slower reads this series may be right up your alley.
I really do need to make a joke though. Clea could really use a hand. Hahaha, I think I'm clever.
In the end I am glad that I read The Alexandria Quartet. It has been a great read. I'm not sure how many times I'll dip into in the future, but there's definitely things in this series that I'll carry around with me for a long time going forward. It's a slow series, a plodding series. It reminds me a bit of a longer, more well written, Great Gatsby. It's not for everyone, but if you enjoy slower reads this series may be right up your alley.
I really do need to make a joke though. Clea could really use a hand. Hahaha, I think I'm clever.
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