The Bachelors

by Muriel Spark

A barrister, a priest, a detective, a lovelorn Irishman, a handwriting expert, a heinous spiritual medium - the very British bachelors of Muriel Spark's supreme 1960 novel come in every stripe.. "First found contentedly chatting in their London clubs and shopping at Fortnum's, the cozy bachelors (as any Spark reader might guess) are not set to stay cozy for long. Soon enough, the men are variously tormented - defrauded or stolen from; blackmailed or pressed to attend horrid seances - and then plunged, all together, into the nastiest of lawsuits. At the center of that suit hovers pale, blank Patrick Seton, the medium. Meanwhile, horrors of every size plague the poor bachelors - from the rising price of frozen peas to epileptic fits, forgeries, spiritualists foaming with protoplasm, and murder.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, 20th Century, Classics, Novels, Literary Fiction, Humor

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Dame Muriel Spark, DBE was a prolific Scottish novelist, short story writer and poet whose darkly comedic voice made her one of the most distinctive writers of the twentieth century. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".

Spark received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1965 for The Mandelbaum Gate, the Ingersoll Foundation TS Eliot Award in 1992 and the David Cohen Prize in 1997. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, in recognition of her services to literature. She has been twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize, in 1969 for The Public Image and in 1981 for Loitering with Intent. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden PEN Award by English PEN for "a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature". In 2010, Spark was shortlisted for the Lost Man Booker Prize of 1970 for The Driver's Seat.

Spark received eight honorary doctorates in her lifetime. These included a Doctor of the University degree (Honoris causa) from her alma mater, Heriot-Watt University in 1995; a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris causa) from the American University of Paris in 2005; and Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, St Andrews and Strathclyde.

Spark grew up in Edinburgh and worked as a department store secretary, writer for trade magazines, and literary editor before publishing her first novel, The Comforters, in 1957. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, published in 1961, and considered her masterpiece, was made into a stage play, a TV series, and a film.

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The looming court case of a con-man spiritualist and that of a certain letter defrauding a woman, Freda Flowers, out of two thousand pounds, is at the center of Spark's 1960 novel, where once again she presents her sharp witty style, larger than life characters, and a nice big dollop of sardonic dark humor. The London bachelors themselves all range from being respectable to cunning to pathetic, and Spark highlights their lack of faith, their varying attitudes to others, and deftly exposes their trivialities. Despite there being many bachelors in the novel and few women - including the epileptic hand writing expert Ronald Bridges, the untrustworthy medium and villain of the piece Patrick Seton, Detective-Inspector Fergusson, Father Socket and his lipstick wearing homosexual friend, and Matthew Finch, who munches on raw onions to keep away his lady admirers because he loves Alice (but she is in love with Patrick), it was Miss Elsie Forrest - described by her friend Alice as someone who would do anything to get a night with a man - who stood out the most for me. Although not featuring as often as other characters throughout the narrative, she featured in some of my favourite scenes, including showing up at the trial later on and claiming Father Socket's testimony is a lie. Little did Alice; who was pregnant, realise what was in store for her if Patrick Seton was acquitted. Far, far worse than if he was found guilty that's for sure. Apparently Evelyn Waugh was a big fan of Spark in the years prior to his death in 1966, and in particular he loved The Bachelors. For me though, I don't think it has what the likes of A Far Cry from Kensington or The Girls of Slender Means had (whilst reading this, my mind, even a few weeks on, couldn't shake off The Girls from Slender Means Selina Redwood and the lavatory widow), and that is to leave a really lasting impression. Also, I think she over did it quite a bit here in the amount of characters used. I can think of two or three who may as well have not even been there. Still a treat to read though. Three-and-a-half stars.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I simply cannot read a book by Spark and not like it.

I like Spark's acerbic wit. The humor is dark and clever.

When I read her books I am always asking, "What is she saying here?"
You follow the events, but then you ask, "What is the point being made?"
Intriguing details pepper the reader.
Spark's books keep you thinking!

