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A review by katykelly
Any Human Heart by William Boyd
5.0
Diary of a life spanning the important events of the twentieth century
I have been meaning to read this for years, I remember seeing the adaptation on television quite a while ago. It was only upon seeing it mentioned and recommended in A Diary of a Bookseller that I was prompted to download a library audio copy. This worked very well on audio, being a diary format.
Interspersed among diary entries ranging from student days up to old age, a narrator tells us that this is the life of Logan Mountstuart, and gives us extra information outside of his own timeline.
The voice changes gradually over time from a young man to seasoned writer, all the way to a very old and jaded man worn down by life. I checked when I finished, and listened back to various points in time - very nicely narrated.
Logan is a privileged young man, at a boarding school at the time of great change. He wants to be a writer, he has adolescence to work through, education to survive. Then there is a civil war, a world war, great social changes, as Logan traverses love, countries, careers and plays his role in key events of the period.
He's hard to dislike, though Logan is a philanderer, he runs away from responsibilities. He manages almost to 'stumble' into writing, he stumbles into marriage. His life intersects with important people at important times (Ian Fleming, Picasso). It's social history through the eyes of one man.
There are some very poignant sections, a very dark war for Logan with drastic consequences I haven't seen before, I had a large lump in my throat after this. And I found his old age hugely moving as Logan's fortunes change, he gets caught up in some rather dramatic events and his monetary situation becomes rather alarming.
A life chronicling a century of changes, a bit of an anti-hero in a well-born man whose luck and connections bring reward and heartache. His love life, career and fortunes take varying directions and my sympathies stayed with him. As his end drew inevitably nearer, I felt sad to leave him, to see what his 'end' would be.
A very worthwhile read, a poignant tale of a life, a few insights into major events of the century, and a sad look at ageing and old age.
I have been meaning to read this for years, I remember seeing the adaptation on television quite a while ago. It was only upon seeing it mentioned and recommended in A Diary of a Bookseller that I was prompted to download a library audio copy. This worked very well on audio, being a diary format.
Interspersed among diary entries ranging from student days up to old age, a narrator tells us that this is the life of Logan Mountstuart, and gives us extra information outside of his own timeline.
The voice changes gradually over time from a young man to seasoned writer, all the way to a very old and jaded man worn down by life. I checked when I finished, and listened back to various points in time - very nicely narrated.
Logan is a privileged young man, at a boarding school at the time of great change. He wants to be a writer, he has adolescence to work through, education to survive. Then there is a civil war, a world war, great social changes, as Logan traverses love, countries, careers and plays his role in key events of the period.
He's hard to dislike, though Logan is a philanderer, he runs away from responsibilities. He manages almost to 'stumble' into writing, he stumbles into marriage. His life intersects with important people at important times (Ian Fleming, Picasso). It's social history through the eyes of one man.
There are some very poignant sections, a very dark war for Logan with drastic consequences I haven't seen before, I had a large lump in my throat after this. And I found his old age hugely moving as Logan's fortunes change, he gets caught up in some rather dramatic events and his monetary situation becomes rather alarming.
A life chronicling a century of changes, a bit of an anti-hero in a well-born man whose luck and connections bring reward and heartache. His love life, career and fortunes take varying directions and my sympathies stayed with him. As his end drew inevitably nearer, I felt sad to leave him, to see what his 'end' would be.
A very worthwhile read, a poignant tale of a life, a few insights into major events of the century, and a sad look at ageing and old age.