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A review by cody240fc
The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge
4.0
The MPV approach works very well with this novel, as it allows Bainbridge to illustrate how we are able to view the same people, and the same circumstances, in an entirely different light than others. Our lenses, the context in which we perceive our experiences, provides each of us a wholly unique perspective.
Bainbridge's novel presumes the readers familiarity with Scott's journey to reach the Pole. It is a slim novel, which is surprising given the grand nature of the events. Cherry's memoirs about his experiences as a member of the team, 'The Worst Journey in the World', is several hundred pages longer. But Bainbridge isn't interested in covering the exact details of Scott's journey, she is more interested in how individual team members might have perceived those events. Accompanied with her impressive prose, this makes for a great read.
My only complaint pertains to her decision to end the novel prematurely. It is no spoiler to say that Scott and several members of his team meet with demise, yet Bainbridge decides to end her novel before Scott meets his end. It is an opportunity missed. Imagine a closing chapter from the perspective of a surviving team member, one who might wistfully look back at the friends they lost, the mistakes that were made, and maybe the appreciation of a man's willpower. It would have been a powerful ending.
Nonetheless, I found this to be excellent. There's some wonderful character building, even with the limited page count, and plenty of the dry humor that one might expect from the Brits. I highlighted several passages detailing the landscape, sunsets, sunrises and the Aurora night sky. Bainbridge can set a scene but never flaunts her talents with long winded descriptions. I believe Mustich included this in his 1,001 books to read before you die, and I can see why he did so. High four stars.
Bainbridge's novel presumes the readers familiarity with Scott's journey to reach the Pole. It is a slim novel, which is surprising given the grand nature of the events. Cherry's memoirs about his experiences as a member of the team, 'The Worst Journey in the World', is several hundred pages longer. But Bainbridge isn't interested in covering the exact details of Scott's journey, she is more interested in how individual team members might have perceived those events. Accompanied with her impressive prose, this makes for a great read.
My only complaint pertains to her decision to end the novel prematurely. It is no spoiler to say that Scott and several members of his team meet with demise, yet Bainbridge decides to end her novel before Scott meets his end. It is an opportunity missed. Imagine a closing chapter from the perspective of a surviving team member, one who might wistfully look back at the friends they lost, the mistakes that were made, and maybe the appreciation of a man's willpower. It would have been a powerful ending.
Nonetheless, I found this to be excellent. There's some wonderful character building, even with the limited page count, and plenty of the dry humor that one might expect from the Brits. I highlighted several passages detailing the landscape, sunsets, sunrises and the Aurora night sky. Bainbridge can set a scene but never flaunts her talents with long winded descriptions. I believe Mustich included this in his 1,001 books to read before you die, and I can see why he did so. High four stars.