If you are a reader who wants everything spelled out clearly, look elsewhere.

Spark's books always have a mystery, always have humor, always the occult.

Here the central protagonist is a psychic medium. Around him swirl fraud, blackmail, licentious affairs and maybe even murder. There are about fifteen characters, all of which you have to keep track of. Who does what and when and how and why? This keeps you busy. Amazingly enough the story makes sense and you can keep all the facts straight! I think this is because each character has small peculiarities you don't easily forget. The end culminates at a criminal trial. You hear the verdict, you close the book, but then you go on thinking!

You are not going to love the characters. Some are fumbling, some downright despicable. You do not get deep character analysis, but you do not need this here. This is a completely different kind of story. It is their interaction that is the center of interest.

I liked this book, but it is not as good as some of Spark's others. Probably because I am not convinced I fully understand Spark’s message. Is it simply that superstition precipitates evil? Yet nothing by Spark is told in a simple manner, and it is this that delights.

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Nadia May. She gives each of the many characters their own intonation which enables the listener to immediately recognize who is speaking. Her ability is remarkable. We hear one side of telephone conversations and we know exactly what the other person must be saying. The timing is perfect. Much of the humor comes through so well because of the narration. That the story is set in London of the 1950s in Hampstead, Kensington and Chelsea comes through too. I have given the narration five stars.

**********************

In order of preference, the last two being equal:
A Far Cry from Kensington 5 stars
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 3 stars
Memento Mori 3 stars
The Bachelors 3 stars

[Lizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

And I haven’t read a book quite like this before. A bunch of eccentric bachelors and the women they encounter, a felonious medium and the widow who accused him of fraud (unrelated to his supposedly top-notch medium skills). It’s not a mystery, nor an intrigue. There is a court scene and an examination of evidence. Religion and spiritualism abound, though often on the periphery. To what genre does this book belong? Meh, it’s not important.

I enjoyed the characters, even though I didn’t like any of them. I wanted to know more about them, to find out the conclusion. It was the writing that pulled me in. Spark’s polished stone style is addictive.

[William2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exquisite. IMO, of the seven Muriel Spark novels I have read I place The Bachelors third in terms of excellence. The first is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and the second is Memento Mori, both of which I have reviewed here. All three I enthusiastically recommend.

[Jean-Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

All rise for judge, jury and executioner Muriel Spark. This was her fifth novel, published in 1960, and like Memento Mori it features an enormous cast of characters. Too many men, but that's like saying The Girls of Slender Means has too many women. And don't expect a cast of eligible hotties as the bachelors in this book are just about on par with the Seven Dwarfs. Sex and marriage are frequent topics of discussion and spiritualism features prominently. The sèance chapter early in the novel was one of my favorites—besides Spark, only Noël Coward (Blithe Spirit) can have this much fun with the subject. Stolen documents, as in several other Spark novels, fuel much of the plot, and graphology plays a part, along with chronic illnesses. Slightly overlong, the novel's saving grace is the spectacular courtroom drama final chapter. This was my last TBR Spark novel and I've now read all the adult fiction Spark ever wrote. Yay? For Christmas I bought myself the Edward Gorey illustrated The Very Fine Clock.

[James Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gawd I love Muriel Spark. A teller of cynical stories, sure, but the uncanny truths she reveals about humanity and belief are dazzling, funny, dark and irresistible.

This characteristically short novel concerns spiritualism and its effects on a whole series of men- the Bachelors of the title. These men shop en masse in the enervating streets of Kensington and Chelsea, hunt for maiden aunts to provide them Sunday lunches and are not keen to marry. They represent professionals: educators, lawyers, doctors, journalists, experts, but are all dragged into the tawdry world of spiritualist Patrick Seton, who is being tried for fraud but has darker crimes in mind.

