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korrick 's review for:
Any Human Heart
by William Boyd
4.5/5
That was a good life. A good, male life, lived through almost the entirety of the twentieth century. Or at least, it made for good reading material, but I'd like to think that in the end, Logan was happy in the least regretful sense that an old man can be.
I have to say, becoming a writer was probably the best thing he could have done in this time period. He met so many renowned folks, and took part in so many historical events as he traveled the world over. That may be my bias towards writing over other occupational paths talking, but you have to admit, people like Hemingway and Joyce popping up made the writing especially interesting. And it was in such a natural, unassuming sense. It's only much later that Logan realizes the worth of these chance meetings, and he never really stops being surprised at that being the case.
Besides that, I really don't think that the summary of this book does Logan justice. Yes, he accumulated failed marriages as a result of his womanizing, but had the tragedy of WWII not occurred, I believe that this particular trait would have been greatly reduced in his character. Also he didn't end his life in absolute poverty. Unless my definition of poverty is different from the standard.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading about this life that interacted so often with the world at large, both in the historical as well as the locational sense. It was also interesting to watch Logan's writing change over time as his life shifted around his values. His last years were especially beautiful, and it's regretful that he had to become a very old man in order to finally appreciate the simple life enough to write about it. But that's what always happens, I suppose.
That was a good life. A good, male life, lived through almost the entirety of the twentieth century. Or at least, it made for good reading material, but I'd like to think that in the end, Logan was happy in the least regretful sense that an old man can be.
I have to say, becoming a writer was probably the best thing he could have done in this time period. He met so many renowned folks, and took part in so many historical events as he traveled the world over. That may be my bias towards writing over other occupational paths talking, but you have to admit, people like Hemingway and Joyce popping up made the writing especially interesting. And it was in such a natural, unassuming sense. It's only much later that Logan realizes the worth of these chance meetings, and he never really stops being surprised at that being the case.
Besides that, I really don't think that the summary of this book does Logan justice. Yes, he accumulated failed marriages as a result of his womanizing, but had the tragedy of WWII not occurred, I believe that this particular trait would have been greatly reduced in his character. Also he didn't end his life in absolute poverty. Unless my definition of poverty is different from the standard.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading about this life that interacted so often with the world at large, both in the historical as well as the locational sense. It was also interesting to watch Logan's writing change over time as his life shifted around his values. His last years were especially beautiful, and it's regretful that he had to become a very old man in order to finally appreciate the simple life enough to write about it. But that's what always happens, I suppose.