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Title: Shipwreck by LOUIS BEGLEY ISBN: 1-4000-4098-1 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A top writer at the top of his game
Comment: This is the third book that I have read by Louis Begley, and though they have all been outstanding, this one is by far the best. This is the book that solidifies him in my mind as one of the best authors alive today.
In case the title of the book is not a strong enough hint that there will be no happy ending to the story, Begley quickly sets a tone of personal destruction and moral failure. His main character, John North, opens the book by approaching a stranger in a bar, and offering to buy him a drink if he will sit and listen to a story that North has never told anyone before. The story is a long one, told over several days and several bottles of whiskey. And the silent listener, whose name we never learn, whose voice we never hear, and whose judgment we never receive, is described as being nearly identical to North in every detail - a physical manifestation, perhaps, of North's troubled conscience.
And yes, his conscience has ample reason to be troubled. The tale he tells is one of deception, weakness, and tragedy. North, a prize-winning novelist, recounts to his companion the details of his affair with Lea, a young French journalist who interviews him for an article about his latest book. North succumbs to his desire for Lea, despite his love for his wife Lydia and his fear of the pain she would suffer if she were to discover his infidelity.
Begley proves in this novel that he is both a gifted storyteller and a master of painting with words the entire spectrum of human emotions. His first-person narration is infused with an overwhelming feeling of honesty, ruthless self-reflection, and guilt. Begley writes about love as well as he does about fear, about lust as well as he does about anger. As a character, North is one of the most genuine I have found in literature. He hides nothing from us, makes no excuses for his weakness, and delivers his self-condemning story with unflinching honesty.
Rating: 2
Summary: Big disappointment
Comment: Other reviews had given me high expectations about this book, regarding both the plot of the story and the literary qualities of the novel. I was disappointed on both counts. The plot is commonplace from the humdrum beginning to the highly predictable end. The characters --especially the French ones-- adhere regrettably faithfully to the stereotypes of American literature. The author has an undeniable talent for writing about sex, but indulges in it to the point of making the rest of the story appear like a pretext for doing just that. And, as a social critique, the book barely matches "the Bonfire of the Vanities", itself hardly a gem of modern literature. The supposed moral conflict that afflicts the lead character is a joke, as he clearly does not have any deep feelings for his mistress and their relationship boils down to lust, at least on his side. An elegant style, occasionally perceptive passages about some universal difficulties of "grown-up life" and a handful of smart literary tricks unfortunately do not add up to a great book. The author's talent is not in doubt, but he did not put enough effort into this book to make it a noteworthy addition to the heritage of literature on adultery and related moral conflicts.
Rating: 5
Summary: Haunting
Comment: Begley brings you into his world once again but, this time he is lewd....never crude always witty... this tale will hold your attention and leave you wondering how many characters such as the main one in this book truely exist...I know that I know at least 2!!
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Title: L'Affaire by Diane Johnson ISBN: 052594740X Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 25 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Great Fire: A Novel by Shirley Hazzard ISBN: 0374166447 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 14 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Little Children : A Novel by Tom Perrotta ISBN: 0312315716 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coetzee ISBN: 0670031305 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 09 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Mistler's Exit by Louis Begley ISBN: 0449004228 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 02 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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