What do you think?
Rate this book
Telescope
This title features truth, imagination and the consolations of gossip. Daniel Brennan, approaching the premature end of his life, retreats to a room in his brother's suburban house. To divert himself and to entertain Ellen, his carer, he writes the journal that is Telescope, blurring truth, gossip and fiction in vignettes of his own life and the lives of those close to him. Above all he focuses on his mercurial Celia, whose life as a teacher in Italy seems to have run aground, and kindly Charlie, the entrepreneur of the family. Enriched with remarkable anecdotes and observations on topics ranging from tattoos and Tokyo street fashion to early French photography, Telescope is a startlingly original and moving book, a glimpse of the world through the eyes of a connoisseur of vicarious experience.
- GenresFictionLiterary Fiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Buckley
76 books51 followersJonathan Buckley was born in Birmingham, grew up in Dudley, and studied English Literature at Sussex University, where he stayed on to take an MA. From there he moved to King’s College, London, where he researched the work of the Scottish poet/artist Ian Hamilton Finlay. After working as a university tutor, stage hand, maker of theatrical sets and props, bookshop manager, decorator and builder, he was commissioned in 1987 to write the Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto.
He went on to become an editorial director at Rough Guides, and to write further guidebooks on Tuscany & Umbria and Florence, as well as contributing to the Rough Guide to Classical Music and Rough Guide to Opera.
His first novel, The Biography of Thomas Lang, was published by Fourth Estate in 1997. It was followed by Xerxes (1999), Ghost MacIndoe (2001), Invisible (2004), So He Takes The Dog (2006), Contact (2010) and Telescope (2011). His eighth novel, Nostalgia, was published in 2013.
From 2003 to 2005 he held a Royal Literary Fund fellowship at the University of Sussex, and from 2007 to 2011 was an Advisory Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, for whom he convenes a reading group in Brighton.
He went on to become an editorial director at Rough Guides, and to write further guidebooks on Tuscany & Umbria and Florence, as well as contributing to the Rough Guide to Classical Music and Rough Guide to Opera.
His first novel, The Biography of Thomas Lang, was published by Fourth Estate in 1997. It was followed by Xerxes (1999), Ghost MacIndoe (2001), Invisible (2004), So He Takes The Dog (2006), Contact (2010) and Telescope (2011). His eighth novel, Nostalgia, was published in 2013.
From 2003 to 2005 he held a Royal Literary Fund fellowship at the University of Sussex, and from 2007 to 2011 was an Advisory Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, for whom he convenes a reading group in Brighton.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 5, 2015
I first came across this novel when I read an excerpt in the brilliant short story collection Ox-Tales (see: Earth, Air, Fire, Water). Here's what I thought back then:
As had become clear in the excerpt, there is no real storyline that guides you through the book. It is a series of vignettes, memories and impressions, and although you can guess at Daniel's current state of mind from the way he tells a story, there is no real connection to what he describes and all the scenes feel rather random.
The most interesting side of this book is the way Daniel experiences the world around him. Not being able to cover great distances and loosing his ability to focus over time, he resorts to describing images that come to him, and reads people's faces more than he actually listens to them talking. This results in some curious metaphors, some scenes where a memory is sparked and some instances when he just goes off on a tangent, leaving the people he is talking to alone in the conversation.
He knows that he's not the easiest patient to care for, but he rarely makes excuses for his own behavior. He always acts liek he is less affected by his declining health than those around him, and perhaps it is true. But he is affected by his lack of an interesting life, and when he uses his telescope to spy on others, he describes their stories potentially more interesting than they actually are.
This is not the book for you if you enjoy a dense plot, a life lesson or a defining ending. But if you like quiet observations and enjoy a close examination of an extraordinary mind, look no further.
-----
Review can also be found at 238 books in 238 days.
The writing is beautiful, and while I completely missed the plot having a proper ending (or maybe it didn't have one, seeing how it's an excerpt), I love this story. And, naturally, I'll buy the novel. I felt with the main character, who observes everyone around him from a rather distant point of view (even those he doesn't just view through the telescope), and, as I mentioned, I adore the writing. I could have read this for hours on, no mather that there's no point to end it on.I did buy the novel, and now I've finally found the time to read it. I guess I was a bit scared that my first instinct would turn out to be wrong. That didn't happen though, and I'm glad that I bought it.
As had become clear in the excerpt, there is no real storyline that guides you through the book. It is a series of vignettes, memories and impressions, and although you can guess at Daniel's current state of mind from the way he tells a story, there is no real connection to what he describes and all the scenes feel rather random.