Spark tended not to write overly plot-driven pieces and this is no different. Loose but none the less coherent it is a wonderful insight into delusion and self-delusion, told with dark humour and a wink.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who will I turn to for solace once I run out of Muriel Spark novels? Barbara Pym perhaps, although she doesn't have quite the same edge. I still have a handful of Spark's books left unread, thankfully. 'The Bachelors' should perhaps have among her less appealing works, given the largely male cast and my particular fondness for her female characters. Nonetheless, Spark's magnificent writing and ear for dialogue made it very enjoyable indeed. The narrative flits between quite a large cast of London bachelors, many of whom are involved in some scam. Writing in the late 1950s, Spark ensures that there is no swinging bachelor glamour here, instead the characters complain about cooking for one and wonder whether not wanting to get married means there is something wrong with them. As such behaviour is usually ascribed solely to fictional women, I found it hugely refreshing that men were also allowed to be vulnerable and confused. Female characters still feature, of course. Elsie is the most proactive person in the book and Marlene the most intimidating.

Spiritualism is a major theme and I liked how Spark played with intuition (displayed by Dr. Lyte and Ronald) and fake clairvoyance (displayed by Patrick and Mike). Perceptions and experiences of chronic illness (epilepsy, diabetes, depression) were also explored in interesting ways. The moments of farce are very funny, especially Marlene chasing Tim around the club as he attempts to hide and evade:

"Get your coat immediately," she said, "and come with me."
"I'm just going to the lavatory," Tim said and disappeared with his long legs up the main staircase like an anxious spider. He did not, however, go to the lavatory, but into the library where an aged member and a young man were bending over an architectural-looking plan spread out on the table. They looked up at Tim. The aged member said, "Who?" and they both looked down again at their plan. Tim wandered over to the window and there slipped behind the curtains. Marlene waited outside the lavatory. A man emerged with eyebrows which were by nature fixed in slight astonishment, and which, when he saw Marlene, seemed to rise. "Is my nephew in there?" Marlene said.
The man moved off, assuming her to be one of the maids gone mad in her private life.

I love Spark's mordant sense of humour and insight into human foibles and self-deception. The final courtroom scenes are masterly, yet the lines that I found most memorable condense perfectly a certain sense of urban ennui:

Next day, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon and the long jaded evening - the very clocks seeming to yawn - occurred all over London and especially in Kensington, Chelsea, and Hampstead, where there were newspapers, bells, talk, sleep, fate.

[Lee Foust · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty fabulous novel that kind of creeps up on you. It begins in a fairly light and humorous way, its tone dry and pithy; at first I thought, "Ah, a clever spoof of British bachelors" (certainly as the opening chapter's tone and the title would lead one to believe), but, as the novel's plot develops, more and more layers of public persona are stripped away from the characters until we see everyone's dirty underwear and it all gets quite sordid and rather more serious than I had at first imagined.

The main event driving the plot is a court case involving a medium and a letter he perhaps forged to cover having fleeced a wealthy window of her savings--which functions exactly as does the novel's ever deeper investigations into the lives of its characters, following their encounters with one another, their conversations, and other events in their various human relationships until all of the secrets of their inner lives are revealed. And what lies at the heart of a character that no one takes very seriously is pure, yet delicate, psychopathy--wait, really? Well, that was unexpected.

The theme turns out to be not so much bachelorhood per se, but perhaps the various deviations from the mean (psychopathy, homosexuality, frivolity, mothering, nymphomania, Catholicism, and epilepsy) that dissuade both men and women from marrying. In the end this was also a bit scary as most of the characters here were fairly recognizable (even from a non-Londoner some 50 years later) and one leaves this narrative all but convinced that coupling is impossible given all of our individual quirks, hang-ups, and madness.

This is the first novel I've read by Ms. Spark--and I believe I have Fionnuala to thank for the indirect recommendation. But I've been enjoying The Bachelors so much that, whilst I read, I picked up a copy of the author's more famous The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Having great luck so far this summer both in reading and book shopping despite my favorite second-hand book shop having shut down over the winter.

[Marisol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los solteros es una historia escrita por Muriel Spark, donde los personajes principales son un puñado de solteros britanicos.

Como un Sex and the city británico, con hombres como principales y sobre todo un ritmo que hace el disfrute mayor.

Una historia alterna es el detonante de los acontecimientos que se van sucediendo y van involucrando a todos estos hombres que tienen distintos grados de amistad entre sí.

Esta historia tiene como punto central a un médium, y ¿que otro personaje acompaña siempre a un médium?, exacto, una viuda mayor con cierto dinerito.

Con todos estos elementos, se logra una narración que te atrapa de a poco, como una telaraña, donde mientras mas avanzas mas te desconcierta lo que sucede, a veces risible, a veces mordaz, otras veces dramático.

Todos los personajes merecen un análisis pero para no alargar mi reseña, diré que Ronald Bridges, un experto grafólogo, que es epiléptico y por supuesto soltero da la nota, tanto por su halo de dramatismo, como su nobleza y sobre todo por ser atípicamente empatico.

El segundo personaje que escogería sería Patrick, el médium, aunque no sale mucho en acción, es el hilo conductor, y sus pocas apariciones son llenas de giros inesperados y mucho drama.

Y estos son solo una muestra, pues todos los personajes son impecables, ninguno está de relleno.

Buenísima lectura que me deja pensando porque Muriel Spark no es mucho más conocida y leída, siento un poco de pena por los que no han disfrutado de esta escritora.

[J.J. Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una farsa muy entretenida de leer. No entiendo cuál es
el punto de enmarcar la trama en el tema de la soltería o quizá sea un aspecto que no ha sobrevivido el paso del tiempo. Pero aun así la pasa uno bien leyendo esta novela.

Terminé pensando que podría ser fácilmente adaptada a una película mexicana. Una de las de albures.

[Mighty Aphrodite · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Anime sterili, stoppie bruciate come lui, anche se a sé stesso preferiva non pensare”.

Lo sguardo di Ronald Bridges sembra assomigliare in tutto e per tutto a quello di un veggente, un uomo in contatto con una dimensione invisibile, una dimensione attraverso la quale poter vedere ciò che gli uomini e le donne nascondono davvero nel loro cuore.

Un mistero avvolge la comunità di Londra, una comunità fatta di irreprensibili e irrimediabili scapoli, pronti a rifuggire dal matrimonio ad ogni costo, ma incapaci, loro malgrado, di resistere all’attraente peccato della carne: siano essi cattolici, protestanti o spiritisti, spaventati dal confessionale o decisi a godersi la vita, tutti cadono sotto il fascino di lunghi capelli neri o fianchi generosi.

In questo mondo, dunque, le donne sono amate e odiate allo stesso tempo: la vita senza di loro è molto più semplice, scandita dai vuoti rituali della routine da scapoli; è proprio questa fredda esistenza, però, a spingerli verso le donne, a ricercarne la compagnia, sotto forma di zie, madri, giovani ragazze influenzabili.

Gli scapoli di Muriel Spark si ritrovano invischiati in un disdicevole caso di appropriazione indebita, furto e finto spiritismo. Patrick Seton, uomo dall’aspetto scialbo e anonimo, guida una comunità di spiritisti decisi a tutto pur di comunicare con l’aldilà e lasciarsi guidare dalle scenografiche trance dell’uomo: legato mani e piedi ad una sedia, Seton schiuma dalla bocca e sembra in grado di rievocare gli avvenimenti più scabrosi dei partecipanti alle sedute, al fine di ricattarli e averli così in suo potere.

Continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muriel Spark: I am so glad that your books are now in my life.

"The Bachelors" snuck up on me with the unassuming air of a well-written little tale of British Manners. Before I knew it, the characters were embroiled in a thick pot of plot involving manslaughter, cross and double-cross, occult beliefs, disguises, and a constellation of licentious affairs. I remember shaking my head at one point and thinking, "How in the hell did we get here?"

My friend D_Davis wrote an excellent review for Spark's "The Comforters," in which he compares Spark's stories to those of Philip K. Dick. Having read "The Bachelors," I see these similarities, and I agree: Spark knows how to distill a character's motivations while spinning a zany yarn.

This is the kind of book that I will recommend to many people in the years to come--even if I'll be hard-pressed to describe what, exactly, goes on in the book. Then again, I refuse to detract from the gradual sense of discover that Spark cultivates in this wicked little story. If you like good fiction, take the plunge.

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This dark comedy didn't entertain me anywhere near as much as other Spark novels I have read. I had intended it as a 'palate cleanser' before some darker Halloween stuff, but I actually found it difficult to follow in places.
She uses a lot of characters, probably more than 20 key ones. Quite early on Spark uses a very humorous sentence about the bachelors, but doesn't build on it, instead concentrating on a spiritualist accused of fraud, and one of the bachelors trying to deal with a severe case of epilepsy. Neither storyline really works, I wanted less plot, and more interaction between fewer characters, as she does so successfully in her other work.

[Lucy Somerhalder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patrick is a DICK.

[Faye · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at page 41

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spark cinica e spumeggiante in questo racconto sul meglio (poco), e soprattutto il peggio delle relazioni umane; nessun personaggio è moralmente ineccepibile, un giallo atipico, un romanzo che non lascia indifferenti.

[Alessandra Gennaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/2022- Muriel Sparks, Gli Scapoli. Gli Scapoli sono un gruppo di giovanotti che si muovono defilati nella Londra della fine degli anni '50, fra cene ai Club e spese da Fortnum & Mason, nella polvere delle scartoffie degli uffici o delle parrucche dei tribunali, in bilico fra il tirar tardi, a letto, la domenica e l'afferrare un invito a pranzo o a cena, meglio se da qualche ricca vedova le cui speranze di riaccasarsi, però, son rintuzzate sul nascere: essere scapolo, per questi signori, è infatti, prima di tutto, una scelta di vita - o meglio: una non scelta. Non aspettatevi atti eroici, stuoli di donne cambiate come camicie, esistenze brillanti come dal più convenzionale degli stereotipi: gli Scapoli del romanzo non sono nulla di tutto questo. Sono, semmai, inetti che han scelto il male minore, terrorizzati dall'assunzione di responsabilità che sanno di non poter prendere- e pazienza se questo, nell'Inghilterra di quegli anni, comporta una diminuzione del prestigio sociale. Di fronte alla prospettiva di una moglie, son preferibili persino le cene a base di piselli surgelati e tè tiepido. A colorare all'improvviso il grigiore di queste vite è la comparsa sulla scena di un medium, su cui pende un processo per truffa e che, nel mentre, sta organizzando qualcosa che, oltre a scuotere gli Scapoli dal loro torpore, terrà il lettore avvinghiato alla storia, fino all'ultima pagina
Non ai livelli de Gli Anni fulgenti di Miss Brodie, ma comunque gradevolissimo e leggero. Il senso dell'umorismo è il valore aggiunto, per cui sì, è un bell'inizio d'anno.
Tre e mezzo.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently London in the early 1960s was quite different than Manhattan in the twenty-teens, lousy with unattached men as it was. These bachelors are not particularly appealing, though, as they appear here to be even more prone to navel-gazing than the rest of us. Even the charms of a character named Matthew, an Irish newspaper correspondent with irresistibly touchable curly black hair, wore thin pretty soon with his nattering.

The most appealing bachelor suffers from epilepsy, like the Prince in The Idiot and, I expect from the novel's own gloss, many other figures, literary and real, who are purported to be endowed with certain spiritual insights. What irks about him as a character is not so much that this has the feel of a trope -- Spark implicitly acknowledges as much. It's more that his woes are imbued with a kind of cuteness that permeates the book.

The epileptic's name is Ronald, and his fits alienate him from the world even as they provide him with an excuse for retreating from it. His encounter, through work as an expert witness, with a world of spiritualists and frauds introduces him to Alice, a pregnant beauty, and her less pretty but still appealing friend Elsie, and a host of other characters. Many of these characters are sketched with a quick and delightful precision, and the criminal trial that drives the plot and serves as its climax is as suspenseful as a trial in a comic novel could be. This book is fun to read, but it does seem a bit precious. Evelyn Waugh writes about Anglo-Catholics with as much humor and a lot more bang for the buck; this book fits within the genre and is to be preferred only insofar as it treats its own aims with greater modesty.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muriel Spark is a genius. She is impeccable at keeping dialogue flowing throughout her novel and she doesn't spend a lot of time in THE BACHELORS giving a lot of description. Spark allows the characters to be defined and judged by their words as opposed to a lot of explanation about their interior worlds.

The story is relatively simple. A spirtualist medium named Patrick Seton is about to be put on trial for defrauding one of his followers of her life-savings. Amidst this emerging scandal are a series of bachelors who are linked in some way with the spirtualist. Each bachelor comes along with their own set of baggage and their own bias towards women. As the story plays out, one is able to see the weaknesses of each player. An element of intensity is added as the reader is introduced to the deceptive relationship Seton has with his girlfriend who is planning to go on vacation with him after the trial.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to finding even more Muriel Spark to devour. She's fabulous!

[Catherine Davison]

I’m afraid I don’t get Muriel Spark. I can, and do, appreciate the ever-so-English characters, their eccentric ways and odd habits but I finish her work feeling like I’ve missed the point of it all.

[Aga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but I found the book dull and did not care about any of the characters.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* for the book & 4* for this audiobook narrated by Nadia May.

Dark humor about how a court case about whether a spiritualist medium had defrauded one of his circle affects the lives of several bachelors & their friends and relatives. One aspect of the book that bothered me is that all of the women seemed to come across as irrational (to say the least) and as strong evidence of the concept that 'people will believe what they want to believe'.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could the following possibly have in common? A spiritualist medium of questionable authenticity, called Patrick; a homosexual clairvoyant bent on proving Patrick a fraud; the clairvoyant’s partner, a priest who also appears to have shady dealings in prostitution; an equivocating schoolteacher who always appears to have homework to grade; a wife-hunting young man who lives in expectation of inheritance from a rich aunt; and the aunt herself, main benefactor to Patrick the spiritualist. Naturally, they are all players in Muriel Spark’s sportive novel, The Bachelors. There is also a menagerie of other characters, all quirky and flawed with self-interest as a prime motivator, yet all battling a variety of personal demons.

Indeed, the only two people who come close to being “normal” are Ronald Bridges and Elsie Forrest, and even then, the former is an epileptic graphologist, the latter a restaurant waitress and a thief! These are only some of the players in Muriel Spark’s rollicking, rollercoaster of a novel. The plot is launched when Patrick, the medium complete with rolled-back eyes and foaming mouth when in a trance, is accused of forgery. Factions quickly line up based on their loyalties: those in the spiritualist circle that believe in Patrick’s innocence, those that believe he is a fraud and a forger and must be brought to justice, and those that favor sitting firmly on the fence as fringe elements.

Ms. Spark enriches the reader’s experience with a number of romantic subplots, but when so many characters are of a superficial, self-centered nature, very little meaning or sympathy can be attached to them. However, this affords the author the opportunity for the wickedest of antics combined with equally mischievous humor as each person selfishly goes after his or her own objectives. It is not long, however, before mischief and wickedness edge towards sinister crime. At one point, it seems as if everyone has something compromising on somebody else. Almost nobody is authentic and transparent.

The climax of The Bachelors is Patrick’s court case, during which plenty of additional drama surfaces along with more dark humor. Will Patrick be convicted or acquitted? If the latter, will he be emboldened to more serious offences, at least one of which is already in the planning pipeline.

Ms. Spark squeezes much into a short novel, most of it via snappy, sparkling dialogue. She also makes readers work—in the best way—to keep the vast cast of characters straight in their minds. Nevertheless, this is a lively, animated tale in the timeless tradition of good versus evil, but one that juxtaposes several other aspects of human behavior: loyalty and betrayal, unconditional love with opportunistic affection, altruism with self-aggrandizement, morality with villainy, and integrity with depravity. All of which makes for a well-written, intelligent, entertaining novel, a signature talent of Ms. Spark’s.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

4* The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie
3* The Girls of Slender Means
3* Memento Mori
3* A Far Cry from Kensington
2* The Bachelors
TR The Driver's Seat
TR The Ballad of Peckham Rye

About Muriel Spark:
3* Muriel Spark: The Biography
3* Appointment in Arezzo: A Friendship With Muriel Spark

[Elisewin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si merita tutte le mie tre stelline per la scrittura e per le volte che mi ha fatta sorridere, anche se non mi ha entusiasmato a essere onesta.
La scrittura l'ho trovata molto semplice ma non banale e il ritmo rimane sostenuto anche nelle varie descrizioni - tipo le sedute spiritiche -. La vena di sarcasmo e comicità che trovo di tanto in tanto è piacevole, specie il discorso sul cattolicesimo, l'anticattolicesimo e gli irlandesi.
Per quanto riguarda i personaggi invece, non li sopporto. Beh, Ronald forse non è del tutto male, ma Patrick non ha senso di esistere. Alice poi, la detesto con tutte le mie forze. Lo so che non è un sentimento caritatevole e soprattutto femminista, ma cosa ci volete fare ┐(´～｀)┌
I pensieri di Patrick alla fine comunque mi hanno fatto venire la pelle d'oca. Secondo me è proprio una persona malata oltre che un bugiardo patologico.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1960, this is one of her most satisfactory works. If you're interested in her work, this is the one I would start with. It's not really focused on bachelors, but on a loosely-knit group of "spiritualists" who must deal with a medium who may or may not be a con man. Like many of her early works, sometimes it feels like Spark's characters are wind-up toys that she sets up against each other. But the tension surrounding the con man gives the book more momentum than many of her early works. There's a very charming scene in the end where two of the novel's most sympathetic characters must negotiate the fact that they're at cross-purposes, yet are clearly attracted to each other for all the right reasons.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Is there a collective noun for a group of bachelors? This is a novel of deception, in which the rather humdrum lives of a bunch of bachelors become entangled around the unsavoury character of Patrick Seton the medium. None of the main characters whether women or men are sympathetically portrayed and the subject matter allows Spark her most acerbic wit and black humour. Again the theme of Catholicism is predominant and set against the claims of spiritualism. I have given three stars because I enjoyed it less than some of her other novels. An interesting and involving read nonetheless

[Elettra · Rating 4 out of 5]

È il mio primo libro della Muriel Spark, scrittrice che non conoscevo. Quindi è stata una scoperta interessante. Non ho condiviso il riferimento ad Agatha Christie in quanto, a differenza della grande maestra del giallo, la Spark rivela una spiccata vena caustica sia nel descrivere i personaggi che gli ambienti. Il titolo Gli scapoli è perfetto perché non è tanto la trama in sè stessa ad essere importante quanto l’individualità dei personaggi descritti a volte in modo caricaturale e con un pizzico di parodia. Interessante anche la descrizione dei salotti, dei cerimoniali british presentati con uno spiccato senso dell’humor beffardo e a volte maligno.

[Kat Ewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming little book.
Witty and clever story. It got a bit dry in the middle potentially and some of the characters confused me- they do say - never give two main characters a name starting with the same letter!!!!!!!

That being said, I enjoyed the eccentric characters, many of whom are spirtualists. It amused me that barely any of the characters, even the most sensible ones thought that the idea of spiritualism was anything to be laughed at or not taken seriously. It was a fun look into the lives of little people and I love reading just about people being bizarre people. Idk hahah

Having just read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie I am very much enjoying Muriel Spark.

[Sue Garwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat. It's been ages since I read anything of Muriel Spark's and I loved this.