Still

by Adam Thorpe

This novel from the author of "Ulverton", follows the fortunes of Ricky Thornby, who used to dream of becoming the Orson Welles of British cinema. Instead, he has succeeded only in making some of the least-known flops in movie history.

Genres: Fiction, 20th Century

Paperback

First published February 26, 1996

About the author

Adam Thorpe is a British poet, novelist, and playwright whose works also include short stories and radio dramas.

Adam Thorpe was born in Paris and grew up in India, Cameroon, and England. Graduating from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1979, he founded a touring theatre company, then settled in London to teach drama and English literature.

His first collection of poetry, Mornings in the Baltic (1988), was shortlisted for the Whitbread Poetry Award. His first novel, Ulverton (1992), an episodic work covering 350 years of English rural history, won great critical acclaim worldwide, including that of novelist John Fowles, who reviewed it in The Guardian, calling it "(...) the most interesting first novel I have read these last years". The novel was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for 1992.

Adam Thorpe lives in France with his wife and three children.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Nick Garbutt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was sent a review copy of this when it was published. I’d been looking forward to it because I’d absolutely loved both Ulverton and Pieces of Light.
I did not write a review because I could not force myself to get past the first paragraph which begins mid-sentence.
Still is one of those stream of consciousness works that surface from time to time amongst writers who have forgotten that the point of writing is to communicate to others, and, it should be obvious, to be read.
Reading should not be like navigating an obstacle course however cleverly constructed.
For that reason this book has lain unread on my shelves until now.
I’m older and more tolerant than I used to be and so I decided to return to it, and give it a chance.
This time I got to about page 320 before I gave up.
Still does contain some fantastic passages – at times there is a superb rhythm and poetry to the prose.
However the jaunty narrative style is just too irritating to tolerate and Thorpe often takes many pages to say anything at all. This is, ultimately, a frustrating, confusing and frankly pretentious read.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning book. The story was incredibly compelling and written in such an involving and atmospheric way. This is the first book I have read that is written in the stream of consciousness style and I find the style truly intriguing and entertaining. More so than any other book, 'Still' made me feel as though a movie was playing out in my mind.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A one of a kind dazzling book - not an easy read, but a compelling one that I could not stop reading. I can compare it to nothing but as something unique beg you to read it.

I might also point out that Adam Thorpe is one of many authors who provide challenges to my simplistic shelving categories:

'Adam Thorpe was born in Paris and grew up in India, Cameroon, and England. Graduating from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1979, he founded a touring theatre company, then settled in London to teach drama and English literature.'

So I know he isn't, English, but I refuse to create a new literature-UK shelf.

[Stuart Lutzenhiser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stream of consciousness narrative. Wasn’t really a plot per se but the characters were interesting to hold me for 584 pages. However the lack of plot or narrative structure made it almost unreadable. Like a prose long form poem where the beauty and rhythm of the language are the prime focus. If so, then this is your book. If you are looking for a standard narration, look elsewhere.

[Diarmaid · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a thankless chore.