The most interesting side of this book is the way Daniel experiences the world around him. Not being able to cover great distances and loosing his ability to focus over time, he resorts to describing images that come to him, and reads people's faces more than he actually listens to them talking. This results in some curious metaphors, some scenes where a memory is sparked and some instances when he just goes off on a tangent, leaving the people he is talking to alone in the conversation.
He knows that he's not the easiest patient to care for, but he rarely makes excuses for his own behavior. He always acts liek he is less affected by his declining health than those around him, and perhaps it is true. But he is affected by his lack of an interesting life, and when he uses his telescope to spy on others, he describes their stories potentially more interesting than they actually are.
This is not the book for you if you enjoy a dense plot, a life lesson or a defining ending. But if you like quiet observations and enjoy a close examination of an extraordinary mind, look no further.
-----
Review can also be found at 238 books in 238 days.
July 27, 2013
This was one of those random finds at the library. A dying, disfigured man observes his family, carer and surroundings. This is sensitively and intelligently written and wry and ribald. I was intrigued by it and really enjoyed how Buckley has woven so much observation about human interaction into the book. In his hands the characters are very real.
March 10, 2012
The quality of writing (which is great) makes this book a little harder to read as you keep going back to some interesting set pieces written earlier. The ending is of course without doubt but the journey along the way is most enjoyable. A book which should not be rushed through and savoured in bits and pieces.
May 31, 2012
I really couldn't get on with this one. I found it too slow and drawn out, and didn't enjoy any of the characters. Not one for me, however it has had very mixed reviews from others!
September 15, 2022
This was a lucky find - a new copy at a bargain price, in a sea of books. I bought it purely becuase of the cover and the blurb, not knowing anything about the author - something that happens rarely nowadays. I'm glad I did.
It started well, with an interesting premise - a disfigured man moves in with his brother and engages a carer, in order to live out his final days. He writes about his family, and observes the world through a telescope, and his window (and the occasional brief walk). The writing was crisp, and the plot allowed for wonderful anecdotes and random trivia to be thrown into the mix at will.
But about 1/3 in I was struggling. The author loves his brackets, and even brackets within brackets, and it took me some time to get used to them. I also started to wonder whether this was it - whether anything was going to happen, or whether it would just be a string of diary entries.
I'm terrible at giving up on books, so I persisted - and very quickly I was glad I did. Once I got used to the style, I began to enjoy the content and the wonderful characters. I often take photos of favourite paragraphs or pages, and with this book I took much more than usual. There are so many wonderful little rants, observations, character studies, passages (see the quotes section for examples).
And things did move along, and I wanted to read more, and then it ended, well.
It started well, with an interesting premise - a disfigured man moves in with his brother and engages a carer, in order to live out his final days. He writes about his family, and observes the world through a telescope, and his window (and the occasional brief walk). The writing was crisp, and the plot allowed for wonderful anecdotes and random trivia to be thrown into the mix at will.
But about 1/3 in I was struggling. The author loves his brackets, and even brackets within brackets, and it took me some time to get used to them. I also started to wonder whether this was it - whether anything was going to happen, or whether it would just be a string of diary entries.
I'm terrible at giving up on books, so I persisted - and very quickly I was glad I did. Once I got used to the style, I began to enjoy the content and the wonderful characters. I often take photos of favourite paragraphs or pages, and with this book I took much more than usual. There are so many wonderful little rants, observations, character studies, passages (see the quotes section for examples).
And things did move along, and I wanted to read more, and then it ended, well.
January 11, 2019
A book narrated by a disfigured man who tells the story about his family in random bits and pieces to his caretaker. Bored me a bit honestly. Kind of difficult to keep my thoughts straight while reading this since there were too many commas in one sentence, even the narrative seems a bit scattered, yes it was paragraphs of this kind.
January 23, 2021
Theres not much of a plot but I enjoyed this a lot . Great writing, loved the evokations and observations of the personalities of people and places, family cultures, behaviour and relationships. I chuckled out loud a few times and learnt a few things .
July 25, 2023
struggling to finish this book. the paragraphs are so jumpy but kind of enjoyable. am i having adhd i dont even know🗿🗿🗿
April 29, 2016
Couldn't get into this book. Maybe it was because I wanted to hear more about the main character and how he coped with his horrible disease rather than his story abut his unlikeable quirky family. Well written but not enough to light my fire!
February 1, 2012
Daniel reflects on his life, family and friends as his life draws to a close, shortened by a disfiguring illness.
Want to read
November 29, 2015شكرا
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews