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The Lessons
Granta Best Young British Novelist
Naomi Alderman's The Lessons reflects the truth that the lessons life teaches often come too late.
Hidden away in an Oxford back street is a crumbling Georgian mansion, unknown to any but the few who possess a key to its unassuming front gate. Its owner is the mercurial, charismatic Mark Winters, whose rackety trust-fund upbringing has left him as troubled and unpredictable as he is wildly promiscuous.
Mark gathers around him an impressionable group of students: glamorous Emmanuella, who always has a new boyfriend in tow; Franny and Simon, best friends and occasional lovers; musician Jess, whose calm exterior hides passionate depths. And James, already damaged by Oxford and looking for a group to belong to.
For a time they live in a charmed world of learning and parties and love affairs. But university is no grounding for adult life, and when, years later, tragedy strikes they are entirely unprepared.
'Sharp, funny and poignant' Hilary Mantel
'Funny, tender and insightful' Maureen Lipman, Guardian
Naomi Alderman grew up in the Orthodox Jewish community in northwest London. Her first novel, Disobedience, was published in 10 languages and won the Orange Award for New Writers and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year prize. Like her second novel, The Lessons, it was broadcast as Radio 4's Book at Bedtime. She is a frequent radio broadcaster and she is a regular contributor to several publications including the Guardian and Prospect. She lives in London.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
About the author
Naomi Alderman
42 books4,603 followersNaomi Alderman (born 1974 in London) is a British author and novelist.
Alderman was educated at South Hampstead High School and Lincoln College, Oxford where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She then went on to study creative writing at the University of East Anglia before becoming a novelist.
She was the lead writer for Perplex City, an Alternate reality game, at Mind Candy from 2004 through June, 2007.[1]
Her father is Geoffrey Alderman, an academic who has specialised in Anglo-Jewish history. She and her father were interviewed in The Sunday Times "Relative Values" feature on 11 February 2007.[2]
Her literary debut came in 2006 with Disobedience, a well-received (if controversial) novel about a rabbi's daughter from North London who becomes a lesbian, which won her the 2006 Orange Award for New Writers.
Since its publication in the United Kingdom, it has been issued in the USA, Germany, Israel, Holland, Poland and France and is due to be published in Italy, Hungary and Croatia.
She wrote the narrative for The Winter House, an online, interactive yet linear short story visualized by Jey Biddulph. The project was commissioned by Booktrust as part of the Story campaign, supported by Arts Council England. [3]
Alderman was educated at South Hampstead High School and Lincoln College, Oxford where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She then went on to study creative writing at the University of East Anglia before becoming a novelist.
She was the lead writer for Perplex City, an Alternate reality game, at Mind Candy from 2004 through June, 2007.[1]
Her father is Geoffrey Alderman, an academic who has specialised in Anglo-Jewish history. She and her father were interviewed in The Sunday Times "Relative Values" feature on 11 February 2007.[2]
Her literary debut came in 2006 with Disobedience, a well-received (if controversial) novel about a rabbi's daughter from North London who becomes a lesbian, which won her the 2006 Orange Award for New Writers.
Since its publication in the United Kingdom, it has been issued in the USA, Germany, Israel, Holland, Poland and France and is due to be published in Italy, Hungary and Croatia.
She wrote the narrative for The Winter House, an online, interactive yet linear short story visualized by Jey Biddulph. The project was commissioned by Booktrust as part of the Story campaign, supported by Arts Council England. [3]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 338 reviews
September 13, 2020
this may be one of those books that is a four star book for me, but maybe not a four star book for everyone else.
for starters, it is a combination of secret history and the talented mr. ripley. so if you like those things, get in line. it is about an average man from an average background coming to the attention of a wildly charismatic man and his circle of friends.
however, this is a book which simply tells a story.
that's it.
no bells, no whistles, no uncovering the mysteries of the universe.
just a story about people and the things they do and the choices they make.
so, why did you like it so much, karen?
1) i love secret history. and any time someone writes a book about close-knit friends who all live together in a crumbling mansion and are among the careless wealthy entitled elite with a scholarly bent, but then there are seeeeeecrets, i am already there with my face in the book.
2) the atmosphere of this one was more haunting than most of the secret history wannabes. this one's seeeeecrets were more of the emotional, realistic ones, and less of, you know, murrrder. which is refreshing. it becomes less of an escapist treat and one that is a more contemplative experience.
3) the descriptions of oxford alone were enough to make me love this one. i dated someone that went there, and i remember hearing the tales of rigo(u)r and beauty and it kind of gives me a little yearn.
and while this is in no way unexplored territory, i think she expresses herself well.
i mean, it's not a revolutionary observation, but the way she wrote it was lovely; she knows how to express things in a way that is pleasing.
you know? i like that. i'm simple.
one more, just because i think this final sentence is heartbreaking the way she invokes that perfect confidence of children and softly implies how much of that these characters have lost.
because that's a lot of what this book is: the realization that "you are unprepared for the emotional challenges of life." in love, in friendship, in academia, in family... and poor beautiful james, drawn into a world to which he has nothing to contribute but so desperately wants to be a part of.
again, yearn
so, yes, a lovely book, but maybe not for people who need more than just personal resonanace from their reading material.
come to my blog!
for starters, it is a combination of secret history and the talented mr. ripley. so if you like those things, get in line. it is about an average man from an average background coming to the attention of a wildly charismatic man and his circle of friends.
however, this is a book which simply tells a story.
that's it.
no bells, no whistles, no uncovering the mysteries of the universe.
just a story about people and the things they do and the choices they make.
so, why did you like it so much, karen?
1) i love secret history. and any time someone writes a book about close-knit friends who all live together in a crumbling mansion and are among the careless wealthy entitled elite with a scholarly bent, but then there are seeeeeecrets, i am already there with my face in the book.
2) the atmosphere of this one was more haunting than most of the secret history wannabes. this one's seeeeecrets were more of the emotional, realistic ones, and less of, you know, murrrder. which is refreshing. it becomes less of an escapist treat and one that is a more contemplative experience.
3) the descriptions of oxford alone were enough to make me love this one. i dated someone that went there, and i remember hearing the tales of rigo(u)r and beauty and it kind of gives me a little yearn.
and while this is in no way unexplored territory, i think she expresses herself well.
There is no safety that does not also restrict us. And many needless restrictions feel safe and comfortable. It is so hard to know, at any moment, the distinction between being safe and being caged. It is hard to know when it is better to choose freedom and fear, and when it is simply foolhardy. I have often, I think, too often erred on the side of caution.
i mean, it's not a revolutionary observation, but the way she wrote it was lovely; she knows how to express things in a way that is pleasing.
I wanted to tell him something about how it was with Jess and me, how I had found that love was a constant cycle of coming together and breaking apart. But I did not want to talk or think about Jess just then. And perhaps I did not at that time have the ability to explain the truth about relationships: that they produce their fruit intermittently, unpredictably. That every relationship has moments where someone says, or thinks, or feels that it might not be worth doing. Every relationship has moments of exasperation and fear. And the work of the thing is to come through it, to learn how to bear it. And even if I could have explained this, Mark would never have understood it. He has always been rich enough that if something breaks he can simply throw it away and buy a new one. He had never used string or glue to bind something together again. He had never been forced to learn how to mend.
you know? i like that. i'm simple.
one more, just because i think this final sentence is heartbreaking the way she invokes that perfect confidence of children and softly implies how much of that these characters have lost.
Daisy grew sturdy and sweet. She learned to say her own name, 'Daidy', and mine. She began to recognize Jess and me, to trust us as she trusted her family. Once, on a walk, she could not quite clamber over a fallen log and held out her little hand to mine with such an expectation of my aid that I felt suddenly heartsick at the charm of her.
because that's a lot of what this book is: the realization that "you are unprepared for the emotional challenges of life." in love, in friendship, in academia, in family... and poor beautiful james, drawn into a world to which he has nothing to contribute but so desperately wants to be a part of.
again, yearn
so, yes, a lovely book, but maybe not for people who need more than just personal resonanace from their reading material.
come to my blog!
April 13, 2022
The Lessons, Naomi Alderman's second novel, is reminiscent of Donna Tartt's famous The Secret History - featuring a young and naive narrator from a relatively poor background, who enrolls in at a prestigious university (Tartt's is located in a sleepy Vermont town) where he falls in with a group of quirky, overly privileged and rich young people, and learns their ways by participating in the crazy things they do. The Secret History was not the first novel to do that, but it was undoubtedly the most successful and popular example of such set-up in the late 20-th century fiction.
Alderman's narrator is James Stieff (the obvious pun will come up - get it?), a freshman at Oxford and a student of physics. James has a hard time adjusting to the Oxford rigor and feels lonely, misplaced, envious of other more successful students - until he enters the circle of people hovering around the charming Mark Winters, a trust fund baby living the hell out of the bohemian lifestyle in an decaying Georgian mansion. Mark invited James and others to live with him - without worries about the rent or expenses, and just enjoying their life. But there's more behind Mark's wealth and glitter, which might affect James in ways he did not thought possible.
While the fact that I did not find most of the characters likable is not in itself a fatal flaw - I could say the same about The Secret History - but I did not find any of them interesting. The mysterious Mark failed to made me care enough to want to know more about him, and I felt that James off as pathetic and whiny. The rest of thee characters resemble sketches more than people. In comparison, Tartt's clueless Richard Papen was a much more engaging narrator, and the drama between Henry and Bunny was a highlight of the novel. Lessons also lack a central focal point such as the murder and its coverup in The Secret History, making the novel wander around aimlessly, not knowing if it wants to center on James, Mark or Oxford, and trying to bring all three together.
Alderman's novel is an attempt at capturing the lost period of youth spend at college, where one tries to find the meaning of life and parties a lot - but just like that time it comes out without answers and somehow hungover. While she can certainly write and there are nice description passages, its familiar plot offers few surprises and rewards, and while it's a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours it's most likely to be gone and forgotten in a couple of years.
Alderman's narrator is James Stieff (the obvious pun will come up - get it?), a freshman at Oxford and a student of physics. James has a hard time adjusting to the Oxford rigor and feels lonely, misplaced, envious of other more successful students - until he enters the circle of people hovering around the charming Mark Winters, a trust fund baby living the hell out of the bohemian lifestyle in an decaying Georgian mansion. Mark invited James and others to live with him - without worries about the rent or expenses, and just enjoying their life. But there's more behind Mark's wealth and glitter, which might affect James in ways he did not thought possible.
While the fact that I did not find most of the characters likable is not in itself a fatal flaw - I could say the same about The Secret History - but I did not find any of them interesting. The mysterious Mark failed to made me care enough to want to know more about him, and I felt that James off as pathetic and whiny. The rest of thee characters resemble sketches more than people. In comparison, Tartt's clueless Richard Papen was a much more engaging narrator, and the drama between Henry and Bunny was a highlight of the novel. Lessons also lack a central focal point such as the murder and its coverup in The Secret History, making the novel wander around aimlessly, not knowing if it wants to center on James, Mark or Oxford, and trying to bring all three together.
Alderman's novel is an attempt at capturing the lost period of youth spend at college, where one tries to find the meaning of life and parties a lot - but just like that time it comes out without answers and somehow hungover. While she can certainly write and there are nice description passages, its familiar plot offers few surprises and rewards, and while it's a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours it's most likely to be gone and forgotten in a couple of years.
June 2, 2020
This book has a number of trope that I would normally gravitate to, a really close knit group of friends, academic setting, murder mystery and so on however this fell a bit flat for me.
If you liked the idea of The Secret History but found it to be too complex then this is probably for you.
If you liked the idea of The Secret History but found it to be too complex then this is probably for you.
July 22, 2020
★★✰✰✰ (2 stars)
The premise itself was enough to intrigue me. A close-knit group of friends attending Oxford? Yes please. Naomi Alderman's style lends itself well for this: it has a 'polish' that evokes notions of privilege. However, the characters and plot do not convey the good qualities of Alderman's style. Throughout, there is a sort of entitlement which feels hollow: Oxford is not the forefront of the story, and it is the annoying attitude of the characters which render this novel so self-important rather than the 'exclusive' setting. The Lessons lacks the compelling characters of The Secret History, the atmosphere of The Likeness, and the dramatics of If We Were Villains.
The focus of the novel isn't as clear-cut as I expected. For such a short novel, I found my interest wavering time and again due to the lack of the story's focus: Oxford seems forgotten soon after the first few intriguing chapters and Mark's house also becomes seemingly forgotten. Alderman doesn't spend enough time maintaining the background of this novel and the characters are not fleshed out enough as to detract from this. I would have been forgiving if I could at least have read about a decent character study, but there was no such thing. This 'group of friends' was composed of interchangeable characters who were so poorly developed that even the author is aware of it and tries to excuse her poor rendition of them by having the narrator say things like 'so and so is still a mystery to me' and 'no one ever understood what she/he was about'. Really? That is a cheap trick. Her characters aren't unknowable as they claim to be, but rather, they simply lack, in all fronts. They are shallows sketches who do not even appear that often in the novel. And I wouldn't have minded as much if at least the two 'main' characters were fully developed. But they weren't. Their relationship was...questionable. We saw no proof or progress, but we are made to believe that the protagonist falls under the influence of this very charismatic character who is anything but interesting. They all read like copies of the cast of *ahem* The Secret History *ahem*. What was the point of it all?
Lastly, the 'Italian' factor of this novel is complete nonsense. At least google real Italian names for Pete's sake.
The premise itself was enough to intrigue me. A close-knit group of friends attending Oxford? Yes please. Naomi Alderman's style lends itself well for this: it has a 'polish' that evokes notions of privilege. However, the characters and plot do not convey the good qualities of Alderman's style. Throughout, there is a sort of entitlement which feels hollow: Oxford is not the forefront of the story, and it is the annoying attitude of the characters which render this novel so self-important rather than the 'exclusive' setting. The Lessons lacks the compelling characters of The Secret History, the atmosphere of The Likeness, and the dramatics of If We Were Villains.
The focus of the novel isn't as clear-cut as I expected. For such a short novel, I found my interest wavering time and again due to the lack of the story's focus: Oxford seems forgotten soon after the first few intriguing chapters and Mark's house also becomes seemingly forgotten. Alderman doesn't spend enough time maintaining the background of this novel and the characters are not fleshed out enough as to detract from this. I would have been forgiving if I could at least have read about a decent character study, but there was no such thing. This 'group of friends' was composed of interchangeable characters who were so poorly developed that even the author is aware of it and tries to excuse her poor rendition of them by having the narrator say things like 'so and so is still a mystery to me' and 'no one ever understood what she/he was about'. Really? That is a cheap trick. Her characters aren't unknowable as they claim to be, but rather, they simply lack, in all fronts. They are shallows sketches who do not even appear that often in the novel. And I wouldn't have minded as much if at least the two 'main' characters were fully developed. But they weren't. Their relationship was...questionable. We saw no proof or progress, but we are made to believe that the protagonist falls under the influence of this very charismatic character who is anything but interesting. They all read like copies of the cast of *ahem* The Secret History *ahem*. What was the point of it all?
Lastly, the 'Italian' factor of this novel is complete nonsense. At least google real Italian names for Pete's sake.
February 25, 2017
As you may already know, The Secret History by Donna Tartt is one of my favourite books, possibly my all-time favourite. Nothing in all the modern fiction I've ever read has matched it, so I tend to be interested when reviews compare a new novel to it, as they often do - particularly with novels by relatively young female authors, like this one. There are indeed many similarities between the two, and at the beginning in particular the influence of Tartt's modern classic is so obvious that The Lessons almost feels like an homage. Elite, highly intellectual university setting (in this case Oxford)? Check. Close-knit, mixed-sex (and sexuality) group of friends, at least some of them fabulously wealthy? Check. Somewhat naive young male narrator, less privileged than his peers? Check. The tone and dialogue, too, are remarkably similar. I couldn't help but feel the book was specifically designed to appeal to those who loved The Secret History, but for me at least, it succeeded. As much as it's so clearly influenced by another writer, Alderman is obviously very talented and this is a great book in its own right.
As for the story itself, I really enjoyed it but just felt frustrated throughout that there wasn't more of everything. It's so eloquently written and evocative, but lacks the depth and complexity of Tartt's book and so many aspects of the story could have been expanded on. The sudden turnaround in James's feelings towards Mark could be implausible, but it's deftly handled and the realistic narrative voice makes it completely believable. I just wish I could have known more about the other characters, particularly Mark, the mystery of his troubled background and exactly how his relationship with Nicola began and developed. I almost feel like Alderman could write a whole other novel about these characters without running out of material. That said, this is still a very good book and well worth reading if you loved The Secret History - to anyone who enjoyed this, I would also recommend Lucie Whitehouse's The House at Midnight, which is in a similar vein and also excellent.
As for the story itself, I really enjoyed it but just felt frustrated throughout that there wasn't more of everything. It's so eloquently written and evocative, but lacks the depth and complexity of Tartt's book and so many aspects of the story could have been expanded on. The sudden turnaround in James's feelings towards Mark could be implausible, but it's deftly handled and the realistic narrative voice makes it completely believable. I just wish I could have known more about the other characters, particularly Mark, the mystery of his troubled background and exactly how his relationship with Nicola began and developed. I almost feel like Alderman could write a whole other novel about these characters without running out of material. That said, this is still a very good book and well worth reading if you loved The Secret History - to anyone who enjoyed this, I would also recommend Lucie Whitehouse's The House at Midnight, which is in a similar vein and also excellent.
January 24, 2023
Rep: bi mcs
CWs: self harm, suicide ideations, domestic abuse
CWs: self harm, suicide ideations, domestic abuse
November 18, 2010
There is an almost endless supply of novels about college friends: Brideshead Revisited, The Group, The Secret History, The Line of Beauty, The Emperor's Children and at last count 83,477 others. They all use the same basic formula: desperate people make intense friendships more by virtue environment than choice and are led by the most charismatic of the bunch into making bad decisions and the same basic characters: the snob, the innocent, the addict, the rich one, the charity case, Thelma and Daphne. In order to stand out within that huge pack a novel needs to be at the very least excellent. Enter The Lesson.
The sun of this group of collegiates is the flamboyant and impossibly rich Mark. The satellites are: James, Simon, Emmanuella, Jess and Franny. A lifetime of reading has already taught you that there will of be affairs, changing partners, tested loyalty, betrayal, financial success, financial ruin and tragedy. The author, Naomi Alderman brings nothing new to the plot of The Lesson but then the plotline for this kind of novel was established long before she was born. What Alderman does bring in spades is freshness. From the experience of going from high school graduation and being the master of your universe to being a little fish in a intimidating pond once you get to college to discovering that real life is less than exciting, Alderman makes this all new again.
The Lesson has all the readable delights of a richer than thou coming of age story and the intellectual grab of a documentary. You enjoy it all despite the train wreck you know is coming...or maybe it's because you know it's coming?
The Lesson is currently available in the U. K. I do not know if a U.S. edition is planned. If you're interested in this author you could try Alderman's excellent Disobedience.
The sun of this group of collegiates is the flamboyant and impossibly rich Mark. The satellites are: James, Simon, Emmanuella, Jess and Franny. A lifetime of reading has already taught you that there will of be affairs, changing partners, tested loyalty, betrayal, financial success, financial ruin and tragedy. The author, Naomi Alderman brings nothing new to the plot of The Lesson but then the plotline for this kind of novel was established long before she was born. What Alderman does bring in spades is freshness. From the experience of going from high school graduation and being the master of your universe to being a little fish in a intimidating pond once you get to college to discovering that real life is less than exciting, Alderman makes this all new again.
The Lesson has all the readable delights of a richer than thou coming of age story and the intellectual grab of a documentary. You enjoy it all despite the train wreck you know is coming...or maybe it's because you know it's coming?
The Lesson is currently available in the U. K. I do not know if a U.S. edition is planned. If you're interested in this author you could try Alderman's excellent Disobedience.
August 6, 2017
Reminded me of The Secret History and Brideshead Revisited, so yes, of course I loved it.
February 23, 2021
2,5 stars, rounded up to a 3. May change later.
Seems like Naomi Alderman read The Secret History and was like "What if the Classics group HAD stayed in Francis' country house like they wished they did?" and ran with it, a bit unsuccessfully.
Many other reviewers have pointed out the similarities between The Lessons and The Secret History so I'm not being the least bit original right now, but here it comes: there's no WAY Naomi Alderman hasn't read TSH. There's a not-rich (but not poor, either) POV narrator that gets tangled up in the lives of his rich classmates; Mark, the richest and the "leader" of the lot, is named Winters; there's a character named Franny; it's about academia and secrets; there's a character that the narrator has a crush on who remains "a mystery until the end" (coincidentally named Emmanue-lla, Cami-lla in TSH); a gay character has to marry a woman to get everyone off his back; everything is all fun and games in the start, but crumbles into ruins by the end.
Full disclosure: TSH is my most favourite book of all time, so I was more than a bit biased towards it to begin with- it's not that "no one can do this story better than Donna Tartt!!", it's that, Naomi Alderman didn't really make it work.
My biggest problem with the book was the characters, everyone except for James (the POV narrator) and Mark. Everyone, and I really mean EVERYONE else, is little more than a cardboard cutout. We never get to know Jess, Franny, Simon and Emmanuella. They're there, we're told that they're all super besties that wanted to stay together forever, but ~had to grow up because that's life, you see~. None of it is believable. James is in a serious relationship with Jess but we never SEE them together, making all their grown up plans, getting an apartment together, all of it- show, don't tell, Naomi Alderman!
All we know about Franny and Simon is that they fuck each other a lot even though they're not together for some reason, that Franny kind of becomes an alcoholic by the end, and that Emmanuella likes blonde guys. That's it, that's all the characterization they get, and it was frustrating because the main group dynamics is the focus of the book's blurb, not just Mark and James. I WANTED to read about a group of people.
Moving on from the terrible character development, the book's other problem is that it didn't really know what it wanted to be, and I think Naomi Alderman was way too influenced by TSH. They start similarly, with the narrator being enamoured by the academic life, and lush descriptions of the respective schools, before having the narrator enter the mysterious world of his rich and powerful classmates and their studies taking the backseat for that. I believe Donna Tartt did it better, though. I think that the writing in TSH flowed a lot more smoothly from section to section, while in The Lessons it's like "Now James is all about his studies, now he's depressed, now he's magically taken into the group even though he's boring as fuck", etc, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVED that James was depicted as utterly pathetic and called out for it multiple times (because he was), and that he , and thank fuck he did, but he still wasn't the most interesting person to read about when all he does is follow other people around. There was also a specific trope that I really, really disliked in a book I read earlier this year (The King's Men), and that is it's a combo of Single-Target Sexuality and If It's You, It's Okay, and I don't care for it at all.
If you're somehow able to ignore all of the above, this will be the book for you. As for me, I enjoyed reading it, and I don't think I wasted my time doing so, but it definitely hasn't become a new favourite.
Seems like Naomi Alderman read The Secret History and was like "What if the Classics group HAD stayed in Francis' country house like they wished they did?" and ran with it, a bit unsuccessfully.
Many other reviewers have pointed out the similarities between The Lessons and The Secret History so I'm not being the least bit original right now, but here it comes: there's no WAY Naomi Alderman hasn't read TSH. There's a not-rich (but not poor, either) POV narrator that gets tangled up in the lives of his rich classmates; Mark, the richest and the "leader" of the lot, is named Winters; there's a character named Franny; it's about academia and secrets; there's a character that the narrator has a crush on who remains "a mystery until the end" (coincidentally named Emmanue-lla, Cami-lla in TSH); a gay character has to marry a woman to get everyone off his back; everything is all fun and games in the start, but crumbles into ruins by the end.
Full disclosure: TSH is my most favourite book of all time, so I was more than a bit biased towards it to begin with- it's not that "no one can do this story better than Donna Tartt!!", it's that, Naomi Alderman didn't really make it work.
My biggest problem with the book was the characters, everyone except for James (the POV narrator) and Mark. Everyone, and I really mean EVERYONE else, is little more than a cardboard cutout. We never get to know Jess, Franny, Simon and Emmanuella. They're there, we're told that they're all super besties that wanted to stay together forever, but ~had to grow up because that's life, you see~. None of it is believable. James is in a serious relationship with Jess but we never SEE them together, making all their grown up plans, getting an apartment together, all of it- show, don't tell, Naomi Alderman!
All we know about Franny and Simon is that they fuck each other a lot even though they're not together for some reason, that Franny kind of becomes an alcoholic by the end, and that Emmanuella likes blonde guys. That's it, that's all the characterization they get, and it was frustrating because the main group dynamics is the focus of the book's blurb, not just Mark and James. I WANTED to read about a group of people.
Moving on from the terrible character development, the book's other problem is that it didn't really know what it wanted to be, and I think Naomi Alderman was way too influenced by TSH. They start similarly, with the narrator being enamoured by the academic life, and lush descriptions of the respective schools, before having the narrator enter the mysterious world of his rich and powerful classmates and their studies taking the backseat for that. I believe Donna Tartt did it better, though. I think that the writing in TSH flowed a lot more smoothly from section to section, while in The Lessons it's like "Now James is all about his studies, now he's depressed, now he's magically taken into the group even though he's boring as fuck", etc, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVED that James was depicted as utterly pathetic and called out for it multiple times (because he was), and that he , and thank fuck he did, but he still wasn't the most interesting person to read about when all he does is follow other people around. There was also a specific trope that I really, really disliked in a book I read earlier this year (The King's Men), and that is it's a combo of Single-Target Sexuality and If It's You, It's Okay, and I don't care for it at all.
If you're somehow able to ignore all of the above, this will be the book for you. As for me, I enjoyed reading it, and I don't think I wasted my time doing so, but it definitely hasn't become a new favourite.
October 26, 2016
I don't normally bother to write reviews, but considering how little known this book is and how amazing it turned out to be, here I go.
I feel like it's important to point out that this book is for a particular crowd of people. Not everyone is going to like this as avidly as I did. The reason for this is simple: there's little plot but an inner monologue (much like TSH's Richard Papen) of someone who's lost then found (more on this later). It's written in first person and the narrator is recalling the story from memory—and he is love blind. He only tells what's important, I think, to redeem himself and his lovers.
For this reason, and the gradual decline of the characters, I feel I gotta write this review making parallels alongside Donna Tartt's The Secret History. But let me also point this out: these are very different books. The plot of The Lessons reminded me little of The Secret History. Of course, both of these stories happen in a collegiate ambient, etc, etc, and you can tell that there is at least some inspiration.
(Also: it's gaaaayyyyyyyy)
Ok! Now what I mean when I say this book's for a very particular crowd (and you'll understand what I'm saying if you've read TSH). To me, The Lessons was written in the same mourning, decaying and surreal atmosphere as the epilogue in The Secret History. See:
So when I say only a particular crowd will like this, that's what I mean. All chapters are written this way, like something's just out of your grasp, but then you realize it's not you, it's not you at all, it's the characters. And if you didn't like The Secret History you'll probably not like this book either, and I think if you haven't read The Secret History you might not be prepared for how The Lessons is like—so yes, you might have to be in a particular mindset to really enjoy this book.
Here's why: nothing much happens. Like I said, there's always something just out of your reach. The plot... moves on like a life should. Of course, by the time you're on the second half, the entire thing shakes and you're left crying and staring in horror and you're like oh my god oh my god this is the most amazing book I've ever read. Most of it isn't action, it's thought, it's remembrance. If I had to summarize The Lessons' atmosphere in a couple of sentences, I'd say it's the story of someone who loves too much. Who doesn't know who he is without someone to love. And it destroys him, because no one can love him back, really, if he's empty aside from bits and pieces he stole from his lovers. That's both the MC's entire story and ruin.
But let me be clear: this book was amazing. In a few short sentences, it talks about James, a physicist who's starting his life at an Oxford College, following his successful and bossy sister's steps. Except, when he gets there, he discovers that while he was great surrounded by his average high-school classmates, here every classmate was the same as he, and now he's the average one. And it startles him, and puts him in a depression, and now he has an injured knee and he can't do anything right. That is, until he finds another person to wrap his life around: the girlfriend of the classmate James is the most jealous of. Anyway, through the girlfriend, Emmanuella, he meets another girl, Jess, and Jess introduces him to Mark, different and wild and very, very rich. And as Jess and James' relationship goes on, he becomes crazy fascinated by Mark, as they all are—him and Jess and Franny and Emmanuella and Simon—and all of the sudden they're nothing without each other (I'd say literally nothing. To me, they're empty). Hence, my comparasion to The Secret History's characters decaying during the epilogue.
And... that's the plot. His life with Jess. His learning of feelings for another man. His way to go on and not lose either. His love that's too intense, that sparks jealousy, greed, arrogance, selfishness. Which is why this book is so good and yet the story—the plot—is... Well. It's a life. Studying, graduating, getting a job, moving in with your long-term girlfriend, having an affair, seeing tragedy and realizing: Oh my God, I asked for this, why am I true evil? (He's as melodramatic as he sounds.) And Mark's emptiness, and selfishness, and his need to always have, have, have, and when he can't buy what he needs the most, his rage. Arrogance. His blackmailing and sucking of the lives of the people who love him.
But—if you're into that sort of thing, the objective, slow yet engaging and incredible narrative (I mean... I read TSH in 3 months, and that's my favorite book. I read this in 5 days. So it's not slow in the way that drags.), this is a must read. Also, one thing I'd like to take notice of is, I couldn't have read this book at a better moment than I did. This book's about moving away from childhood, adolescence and college life. About growing into adulthood but not in that oh-my-god-this-again kind of way.
5/5
He had been the centre, the one who bound us together, because beside him we seemed more similar to each other. Without him, Emmanuella was too rich, and Franny too opiniated, and Simon too shallow. Without him, we were just a scattering of people.
I feel like it's important to point out that this book is for a particular crowd of people. Not everyone is going to like this as avidly as I did. The reason for this is simple: there's little plot but an inner monologue (much like TSH's Richard Papen) of someone who's lost then found (more on this later). It's written in first person and the narrator is recalling the story from memory—and he is love blind. He only tells what's important, I think, to redeem himself and his lovers.
For this reason, and the gradual decline of the characters, I feel I gotta write this review making parallels alongside Donna Tartt's The Secret History. But let me also point this out: these are very different books. The plot of The Lessons reminded me little of The Secret History. Of course, both of these stories happen in a collegiate ambient, etc, etc, and you can tell that there is at least some inspiration.
(Also: it's gaaaayyyyyyyy)
Ok! Now what I mean when I say this book's for a very particular crowd (and you'll understand what I'm saying if you've read TSH). To me, The Lessons was written in the same mourning, decaying and surreal atmosphere as the epilogue in The Secret History. See:
He turned from me and walked away. I watched his back receding down the long, gleaming hall.
— The Secret History's Epilogue
I heard the sound of Italian voices from the next carriage — boisterous, confident teenage voices arguing and laughing. This moment, like all moments, would be lost. I closed my eyes, inhaled. And when I breathed out I felt nothing at all.
— The Lesson's Chapter 26
So when I say only a particular crowd will like this, that's what I mean. All chapters are written this way, like something's just out of your grasp, but then you realize it's not you, it's not you at all, it's the characters. And if you didn't like The Secret History you'll probably not like this book either, and I think if you haven't read The Secret History you might not be prepared for how The Lessons is like—so yes, you might have to be in a particular mindset to really enjoy this book.
Here's why: nothing much happens. Like I said, there's always something just out of your reach. The plot... moves on like a life should. Of course, by the time you're on the second half, the entire thing shakes and you're left crying and staring in horror and you're like oh my god oh my god this is the most amazing book I've ever read. Most of it isn't action, it's thought, it's remembrance. If I had to summarize The Lessons' atmosphere in a couple of sentences, I'd say it's the story of someone who loves too much. Who doesn't know who he is without someone to love. And it destroys him, because no one can love him back, really, if he's empty aside from bits and pieces he stole from his lovers. That's both the MC's entire story and ruin.
[...] And there are those of us who love unboundedly, giving everything, offering up their whole selves as a sacrifice of love. Nothing short of total love was ever enough for me.
But let me be clear: this book was amazing. In a few short sentences, it talks about James, a physicist who's starting his life at an Oxford College, following his successful and bossy sister's steps. Except, when he gets there, he discovers that while he was great surrounded by his average high-school classmates, here every classmate was the same as he, and now he's the average one. And it startles him, and puts him in a depression, and now he has an injured knee and he can't do anything right. That is, until he finds another person to wrap his life around: the girlfriend of the classmate James is the most jealous of. Anyway, through the girlfriend, Emmanuella, he meets another girl, Jess, and Jess introduces him to Mark, different and wild and very, very rich. And as Jess and James' relationship goes on, he becomes crazy fascinated by Mark, as they all are—him and Jess and Franny and Emmanuella and Simon—and all of the sudden they're nothing without each other (I'd say literally nothing. To me, they're empty). Hence, my comparasion to The Secret History's characters decaying during the epilogue.
And... that's the plot. His life with Jess. His learning of feelings for another man. His way to go on and not lose either. His love that's too intense, that sparks jealousy, greed, arrogance, selfishness. Which is why this book is so good and yet the story—the plot—is... Well. It's a life. Studying, graduating, getting a job, moving in with your long-term girlfriend, having an affair, seeing tragedy and realizing: Oh my God, I asked for this, why am I true evil? (He's as melodramatic as he sounds.) And Mark's emptiness, and selfishness, and his need to always have, have, have, and when he can't buy what he needs the most, his rage. Arrogance. His blackmailing and sucking of the lives of the people who love him.
And if the price of his life has increased over the years, it has grown so slow and subtly that I have scarcely noticed.
— The Lesson's Chapter 23
But—if you're into that sort of thing, the objective, slow yet engaging and incredible narrative (I mean... I read TSH in 3 months, and that's my favorite book. I read this in 5 days. So it's not slow in the way that drags.), this is a must read. Also, one thing I'd like to take notice of is, I couldn't have read this book at a better moment than I did. This book's about moving away from childhood, adolescence and college life. About growing into adulthood but not in that oh-my-god-this-again kind of way.
[...] At last, I was not to be thrown away or beckoned with a gesture. I had wanted this; there was a triumph to it. My love had never been enough without his pain.
5/5
July 14, 2022
Libro che si lascia leggere anche piacevolmente, e che però scivola addosso senza lasciare segni indelebili.
Tra università di Oxford e Londra si dipana un romanzo coming of age volendo anche diverso dal solito, con alcuni spunti abbastanza originali per il contesto della Dark academy.
I lati LGBT del libro non mi hanno colpito molto, si iniziano a sentire forse già i 10 anni di età del romanzo, però quantomeno i rapporti tra i personaggi, nonché la loro caratterizzazione - di quelli principali almeno, i secondari non sono tutti riusciti alla perfezione - hanno destato curiosità per l’intera lettura.
Conclusione a mio parere sopraggiunta all’improvviso, senza che fornisse qualche soddisfazione.
Tra università di Oxford e Londra si dipana un romanzo coming of age volendo anche diverso dal solito, con alcuni spunti abbastanza originali per il contesto della Dark academy.
I lati LGBT del libro non mi hanno colpito molto, si iniziano a sentire forse già i 10 anni di età del romanzo, però quantomeno i rapporti tra i personaggi, nonché la loro caratterizzazione - di quelli principali almeno, i secondari non sono tutti riusciti alla perfezione - hanno destato curiosità per l’intera lettura.
Conclusione a mio parere sopraggiunta all’improvviso, senza che fornisse qualche soddisfazione.
Read
July 5, 2019I think I picked this up because it was an Oxford book, and I have a weakness for Oxford books. It’s sort of half The Secret History half Brideshead Revisited, while not being nearly as good as either. It’s readable enough, I guess, and the intricacies and insularities of Oxford are well-depicted but it all felt very been-there-done-that to me. The narrator is ye typical ‘normal’ outsider person who gets drawn into a circle of fabulous Bohemians, led by a damaged homosexual. The problem is, this sort of book turns on that character being as fascinating to the reader as they are to the narrator. And despite Mark Winters having all the designated attributes—beauty, money, promiscuity, Catholic guilt—I kind of failed spectacularly to give any fucks about him. And the rest of the cast is similarly un-fuck inspiring.
I think part of the problem was a lacklustre dismantling. These novels have a particular trajectory: The Normal comes to university, full of hopes and dreams, is initially disappointed to discover the place isn’t what they imagined. Then they find their low door in the wall and are for a little while blessed, dazzled, enraptured, believing they have what they didn’t originally realise they were searching for. Then it all goes horribly wrong. In The Secret History it’s because they literally murder someone. In Brideshead Revisited Sebastian’s descent into ruin mirrors the destruction caused by the coming war. In The Lessons … it’s more just kind of an eh. Things are a bit depressing. People make ill-advised choices and are sad. Oh, the narrator is gay outta nowhere. That must have been one hell of a handjob.
There’s some really well-articulated stuff about Oxford itself though:
And I appreciated the shout-out to the St Giles toilets.
I think part of the problem was a lacklustre dismantling. These novels have a particular trajectory: The Normal comes to university, full of hopes and dreams, is initially disappointed to discover the place isn’t what they imagined. Then they find their low door in the wall and are for a little while blessed, dazzled, enraptured, believing they have what they didn’t originally realise they were searching for. Then it all goes horribly wrong. In The Secret History it’s because they literally murder someone. In Brideshead Revisited Sebastian’s descent into ruin mirrors the destruction caused by the coming war. In The Lessons … it’s more just kind of an eh. Things are a bit depressing. People make ill-advised choices and are sad. Oh, the narrator is gay outta nowhere. That must have been one hell of a handjob.
There’s some really well-articulated stuff about Oxford itself though:
What is Oxford? It is like a magician, dazzling viewers with bustle and glitter, misdirecting our attention. What was it for me? Indifferent tuition, uncomfortable accommodation, uninterested pastoral care. It has style: the gowns, cobbled streets, domed libraries and sixteenth-century portraits. It is old and it is beautiful and it is grand. And it is unfair and it is narrow and it is cold. Walking in Oxford, one catches a glimpse through each college doorway, a flash of tended green lawn and ancient courtyards. But the doorways are guarded and the guardians are suspicious and hostile.
And I appreciated the shout-out to the St Giles toilets.
Read
January 6, 2022A man made of smoke.
Utterly beautiful and heartbreaking.
Utterly beautiful and heartbreaking.
June 1, 2022
“What a painful person Mark must be to love”
Here we go again. Another novel with all my favourite elements. A close knit group of friends living together with their sickeningly rich friend in his crumbling mansion. All whilst being students at Oxford and dealing with all that entails. You’ve got the ridiculous party’s and lifestyle, the falling in and out of love, the very unique time of life where you are meant to decide everything about your future and try not to fuck everything up.
What starts as a campus/academia novel develops into a haunting story of life. We go beyond the university degrees and first adult jobs. We see how hard friendships are to maintain when you’re an adult. When you look back at the good old days when you could spend so much time together and you took it all for granted. I’m in my late 20’s now and felt these themes in my bones.
I see this getting compared to The Secret History a lot and I really wish we’d stop comparing everything with a mildly similar plot to it. This is nothing like The Secret History. There’s the academia sure, there’s also tragedy too. But this one is a lot more human. There no murder and cover up here. There are awful people being awful to each other. Screwing each other up and knowing exactly how to do it. But there is some love in here too. Not all of it pretty though, but more on that later. All this to say that not everything needs to be compared to The Secret History. It wasn’t the first book to do what it did, perhaps one of the most successful, but it leaves any book like this one with almost no chance of filling the shoes.
There were many beautiful passages in this book. I haven’t any quotes as I read this on audiobook but I’m ordering the paperback so I can revisit and underline parts. It wasn’t always pretty writing, but I don’t really need that from a book. I want to be able to see the places, the characters, I want to feel what they feel. Get my heart broken and fall in love over and over again. If a book can make me feel, then the writing is normally a success for me. And I did feel here. It swept me up for a while and there were times where my stomach dropped and I felt actually stressed out. It also had me in stitches at times. It’s not often that a book makes me laugh either so props to the author for somehow providing something entertaining for my wicked humour.
Mark Winters. A man who pretty much magnetised everyone who comes into his orbit and is one of the most awful characters I’ve read about. I don’t mean that he was written badly. I mean that he is an utter prick. You’re not meant to love Mark. He is written in a way that there are very few redeeming qualities to him. You may well see parts of people you know in him. I hope that you don’t know anyone completely like him. I’m not someone who needs to like the characters I read about to enjoy the book. Which is a good job because the books I read generally have the most awful people in them. Mark is insufferable at times. But he’s also very fucked up and damaged. He needs to be loved and desired. He throws his money at everything he can, and most of the time it solves the problem. But not always.
He’s the sort of character that can’t be helped but so desperately needs saving. Oh the tragedy, I live for it.
I’ve also seen some reviews mentioning that James’ revelation was completely out of left field and didn’t seem to match up with what he had thought up to that point. I didn’t find that at all and I think that given how manipulative Mark is, it was no real surprise that things would take the path that they did. James is not the sort of character to take action himself. He is a follower, he is needy and I think that he was destined to fall for someone so painfully flawed. Also bare in mind that people, and their sexuality are fluid. They can change over time, and I think that is explored quite a bit in this novel with most of the main characters.
The love in this book is plentiful but mostly cruel. We get a lot of different types too. Friendship, familial, unrequited, straight, queer, you name it, it’s here. What I like the most is that it doesn’t show love as something picture perfect. It’s shows how love can be different depending on your wealth, job, social status, religion. It’s not easy, you constantly have to work at it and even then there is no guarantee that it’ll work out. The characters are cruel in their love, most of them are toxic to each other. But sometimes you can be so captivated by someone that you are blind to the ways in which the trap you.
All in all I’m pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it. When I read the premise I knew it would be a ‘me’ book. But I did see a lot of negative and 2 star reviews that had me doubt whether it was going to be good in execution. I think you either like these sort of books or you don’t. I generally love them to pieces and I’m glad to add another to the list of ones that I like.
Here we go again. Another novel with all my favourite elements. A close knit group of friends living together with their sickeningly rich friend in his crumbling mansion. All whilst being students at Oxford and dealing with all that entails. You’ve got the ridiculous party’s and lifestyle, the falling in and out of love, the very unique time of life where you are meant to decide everything about your future and try not to fuck everything up.
What starts as a campus/academia novel develops into a haunting story of life. We go beyond the university degrees and first adult jobs. We see how hard friendships are to maintain when you’re an adult. When you look back at the good old days when you could spend so much time together and you took it all for granted. I’m in my late 20’s now and felt these themes in my bones.
I see this getting compared to The Secret History a lot and I really wish we’d stop comparing everything with a mildly similar plot to it. This is nothing like The Secret History. There’s the academia sure, there’s also tragedy too. But this one is a lot more human. There no murder and cover up here. There are awful people being awful to each other. Screwing each other up and knowing exactly how to do it. But there is some love in here too. Not all of it pretty though, but more on that later. All this to say that not everything needs to be compared to The Secret History. It wasn’t the first book to do what it did, perhaps one of the most successful, but it leaves any book like this one with almost no chance of filling the shoes.
There were many beautiful passages in this book. I haven’t any quotes as I read this on audiobook but I’m ordering the paperback so I can revisit and underline parts. It wasn’t always pretty writing, but I don’t really need that from a book. I want to be able to see the places, the characters, I want to feel what they feel. Get my heart broken and fall in love over and over again. If a book can make me feel, then the writing is normally a success for me. And I did feel here. It swept me up for a while and there were times where my stomach dropped and I felt actually stressed out. It also had me in stitches at times. It’s not often that a book makes me laugh either so props to the author for somehow providing something entertaining for my wicked humour.
Mark Winters. A man who pretty much magnetised everyone who comes into his orbit and is one of the most awful characters I’ve read about. I don’t mean that he was written badly. I mean that he is an utter prick. You’re not meant to love Mark. He is written in a way that there are very few redeeming qualities to him. You may well see parts of people you know in him. I hope that you don’t know anyone completely like him. I’m not someone who needs to like the characters I read about to enjoy the book. Which is a good job because the books I read generally have the most awful people in them. Mark is insufferable at times. But he’s also very fucked up and damaged. He needs to be loved and desired. He throws his money at everything he can, and most of the time it solves the problem. But not always.
He’s the sort of character that can’t be helped but so desperately needs saving. Oh the tragedy, I live for it.
I’ve also seen some reviews mentioning that James’ revelation was completely out of left field and didn’t seem to match up with what he had thought up to that point. I didn’t find that at all and I think that given how manipulative Mark is, it was no real surprise that things would take the path that they did. James is not the sort of character to take action himself. He is a follower, he is needy and I think that he was destined to fall for someone so painfully flawed. Also bare in mind that people, and their sexuality are fluid. They can change over time, and I think that is explored quite a bit in this novel with most of the main characters.
The love in this book is plentiful but mostly cruel. We get a lot of different types too. Friendship, familial, unrequited, straight, queer, you name it, it’s here. What I like the most is that it doesn’t show love as something picture perfect. It’s shows how love can be different depending on your wealth, job, social status, religion. It’s not easy, you constantly have to work at it and even then there is no guarantee that it’ll work out. The characters are cruel in their love, most of them are toxic to each other. But sometimes you can be so captivated by someone that you are blind to the ways in which the trap you.
All in all I’m pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it. When I read the premise I knew it would be a ‘me’ book. But I did see a lot of negative and 2 star reviews that had me doubt whether it was going to be good in execution. I think you either like these sort of books or you don’t. I generally love them to pieces and I’m glad to add another to the list of ones that I like.
May 20, 2016
4.5 Stars
July 9, 2023
I spent a long time feeling "ok but not sure" as I was reading this one...the characters were quite self indulgent and not easy to like and it wasn't until the last third of the book that the threads of the story tied together and made it all make some sense. The Lessons is a good read, but not a patch on Alderman's The Power. 3 stars
February 22, 2019
4.5 stars. This was wondrous and devastating.
June 28, 2018
Dramma amoroso di 400 e passa pagine che ingrana solo dalla metà. È lo stesso una lettura scorrevole perché Naomi Alderman scrive bene, ma è un romanzo imperfetto, pieno di bug.
Quello che non ha funzionato per me:
- Il motivo ricorrente a sfondo religioso non si fonde col resto e per questo è irritante.
- Per almeno 100 pagine non sono dati riferimenti temporali (cronaca, fatti storici etc) e il libro è scritto in modo tale da poter essere ambientato in un punto qualsiasi tra il 1970 e il 2010 (anno di pubblicazione). La mia impressione è che non sia un meccanismo volontario (i riferimenti vengono poi dati), ma sciatteria. Che però distrae, perché viene continuamente da chiedersi quando stiano accadendo i fatti narrati.
- Fino a metà libro non si capisce dove si vada a parare, è difficile mantenere la fiducia verso una narrazione che non trova il suo focus. La prima parte è decisamente troppo lunga e dispersiva, sbilancia l’intero romanzo. Avrebbe funzionato meglio se fosse stata condensata in una metà delle pagine, anche perché non riesce mai davvero a centrare il suo punto rispetto al protagonista. Non è nemmeno chiarissimo quale sia; a libro terminato, sembra che il discorso dovesse ruotare attorno al fatto che il personaggio si lasci scorrere la vita addosso, attratto da persone più carismatiche di lui. Ma rimane poco chiaro il senso di quella che si rivela essere solo una lunghissima introduzione.
- Andando avanti, alcune parti risolte in modo sommario sono proprio quelle che andavano invece approfondite, per risultare credibili e dare spessore ai personaggi. Dalla metà in poi, tutti gli snodi importanti sono abbozzati, suonano posticci. Sembra che le cose succedano perché devono succedere, senza introspezione. Ma la dimensione psicologica è quella più importante, in una storia di questo tipo.
- Qui su GR alcuni paragonano questo romanzo a Il talento di Mr Ripley e Dio di illusioni. Non sono d’accordo sul trovare grandi sovrapposizioni. Ci sono alcune ambientazioni simili, è vero, e i tre libri condividono un elemento: il parassitismo della ricchezza altrui. Ma lo esplorano e lo usano in modo completamente diverso. Senza toccare il fondo è, come dicevo, soprattutto un dramma amoroso. Purtroppo il tema del denaro, per quanto ribadito di continuo, non viene mai davvero approfondito, e l’analisi rimane superficiale e vuota.
SPOILER ALERT
- Come fa notare la lettrice Charlotte, la storia amorosa è raccontata tramite una stereotipizzazione negativa della relazione omosessuale, con tutti i tragici cliché di riferimento, e un simile trattamento è destinato alle persone bisessuali, descritte come inevitabilmente traditrici. Allo stesso tempo, vengono usati stereotipi altrettanto negativi sulle persone affette da malattia mentale, demonizzate in questo caso fino al parossismo col classico personaggio manipolatore, violento etc.
FINE SPOILER
Nel complesso si fa leggere lo stesso, scorre via, a tratti appassiona (a tratti molto meno…), ma ha tutti questi difetti. Le ragazze elettriche, prova di Alderman del 2017, è senza dubbio strutturato in maniera più efficace, e come sempre scritto molto bene.
Quello che non ha funzionato per me:
- Il motivo ricorrente a sfondo religioso non si fonde col resto e per questo è irritante.
- Per almeno 100 pagine non sono dati riferimenti temporali (cronaca, fatti storici etc) e il libro è scritto in modo tale da poter essere ambientato in un punto qualsiasi tra il 1970 e il 2010 (anno di pubblicazione). La mia impressione è che non sia un meccanismo volontario (i riferimenti vengono poi dati), ma sciatteria. Che però distrae, perché viene continuamente da chiedersi quando stiano accadendo i fatti narrati.
- Fino a metà libro non si capisce dove si vada a parare, è difficile mantenere la fiducia verso una narrazione che non trova il suo focus. La prima parte è decisamente troppo lunga e dispersiva, sbilancia l’intero romanzo. Avrebbe funzionato meglio se fosse stata condensata in una metà delle pagine, anche perché non riesce mai davvero a centrare il suo punto rispetto al protagonista. Non è nemmeno chiarissimo quale sia; a libro terminato, sembra che il discorso dovesse ruotare attorno al fatto che il personaggio si lasci scorrere la vita addosso, attratto da persone più carismatiche di lui. Ma rimane poco chiaro il senso di quella che si rivela essere solo una lunghissima introduzione.
- Andando avanti, alcune parti risolte in modo sommario sono proprio quelle che andavano invece approfondite, per risultare credibili e dare spessore ai personaggi. Dalla metà in poi, tutti gli snodi importanti sono abbozzati, suonano posticci. Sembra che le cose succedano perché devono succedere, senza introspezione. Ma la dimensione psicologica è quella più importante, in una storia di questo tipo.
- Qui su GR alcuni paragonano questo romanzo a Il talento di Mr Ripley e Dio di illusioni. Non sono d’accordo sul trovare grandi sovrapposizioni. Ci sono alcune ambientazioni simili, è vero, e i tre libri condividono un elemento: il parassitismo della ricchezza altrui. Ma lo esplorano e lo usano in modo completamente diverso. Senza toccare il fondo è, come dicevo, soprattutto un dramma amoroso. Purtroppo il tema del denaro, per quanto ribadito di continuo, non viene mai davvero approfondito, e l’analisi rimane superficiale e vuota.
SPOILER ALERT
- Come fa notare la lettrice Charlotte, la storia amorosa è raccontata tramite una stereotipizzazione negativa della relazione omosessuale, con tutti i tragici cliché di riferimento, e un simile trattamento è destinato alle persone bisessuali, descritte come inevitabilmente traditrici. Allo stesso tempo, vengono usati stereotipi altrettanto negativi sulle persone affette da malattia mentale, demonizzate in questo caso fino al parossismo col classico personaggio manipolatore, violento etc.
FINE SPOILER
Nel complesso si fa leggere lo stesso, scorre via, a tratti appassiona (a tratti molto meno…), ma ha tutti questi difetti. Le ragazze elettriche, prova di Alderman del 2017, è senza dubbio strutturato in maniera più efficace, e come sempre scritto molto bene.
September 15, 2018
Für mich war das eine unterhaltsame Wochenendlektüre, die ich nur ungern aus der Hang gelegt habe, weil die Handlung spannend war und die Geschichte fesselnd erzählt wird. Ich bin ein Fan von College Romanen und wenn sie in England spielen, sind sie mir gleich noch lieber, weshalb mich diese Lektüre schon mal nicht enttäuschen konnte. Bald sah ich Ähnlichkeiten zu 'The Secret History' und die Beziehung der beiden Hauptfiguren hat etwas von 'Brideshead Revisited', obwohl ich sagen muss, dass die Handlung nicht an Donna Tartts Roman herankommt.
July 18, 2017
. : ☾⋆ — 2 ★
the secret history + gay - murder. too bad it kinda sucked, though. RTC.
the secret history + gay - murder. too bad it kinda sucked, though. RTC.
Read
August 20, 2023(no major spoilers)
I feel like I owe you a review after mentioning how speechless this book made me multiple times, right? lol
“The Lessons” by Naomi Alderman follows an Oxford physics student named James and his experience attending university while the book is split into two parts: one focusing on the years he spent at Oxford and the other on the years after.
Shortly after enrolling at Oxford he meets Jess, a kind soul and musician, and they quickly become good friends. Eventually, Jess takes James on a night out to go partying at Mark’s place where we meet the main cast of characters for the first time. Most notably Mark Winters, a rich guy who enjoys flirting with anyone and says “darling” a lot.
Time passes and Mark suggests that the other students move in with him to his house in Jericho. They do.
Right off the bat it becomes apparent that James is struggling with his identity and finding a place where he feels he belongs.
As a result of that he’s very dependent on the relationships he forms while attending uni and ultimately, I think, this dependency is what makes him struggle so much later in life.
While James struggles to find his path Mark grapples with his family situation and is often found throwing himself into self-destructive situations.
Although the book is very much about this unlikely friendship that forms between the students in my mind it was always about James and Mark’s relationship, how it develops over time and how, without James knowing, Mark’s influence on him and his friends leads him down a dark and dangerous path.
In a sense Mark becomes the sun his friends revolve around. He pays for their food, drinks, home, the uber… you name it. Which only makes them all the more dependent on him.
There’s an interesting conversation James and Mark have a year or so after they moved into the House in Jericho where Mark tells James that he doesn’t understand love and that it’s all about sacrifice, everything’s about making sacrifices.
Years pass and Mark doesn’t seem to have any goal or aspiration whatsoever. He’s got the world at his feet, an enormous fortune and will never have to work a day in his life.
While I’ve already talked about James and Mark’s relationship I found it interesting how the whole book revolves around mark and *therefore* their relationship. Since we only ever get to see one perspective, the one of James (who is like definitely NOT reliable lol) it leaves room for interpretation. I feel like what irritated me most, specifically about the book being written from James’ perspective, is that not only is he an unreliable narrator and basically lies to himself for like 60% of the book (which made certain revelations more surprising I suppose) but we also rarely ever get his opinions on people, situations, etc.
There’s so much to say about this book but most of it would be major spoilers so I’m going to refrain from commenting on that for now.
However I do have some criticism and other things I would like to get off my chest.
- Throughout the book there are some throwaway comments made by characters or the author(?) that bothered me/were kind of problematic and seemed unnecessary for the plot.
- In the synopsis Mark is described as this mysterious, rich boy but I don’t think he was all that mysterious. Interesting, yes, but mysterious not so much.
Mark is obviously a flawed character (all characters in this book are to some extent) and he says and does some questionable stuff especially in the second half of the book but we see everything from James’ perspective so it’s basically like looking through rose tinted glasses for like 280 pages..🕴️
Now that we’re on the topic: I found myself enjoying the first half of the book (their years at Oxford) more than the second half. Although the first half is definitely more slow paced I liked the atmosphere and the descriptions of Oxford as well as seeing how their friendship developed over time. The second half definitely has more going on and drama quickly ensues but I don’t think it was for me.
I feel like this book definitely isn’t for everyone and sometimes it made me feel kind of uncomfortable but perhaps that was the point of it all? I don’t know if I would recommend it to someone, necessarily.
There’s a lot of emotional abuse throughout the entire book and honestly I’d recommend reading the TW. Pretty much everything that happens is really graphic + (as I’ve already said) James is an unreliable narrator so that’s why I was constantly shocked and speechless while reading yesterday.
There’re quite a few sexual scenes especially after the first half of the book which I don’t really like reading about so I guess that made it less enjoyable?
There‘s a quote towards the end of the book which I feel like sums up James and Mark’s relationship quite well: “I grasped his hand very tightly and I thought, then this is what I am here for. Here, to save him from this. To wed him to the earth. I had not yet thought of what might come next for me, after this cracking open of the ground beneath our feet, but it became clear to me that whatever happened, I could not leave him.”
Also no rating because I really don’t know how I feel about this book. 🧍🏻♀️
TW: emotional abuse, domestic abuse, child death, graphic self harm, adult/minor relationship, domestic abuse, drug abuse, classism
I feel like I owe you a review after mentioning how speechless this book made me multiple times, right? lol
“The Lessons” by Naomi Alderman follows an Oxford physics student named James and his experience attending university while the book is split into two parts: one focusing on the years he spent at Oxford and the other on the years after.
Shortly after enrolling at Oxford he meets Jess, a kind soul and musician, and they quickly become good friends. Eventually, Jess takes James on a night out to go partying at Mark’s place where we meet the main cast of characters for the first time. Most notably Mark Winters, a rich guy who enjoys flirting with anyone and says “darling” a lot.
Time passes and Mark suggests that the other students move in with him to his house in Jericho. They do.
Right off the bat it becomes apparent that James is struggling with his identity and finding a place where he feels he belongs.
As a result of that he’s very dependent on the relationships he forms while attending uni and ultimately, I think, this dependency is what makes him struggle so much later in life.
While James struggles to find his path Mark grapples with his family situation and is often found throwing himself into self-destructive situations.
Although the book is very much about this unlikely friendship that forms between the students in my mind it was always about James and Mark’s relationship, how it develops over time and how, without James knowing, Mark’s influence on him and his friends leads him down a dark and dangerous path.
In a sense Mark becomes the sun his friends revolve around. He pays for their food, drinks, home, the uber… you name it. Which only makes them all the more dependent on him.
There’s an interesting conversation James and Mark have a year or so after they moved into the House in Jericho where Mark tells James that he doesn’t understand love and that it’s all about sacrifice, everything’s about making sacrifices.
Years pass and Mark doesn’t seem to have any goal or aspiration whatsoever. He’s got the world at his feet, an enormous fortune and will never have to work a day in his life.
While I’ve already talked about James and Mark’s relationship I found it interesting how the whole book revolves around mark and *therefore* their relationship. Since we only ever get to see one perspective, the one of James (who is like definitely NOT reliable lol) it leaves room for interpretation. I feel like what irritated me most, specifically about the book being written from James’ perspective, is that not only is he an unreliable narrator and basically lies to himself for like 60% of the book (which made certain revelations more surprising I suppose) but we also rarely ever get his opinions on people, situations, etc.
There’s so much to say about this book but most of it would be major spoilers so I’m going to refrain from commenting on that for now.
However I do have some criticism and other things I would like to get off my chest.
- Throughout the book there are some throwaway comments made by characters or the author(?) that bothered me/were kind of problematic and seemed unnecessary for the plot.
- In the synopsis Mark is described as this mysterious, rich boy but I don’t think he was all that mysterious. Interesting, yes, but mysterious not so much.
Mark is obviously a flawed character (all characters in this book are to some extent) and he says and does some questionable stuff especially in the second half of the book but we see everything from James’ perspective so it’s basically like looking through rose tinted glasses for like 280 pages..🕴️
Now that we’re on the topic: I found myself enjoying the first half of the book (their years at Oxford) more than the second half. Although the first half is definitely more slow paced I liked the atmosphere and the descriptions of Oxford as well as seeing how their friendship developed over time. The second half definitely has more going on and drama quickly ensues but I don’t think it was for me.
I feel like this book definitely isn’t for everyone and sometimes it made me feel kind of uncomfortable but perhaps that was the point of it all? I don’t know if I would recommend it to someone, necessarily.
There’s a lot of emotional abuse throughout the entire book and honestly I’d recommend reading the TW. Pretty much everything that happens is really graphic + (as I’ve already said) James is an unreliable narrator so that’s why I was constantly shocked and speechless while reading yesterday.
There’re quite a few sexual scenes especially after the first half of the book which I don’t really like reading about so I guess that made it less enjoyable?
There‘s a quote towards the end of the book which I feel like sums up James and Mark’s relationship quite well: “I grasped his hand very tightly and I thought, then this is what I am here for. Here, to save him from this. To wed him to the earth. I had not yet thought of what might come next for me, after this cracking open of the ground beneath our feet, but it became clear to me that whatever happened, I could not leave him.”
Also no rating because I really don’t know how I feel about this book. 🧍🏻♀️
TW: emotional abuse, domestic abuse, child death, graphic self harm, adult/minor relationship, domestic abuse, drug abuse, classism
December 5, 2011
Christ Stopped at San Ceretino
I won’t be the first reviewer of The Lessons by Naomi Alderman to point out its two unequal parts; the first a conventional coming of age narrative ensconced in all the adornment of an elite university, and the second a more complex story that explores larger questions of pain, self-loathing, and dependency. Read as a whole, however, the book falls disappointingly short of being a well constructed piece of fiction.
By means of belabored allusion, the antagonist and central character of the novel, Mark Winters, is portrayed as a Christ-like figure. Whether shedding blood from symbolic extremities, being admonished to take on disciples, or making the most secret of longings possible, Mark is the embodiment of the supernatural mortal. His wealth is so fabulous, and “the details of his life are so dazzling that most people cannot see past them. His false exterior is so grand that no one can quite understand…that he is real, there, behind the trappings” says James, the novel’s narrator and Mark’s principal apostle.
Though Mark’s reality may be open to question, the effect he has on his biblically named followers is profoundly consequential. Their belief in his ability to provide what each lacks, in a sense, to perfect them, references the role of belief in the lives of the most faithful. It’s not lost on Alderman, however, that pain and belief often come as a package deal and, as such, it is pain that defines the splintered edges of the book. The most overwrought metaphor, that of Mark as Christ-like figure, however, is disappointingly never drawn to a meaningful conclusion. Absent that closing of the loop, the indictment of Christian belief in an all-redeeming god-man remains, at best, rather tepid.
If Mark is disturbing for the cult-like following that he commands, it is James, the novel’s most tragic character who will leave the reader in the greatest state of unease. As made clear from the outset, James’ talents are real, even pronounced. He is smart, attractive, and invites the attention of both sexes. Yet an early mishap coupled with a well portrayed immaturity all too typical of his sheltered upbringing makes him easy pray for Mark’s machinations. James’ transformation throughout the course of the novel is depressingly extreme and one would be forgiven for not recognizing one iteration of his characterization from the next. Yet, still the reader leaves behind a remarkably unsympathetic protagonist.
Alderman, seemingly aware of the nullifying tone of her novel, includes at least one other character worthy of greater, if not quite sympathetic, attention. Franny, the lone Jewish character in the novel and likely a thinly disguised self-portrait of Alderman herself, appears throughout most of the novel as little different from Mark’s other followers. But when Alderman sets about tying loose ends, Franny’s history is crucial to the believability of what is perhaps the novel’s most unexpected turn. Yet it is never entirely clear why Franny was the vehicle chosen to aide in this endeavor. Egotism? Most readers, undoubtedly, will remember the character more for an entirely out of context and strange, even reactionary scene of violence that heavy-handedly alludes to Christian violence against Jews. Absent larger allegorical implications, which are decidedly lacking, this is perhaps the clumsiest of scenes written into the narrative.
Still, as the novel draws to a close in the fictional southern Italian village of San Ceretino, it is James alone who bears the heaviest burden of Mark’s cruel, self-loathing, and enigmatic personality. Moral isolation, borne of geographical remove, inspired the telling title of Carlo Levi’s 1945 memoir Christ Stopped at Eboli. It seems fitting, then, that Alderman’s novel concludes in the fictional Italian village of San Ceretino, presumably south of Eboli. The Lessons is steeped in moral isolation. In fact, the paucity of ethical behavior is what leads the two central and deeply flawed characters into exile in the first place. And while escape from exile may be possible, it’s clear that the scars of memory will never disappear, leaving the reader with the stultifying story of wasted life.
As is my preference for being introduced to any much heralded young writer, I try to begin not by reading their most noteworthy or lauded work, but perhaps their follow-on effort or at least something less hyped. For all the praise that Naomi Alderman received for Disobedience, this book hardly lives up to the potential that one might have hoped for. Its most salient features are the dark and decaying ambience of generational wealth, a fleetingly libertine existence depressed by a neo-gothic darkness and a profound, all-permeating staleness. Without an evident plot arc until two-thirds of the way through the book, any reader used to being propelled forward by the point of light at the end of the tunnel will only meet with disappointment. Even the asides and other references to more philosophical ideas within the text, musings on such things as wealth and value, the fluidity of sexuality, and the means by which spiritual cleansing allows one to continue to flaunt societal conventions are often contrived and contextually not well situated. © Jeffrey L. Otto December 5, 2011
I won’t be the first reviewer of The Lessons by Naomi Alderman to point out its two unequal parts; the first a conventional coming of age narrative ensconced in all the adornment of an elite university, and the second a more complex story that explores larger questions of pain, self-loathing, and dependency. Read as a whole, however, the book falls disappointingly short of being a well constructed piece of fiction.
By means of belabored allusion, the antagonist and central character of the novel, Mark Winters, is portrayed as a Christ-like figure. Whether shedding blood from symbolic extremities, being admonished to take on disciples, or making the most secret of longings possible, Mark is the embodiment of the supernatural mortal. His wealth is so fabulous, and “the details of his life are so dazzling that most people cannot see past them. His false exterior is so grand that no one can quite understand…that he is real, there, behind the trappings” says James, the novel’s narrator and Mark’s principal apostle.
Though Mark’s reality may be open to question, the effect he has on his biblically named followers is profoundly consequential. Their belief in his ability to provide what each lacks, in a sense, to perfect them, references the role of belief in the lives of the most faithful. It’s not lost on Alderman, however, that pain and belief often come as a package deal and, as such, it is pain that defines the splintered edges of the book. The most overwrought metaphor, that of Mark as Christ-like figure, however, is disappointingly never drawn to a meaningful conclusion. Absent that closing of the loop, the indictment of Christian belief in an all-redeeming god-man remains, at best, rather tepid.
If Mark is disturbing for the cult-like following that he commands, it is James, the novel’s most tragic character who will leave the reader in the greatest state of unease. As made clear from the outset, James’ talents are real, even pronounced. He is smart, attractive, and invites the attention of both sexes. Yet an early mishap coupled with a well portrayed immaturity all too typical of his sheltered upbringing makes him easy pray for Mark’s machinations. James’ transformation throughout the course of the novel is depressingly extreme and one would be forgiven for not recognizing one iteration of his characterization from the next. Yet, still the reader leaves behind a remarkably unsympathetic protagonist.
Alderman, seemingly aware of the nullifying tone of her novel, includes at least one other character worthy of greater, if not quite sympathetic, attention. Franny, the lone Jewish character in the novel and likely a thinly disguised self-portrait of Alderman herself, appears throughout most of the novel as little different from Mark’s other followers. But when Alderman sets about tying loose ends, Franny’s history is crucial to the believability of what is perhaps the novel’s most unexpected turn. Yet it is never entirely clear why Franny was the vehicle chosen to aide in this endeavor. Egotism? Most readers, undoubtedly, will remember the character more for an entirely out of context and strange, even reactionary scene of violence that heavy-handedly alludes to Christian violence against Jews. Absent larger allegorical implications, which are decidedly lacking, this is perhaps the clumsiest of scenes written into the narrative.
Still, as the novel draws to a close in the fictional southern Italian village of San Ceretino, it is James alone who bears the heaviest burden of Mark’s cruel, self-loathing, and enigmatic personality. Moral isolation, borne of geographical remove, inspired the telling title of Carlo Levi’s 1945 memoir Christ Stopped at Eboli. It seems fitting, then, that Alderman’s novel concludes in the fictional Italian village of San Ceretino, presumably south of Eboli. The Lessons is steeped in moral isolation. In fact, the paucity of ethical behavior is what leads the two central and deeply flawed characters into exile in the first place. And while escape from exile may be possible, it’s clear that the scars of memory will never disappear, leaving the reader with the stultifying story of wasted life.
As is my preference for being introduced to any much heralded young writer, I try to begin not by reading their most noteworthy or lauded work, but perhaps their follow-on effort or at least something less hyped. For all the praise that Naomi Alderman received for Disobedience, this book hardly lives up to the potential that one might have hoped for. Its most salient features are the dark and decaying ambience of generational wealth, a fleetingly libertine existence depressed by a neo-gothic darkness and a profound, all-permeating staleness. Without an evident plot arc until two-thirds of the way through the book, any reader used to being propelled forward by the point of light at the end of the tunnel will only meet with disappointment. Even the asides and other references to more philosophical ideas within the text, musings on such things as wealth and value, the fluidity of sexuality, and the means by which spiritual cleansing allows one to continue to flaunt societal conventions are often contrived and contextually not well situated. © Jeffrey L. Otto December 5, 2011
October 31, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime:
The Lessons is the second novel from Naomi Alderman, winner of the Orange New Writer's Award and Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. Set among the dreaming spires of Oxford, it follows the progress of a gilded group of under-graduates drawn together by their dazzling and mercurial fellow student Mark Winters. Fuelled by his trust-fund they live a charmed life of learning and parties and love-affairs. But university is no grounding for real life and none of the friends will be prepared, some years later, when tragedy strikes.
The Lessons is a novel about friendship, ambition, betrayal and desire, and the fact that only life can teach the lessons you really need to learn.
Naomi Alderman won the Orange New Writers Award for her first novel Disobedience and has subsequently been named as the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. She is a graduate of Lincoln College, Oxford.
Rory Kinnear, fresh from playing Angelo at the Almeida and about to play Hamlet at the National Theatre studied at Balliol College, Oxford and reads his first Book at Bedtime.
ProducerDi Speirs.
The Lessons is the second novel from Naomi Alderman, winner of the Orange New Writer's Award and Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. Set among the dreaming spires of Oxford, it follows the progress of a gilded group of under-graduates drawn together by their dazzling and mercurial fellow student Mark Winters. Fuelled by his trust-fund they live a charmed life of learning and parties and love-affairs. But university is no grounding for real life and none of the friends will be prepared, some years later, when tragedy strikes.
The Lessons is a novel about friendship, ambition, betrayal and desire, and the fact that only life can teach the lessons you really need to learn.
Naomi Alderman won the Orange New Writers Award for her first novel Disobedience and has subsequently been named as the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. She is a graduate of Lincoln College, Oxford.
Rory Kinnear, fresh from playing Angelo at the Almeida and about to play Hamlet at the National Theatre studied at Balliol College, Oxford and reads his first Book at Bedtime.
ProducerDi Speirs.
January 9, 2021
The beauty of the dream of Oxford, of spires and quiet learning, of the life of the mind, of effortless superiority, all these had beguiled me. Oxford was a tree decked with presents; all I had to do was reach out my hand and pluck them.
There was so much yearning in this book that it made me ache all over. It was gorgeous and dark, decadent, twisted — a tale of (self-)deception and slow surrendering, rather pathetic.
I love reading about flamboyant characters who lure innocent souls into their traps and warp them. I don’t condone it, I wouldn’t wish it to anyone, but there’s something deeply unsettling in that kind of stories that never cease to fill me with dread and delight.
Add to that libraries and crumbling mansions, dusty hotels and old, creaking flats… Even though the novel was short and the plot itself pretty simple, the setting made for an immersive experience.
May 29, 2018
4/5
Plongez dans le quotidien d'un étudiant d'Oxford : entre désillusions des cours, premières amours, amitiés perverses et découverte de soi, un vrai maelström auquel sera confronté le héros de cette histoire. Ce roman est aussi et surtout une quête initiatique et combien il est difficile de trouver sa place, amoureusement et professionnellement. Captivant et fascinant !
💕 l'écriture fluide
💕 l'intrigue et le mystère autour de Mark
--
💔 la seconde partie m'a moins passionnée que la première, peut-être un peu trop éloignée de la belle Oxford mais en toute honnêteté, c'est aussi dans celle-ci que tout se joue !
Plongez dans le quotidien d'un étudiant d'Oxford : entre désillusions des cours, premières amours, amitiés perverses et découverte de soi, un vrai maelström auquel sera confronté le héros de cette histoire. Ce roman est aussi et surtout une quête initiatique et combien il est difficile de trouver sa place, amoureusement et professionnellement. Captivant et fascinant !
💕 l'écriture fluide
💕 l'intrigue et le mystère autour de Mark
--
💔 la seconde partie m'a moins passionnée que la première, peut-être un peu trop éloignée de la belle Oxford mais en toute honnêteté, c'est aussi dans celle-ci que tout se joue !
June 5, 2017
I was sucked into Naomi Alderman's The Lessons from the very first page. It is as intriguing as it is strange, and as strange as it is unsettling. Well written and compelling, I would have happily given this a five-star rating if the ending had been more realistic, and less predictable. Very enjoyable overall, Alderman is an author whose other work I will definitely be looking out for in future.
July 26, 2020
first half was 2 stars, second half was 5.
I am not sure what I was expecting to read, I'm assuming that's why the first half was so dull for me. BUT after the halfway mark, everything sort of started making sense. I, at last, immersed myself in the beautiful writing style, the story and so on.
This book is great!
I am not sure what I was expecting to read, I'm assuming that's why the first half was so dull for me. BUT after the halfway mark, everything sort of started making sense. I, at last, immersed myself in the beautiful writing style, the story and so on.
This book is great!
November 2, 2022
This is one of those books which doesn’t really have a plot, but still somehow manages to be very engaging.
March 31, 2023
The Lessons was a book that felt satisfying in what it proposes, although there were some stuff I feel like could have been done better. I enjoyed this reading a lot, and since I read almost 70% of it in one sitting (it is a very short book tho) I will be settling for a 4-star rating.
This one is a Dark Academia that is a little different from others, the pattern of writing from the present perspective of a character that reflects on a past, with flashbacks or another alternating timeline has been done before, and so what The Lessons does is that it takes us and guides us through all the university years of James’s and his friends at Oxford and then the life that comes after. It felt refreshing to me to read a story being told like that because in many DA we have a perspective of a narrator in the future telling us of the past, etc and in here we were gradually reaching the point of climax, also combined with the ominous foreshadowing from the narrator this creates a deep curiosity within the reader to know what will happen.
The descriptions of Oxford are on point. With the architecture and the atmosphere, the gothic ambience is constructed perfectly, and the details into the academic life of the characters, particularly in regards to the demands that Oxford puts into its students were something I appreciated a lot (who knew that people had to use specific clothing/uniforms while taking exams!).
James is our typical outsider protagonist that is desperate to fit in. What more, he lives in the shadow of his older sister, an alumni of Oxford herself, so the pressure inside his family to succeed and be someone is already boiling even before he enters the school. The whole Oxford thing is very intense, and I quite enjoyed that, James often remarks that before he entered the university he used to be the best in his high school, and that now he seems to be mediocre at best while studying at Oxford and that made me reflect and realize the enormous truth of that statement. How many students have to achieve the top of their class in hopes of joining a prestigious school like Oxford, only to get there and realize they’re only one more in the middle of other “top of their classes”.
Then after he starts dating Jess, a music major, James ends up joining a group, a clique. Besides her there are, Franny and Simon who are lovers sometimes but best friends always, Emmanuella who is glamorous and gorgeous, and at the center of it all there is Mark Winters, the gravitational pull everyone seems to orbit. In fact, all of this is very DA, but here is where I wish the book had a little more depth in regard to its characters. Aside from Mark, the other characters, including James’s girlfriend Jess, seem all very one dimensional and lacking a proper construction. They appear more at the first part of the novel, and then gradually lose force over the course of the novel and I wish that not only they appeared more, but that they had more substance. They felt at times like puppets, appearing in a play that doesn’t really care about them.
Now as for Mark, well he is your typical charismatic, problematic and self-centered leader of a group. I really enjoyed his character for the dynamics he brought to the group and the conflicts that his person created, but at the same time I also wished that some things were more explored with him, especially in regards to his past and his abusive behaviour.
There is a certain even in the narrative that I wish occured in a different way which left me a bit disappointed with the development of the story, which led to the ending that I did not like. I felt like the ending was rushed, and a few more chapters would maybe make it better, more believable at least. But then again, if that even had worked differently the way I wanted it to, the ending could have been more to my taste.
Overall, you can clearly see the inspiration this book takes in certain themes common to Dark Academia books, and the way it tries to write them a little bit differently than other books of the genre is really refreshing and exciting to read. I enjoyed this a lot and thought it was very eloquently written and I recommend it a lot.
↠ 4 stars✨
This one is a Dark Academia that is a little different from others, the pattern of writing from the present perspective of a character that reflects on a past, with flashbacks or another alternating timeline has been done before, and so what The Lessons does is that it takes us and guides us through all the university years of James’s and his friends at Oxford and then the life that comes after. It felt refreshing to me to read a story being told like that because in many DA we have a perspective of a narrator in the future telling us of the past, etc and in here we were gradually reaching the point of climax, also combined with the ominous foreshadowing from the narrator this creates a deep curiosity within the reader to know what will happen.
The descriptions of Oxford are on point. With the architecture and the atmosphere, the gothic ambience is constructed perfectly, and the details into the academic life of the characters, particularly in regards to the demands that Oxford puts into its students were something I appreciated a lot (who knew that people had to use specific clothing/uniforms while taking exams!).
Oxford is beautiful; its beauty is its plumage, its method of procreation. The beauty of the dream of Oxford, of spires and quiet learning, of the life of the mind, of effortless superiority, all these had beguiled me. Oxford was a tree decked with presents; all I had to do was reach out my hand and pluck them. I would achieve a first, I would gain a blue, I would make rich, influential, powerful friends. Oxford would paint me with a thin layer of gold.
James is our typical outsider protagonist that is desperate to fit in. What more, he lives in the shadow of his older sister, an alumni of Oxford herself, so the pressure inside his family to succeed and be someone is already boiling even before he enters the school. The whole Oxford thing is very intense, and I quite enjoyed that, James often remarks that before he entered the university he used to be the best in his high school, and that now he seems to be mediocre at best while studying at Oxford and that made me reflect and realize the enormous truth of that statement. How many students have to achieve the top of their class in hopes of joining a prestigious school like Oxford, only to get there and realize they’re only one more in the middle of other “top of their classes”.
Beauty is a lie, but it is so hard to spot.
Then after he starts dating Jess, a music major, James ends up joining a group, a clique. Besides her there are, Franny and Simon who are lovers sometimes but best friends always, Emmanuella who is glamorous and gorgeous, and at the center of it all there is Mark Winters, the gravitational pull everyone seems to orbit. In fact, all of this is very DA, but here is where I wish the book had a little more depth in regard to its characters. Aside from Mark, the other characters, including James’s girlfriend Jess, seem all very one dimensional and lacking a proper construction. They appear more at the first part of the novel, and then gradually lose force over the course of the novel and I wish that not only they appeared more, but that they had more substance. They felt at times like puppets, appearing in a play that doesn’t really care about them.
Now as for Mark, well he is your typical charismatic, problematic and self-centered leader of a group. I really enjoyed his character for the dynamics he brought to the group and the conflicts that his person created, but at the same time I also wished that some things were more explored with him, especially in regards to his past and his abusive behaviour.
There is a certain even in the narrative that I wish occured in a different way which left me a bit disappointed with the development of the story, which led to the ending that I did not like. I felt like the ending was rushed, and a few more chapters would maybe make it better, more believable at least. But then again, if that even had worked differently the way I wanted it to, the ending could have been more to my taste.
Overall, you can clearly see the inspiration this book takes in certain themes common to Dark Academia books, and the way it tries to write them a little bit differently than other books of the genre is really refreshing and exciting to read. I enjoyed this a lot and thought it was very eloquently written and I recommend it a lot.
↠ 4 stars✨
June 28, 2021
literally, this is what would've happened if Richard Papen (or maybe Charles tbh) and Francis Abernathy got together in an AU that takes place in Oxford.
HOW TO WRITE A DA NOVEL:
1. Have a character named Richard, Henry, or James.
2. Make every relationship as toxic and damaging as possible, leaving the trajectory of everyone's lives utterly ruined and irreversible. (and i will eat that shit up!)
also, Mark clearly suffers from the Lord Byron curse...which makes me very sad :(
HOW TO WRITE A DA NOVEL:
1. Have a character named Richard, Henry, or James.
2. Make every relationship as toxic and damaging as possible, leaving the trajectory of everyone's lives utterly ruined and irreversible. (and i will eat that shit up!)
also, Mark clearly suffers from the Lord Byron curse...which makes me very sad :(
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