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A review by invertible_hulk
A Dance to the Music of Time: 4th Movement by Anthony Powell
4.0
The final set of three, from Powell's overall twelve.
Books Do Furnish a Room -- 5/5
I don't know if it was simply because the 'war books' are over and done, or because it really was a strong read -- but this has been one of my favorite of the series. Yet, it took me more than twice my normal time to get through with it. I don't know why. I guess I had to ease back into Powell's rhythm.
Temporary Kings -- 5/5
The Dance is drawing to a close, and only the stragglers are left behind....well, and the drunks.
Much like the last novel, I enjoyed this one immensely even if I did tend to slog through it. There's a part of me that doesn't want to finish the cycle; I don't want it to end. Even though there have been about 300 characters coming in and going out of the narrative, they're all fairly memorable and unique. It's been a long time since I've had such a reading experience. But I digress...
Unlike the other novels thus far, Powell brings in a bit of the fantastic (or "surreal" if you will) to this one. Characters begin to resemble ancient paintings, mysticism rears its whithered head, and the ghost of Trapnel looms ominously.
Yes, Trapnel is dead.
Moreland is dead.
And it's hinted that Pamela Widmerpool swallows a handful of pills and ODs.
The end is near.
Hopefully the obvious showdown between Jenkins and Widmerpool will be worth the price of admission.
Hearing Secret Harmonies -- 4/5
Banquet dinners, Literary Awards, proto-punk political dissent, necrophilia, mysticism, Manson Family-like cults...the times, they have a-changed.
With the dance over, the elders return home while the youth take out to the night.
I was bit disappointed that Jenkins and Widmerpool didn't have the hoped-for final showdown; regardless, this final volume was one of the most fun to read. Like all them, it had it's incredibly slow, seemingly pointless moments, but they can easily be overlooked when regarding the novel as a whole.
Final thoughts:
Is 'A Dance to the Music of Time' perfect? No.
Is '[b:A Dance to the Music of Time|16113|A Dance to the Music of Time First Movement|Anthony Powell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166706811s/16113.jpg|17890]' a masterpiece of English Literature? Without a doubt.
1.) Much like one's own life, this cycle is a trifle uneven -- but no one's life (especially when considering a fifty-year span of it) is entirely exciting or entirely dull; rather, one's life is a continual ebb and flow of experiences, emotions, and lackthereof.
2.) If more people were blessed with Powell's gift for characterization, I think people would be far more eager to read and to stay reading. There are well over 300 different characters encountered across the twelve novels, and somehow Powell makes the reader remember most (if not all) of them. Even if I never read these books again, I think I will always remember some of these characters as fondly as actual people I have known.
3.) I could spend the rest of my life rereading these novels, and still never understand everything that Powell has expertly pulled off within them. Historical references, mythological references, religious references, literary references, dramatic, artistic, scientific, military -- his novels are saturated with them.
4.) While it can be a bit dry at times, Powell's writing is never dull. Twelve novels (over 3000pgs total) seems like a daunting task for a reader, and they certainly would have been had they not been written in so readable a matter.
The New York Times might refer to this quality as "unputdownable" -- I know I would.
Books Do Furnish a Room -- 5/5
I don't know if it was simply because the 'war books' are over and done, or because it really was a strong read -- but this has been one of my favorite of the series. Yet, it took me more than twice my normal time to get through with it. I don't know why. I guess I had to ease back into Powell's rhythm.
Temporary Kings -- 5/5
The Dance is drawing to a close, and only the stragglers are left behind....well, and the drunks.
Much like the last novel, I enjoyed this one immensely even if I did tend to slog through it. There's a part of me that doesn't want to finish the cycle; I don't want it to end. Even though there have been about 300 characters coming in and going out of the narrative, they're all fairly memorable and unique. It's been a long time since I've had such a reading experience. But I digress...
Unlike the other novels thus far, Powell brings in a bit of the fantastic (or "surreal" if you will) to this one. Characters begin to resemble ancient paintings, mysticism rears its whithered head, and the ghost of Trapnel looms ominously.
Yes, Trapnel is dead.
Moreland is dead.
And it's hinted that Pamela Widmerpool swallows a handful of pills and ODs.
The end is near.
Hopefully the obvious showdown between Jenkins and Widmerpool will be worth the price of admission.
Hearing Secret Harmonies -- 4/5
Banquet dinners, Literary Awards, proto-punk political dissent, necrophilia, mysticism, Manson Family-like cults...the times, they have a-changed.
With the dance over, the elders return home while the youth take out to the night.
I was bit disappointed that Jenkins and Widmerpool didn't have the hoped-for final showdown; regardless, this final volume was one of the most fun to read. Like all them, it had it's incredibly slow, seemingly pointless moments, but they can easily be overlooked when regarding the novel as a whole.
Final thoughts:
Is 'A Dance to the Music of Time' perfect? No.
Is '[b:A Dance to the Music of Time|16113|A Dance to the Music of Time First Movement|Anthony Powell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166706811s/16113.jpg|17890]' a masterpiece of English Literature? Without a doubt.
1.) Much like one's own life, this cycle is a trifle uneven -- but no one's life (especially when considering a fifty-year span of it) is entirely exciting or entirely dull; rather, one's life is a continual ebb and flow of experiences, emotions, and lackthereof.
2.) If more people were blessed with Powell's gift for characterization, I think people would be far more eager to read and to stay reading. There are well over 300 different characters encountered across the twelve novels, and somehow Powell makes the reader remember most (if not all) of them. Even if I never read these books again, I think I will always remember some of these characters as fondly as actual people I have known.
3.) I could spend the rest of my life rereading these novels, and still never understand everything that Powell has expertly pulled off within them. Historical references, mythological references, religious references, literary references, dramatic, artistic, scientific, military -- his novels are saturated with them.
4.) While it can be a bit dry at times, Powell's writing is never dull. Twelve novels (over 3000pgs total) seems like a daunting task for a reader, and they certainly would have been had they not been written in so readable a matter.
The New York Times might refer to this quality as "unputdownable" -- I know I would.