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taylor__jane's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book intriguing. It was hard to get into the rhythm of it at first. I struggled with the POV and tense choice (3rd omniscient and present tense) but after a while I got used to it and seemed to sort of fall in step with the writing.
Fascinating life. After recently reading a book set in London in the 2nd World War it was very interesting to read the French perspective. I have never really thought about what it would have been like in occupied France. Slow moving story, and I can't say I particularly cared for the character - I don't really feel like I got to know him well enough - but once I finished it, in reflecting I really did quite enjoy it.
Fascinating life. After recently reading a book set in London in the 2nd World War it was very interesting to read the French perspective. I have never really thought about what it would have been like in occupied France. Slow moving story, and I can't say I particularly cared for the character - I don't really feel like I got to know him well enough - but once I finished it, in reflecting I really did quite enjoy it.
clairealex's review against another edition
4.0
I think I should learn to just start with biography. As soon as I read a novel about a real person, I start to wonder how much is from sources and how much from imagination. I find it odd that the jacket cover and an artist afterword say the main character is Samuel Beckett, but he is never named in the novel. And I can't help but wonder why. Not mentioning at all makes sense.Mentioning in all places makes sense, but the mix?
That said, I must admit I'd probably not have picked the book up without the Samuel Beckett mention. And the resistance movement during WWII. I was actually expecting more to be on the resistance.
The book starts very slowly, and remains slow even when it picks up. Evocative description makes it more about atmosphere and feeling than event, though there are events, some chilling others mundane. It left me feeling, So this is what living through war feels like, then wondering how much is what it really feels like and how much what Baker imagines it to feel like. And though event was not the main feature, I did want to keep reading, just to see how Baker could end this one. And there was a plot with resolution.
ETA:
As usual a biographical novel prompts me to read biography, and there I learned that the only setting given for Waiting for Godot is "A country lane. A tree." So although that line appeared in the novel as Beckett was waiting for a connection, I'm guessing the setting is more relevant.
I'm also thinking that the novel is in a way literary commentary, linking the wait for connection to the play. That is reinforced by Baker's epilogue.
That said, I must admit I'd probably not have picked the book up without the Samuel Beckett mention. And the resistance movement during WWII. I was actually expecting more to be on the resistance.
The book starts very slowly, and remains slow even when it picks up. Evocative description makes it more about atmosphere and feeling than event, though there are events, some chilling others mundane. It left me feeling, So this is what living through war feels like, then wondering how much is what it really feels like and how much what Baker imagines it to feel like. And though event was not the main feature, I did want to keep reading, just to see how Baker could end this one. And there was a plot with resolution.
ETA:
As usual a biographical novel prompts me to read biography, and there I learned that the only setting given for Waiting for Godot is "A country lane. A tree." So although that line appeared in the novel as Beckett was waiting for a connection, I'm guessing the setting is more relevant.
I'm also thinking that the novel is in a way literary commentary, linking the wait for connection to the play. That is reinforced by Baker's epilogue.
tristy's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book of logistics with no feeling. We take a lot of trains, we find places to stay in the midst of terror and war, but we never hear how anyone is actually feeling about it all.
lehall's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/day-1213-a-country-road-a-tree/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/day-1213-a-country-road-a-tree/
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
He stares now at the three words he has written. They are ridiculous. Writing is ridiculous. A sentence, any sentence, is absurd. Just the idea of it: jam one word up against another, shoulder-to-shoulder, jaw-to-jaw; hem them in with punctuation so they can't move an inch. And then hand that over to someone else to peer at, and expect something to communicated, something understood. It's not just pointless. It is ethically suspect.
Samuel Beckett lived in France through the Second World War and this is Jo Baker's novel about that time, as Beckett struggles with his writing, finds a way to contribute to the Resistance and manages to survive the war. He starts out as an eager acolyte to James Joyce, but his wartime experiences pare him down and change him and his writing.
This isn't a war-as-adventure-story, but one filled with the real deprivation, fear and insecurity that he and the people of Paris faced. Baker is one of my favorite authors; every single book she writes is entirely different from the next, but each is superbly written and worthwhile.
Samuel Beckett lived in France through the Second World War and this is Jo Baker's novel about that time, as Beckett struggles with his writing, finds a way to contribute to the Resistance and manages to survive the war. He starts out as an eager acolyte to James Joyce, but his wartime experiences pare him down and change him and his writing.
This isn't a war-as-adventure-story, but one filled with the real deprivation, fear and insecurity that he and the people of Paris faced. Baker is one of my favorite authors; every single book she writes is entirely different from the next, but each is superbly written and worthwhile.
linesuponapage's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this fictional book about Samuel Beckett. I wondered if the fictional Suzanne was anything like his wife Suzanne as they didn't seem fit for each other.
I loved the prose of this story, the working in of James Joyce as Beckett's mentor and the struggle to write during the war. It was endearing and great to read so much of Beckett's life in the story.
What I didn't enjoy was the unknown name of Beckett in the first few chapters as I didn't read a review or synopsis of the book ahead of time. I had to do that after reading and going backward trying to find out the little boys name. I might have enjoyed the first few chapters better if I didn't feel like I had to sleuth out his name.
Over all this was a great page turner. I wanted to see where Samuel and Suzanne would end up next and if they would ever find peace and a feeling of protection.
I loved the prose of this story, the working in of James Joyce as Beckett's mentor and the struggle to write during the war. It was endearing and great to read so much of Beckett's life in the story.
What I didn't enjoy was the unknown name of Beckett in the first few chapters as I didn't read a review or synopsis of the book ahead of time. I had to do that after reading and going backward trying to find out the little boys name. I might have enjoyed the first few chapters better if I didn't feel like I had to sleuth out his name.
Over all this was a great page turner. I wanted to see where Samuel and Suzanne would end up next and if they would ever find peace and a feeling of protection.