What do you think?
Rate this book
Fascination
This is William Boyd's third volume of short stories following his acclaimed collections On the Yankee Station (1981) and The Destiny of Nathalie X (1995). Described as the finest storyteller of his generation, Boyd shows his mastery of the form as these stories range widely through time and space. In a brilliant array of styles and narratives we move from 1930s Germany to Los Angeles in the Second World War, from contemporary Oxford to 19th century Russia. Whether in London or Amsterdam. Eastbourne or a Normandy village, these stories explore and expose the fraught, funny, absurd, poignant, and lovelorn lives of their many and varied characters.
209 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
61 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
William Boyd
69 books2,477 followersNote: William^^Boyd
Of Scottish descent, Boyd was born in Accra, Ghana on 7th March, 1952 and spent much of his early life there and in Nigeria where his mother was a teacher and his father, a doctor. Boyd was in Nigeria during the Biafran War, the brutal secessionist conflict which ran from 1967 to 1970 and it had a profound effect on him.
At the age of nine years he attended Gordonstoun school, in Moray, Scotland and then Nice University (Diploma of French Studies) and Glasgow University (MA Hons in English and Philosophy), where he edited the Glasgow University Guardian. He then moved to Jesus College, Oxford in 1975 and completed a PhD thesis on Shelley. For a brief period he worked at the New Statesman magazine as a TV critic, then he returned to Oxford as an English lecturer teaching the contemporary novel at St Hilda's College (1980-83). It was while he was here that his first novel, A Good Man in Africa (1981), was published.
Boyd spent eight years in academia, during which time his first film, Good and Bad at Games, was made. When he was offered a college lecturership, which would mean spending more time teaching, he was forced to choose between teaching and writing.
Boyd was selected in 1983 as one of the 20 'Best of Young British Novelists' in a promotion run by Granta magazine and the Book Marketing Council. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in the same year, and is also an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has been presented with honorary doctorates in literature from the universities of St. Andrews, Stirling and Glasgow. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005.
Boyd has been with his wife Susan since they met as students at Glasgow University and all his books are dedicated to her. His wife is editor-at-large of Harper's Bazaar magazine, and they currently spend about thirty to forty days a year in the US. He and his wife have a house in Chelsea, West London but spend most of the year at their chateau in Bergerac in south west France, where Boyd produces award-winning wines.
Of Scottish descent, Boyd was born in Accra, Ghana on 7th March, 1952 and spent much of his early life there and in Nigeria where his mother was a teacher and his father, a doctor. Boyd was in Nigeria during the Biafran War, the brutal secessionist conflict which ran from 1967 to 1970 and it had a profound effect on him.
At the age of nine years he attended Gordonstoun school, in Moray, Scotland and then Nice University (Diploma of French Studies) and Glasgow University (MA Hons in English and Philosophy), where he edited the Glasgow University Guardian. He then moved to Jesus College, Oxford in 1975 and completed a PhD thesis on Shelley. For a brief period he worked at the New Statesman magazine as a TV critic, then he returned to Oxford as an English lecturer teaching the contemporary novel at St Hilda's College (1980-83). It was while he was here that his first novel, A Good Man in Africa (1981), was published.
Boyd spent eight years in academia, during which time his first film, Good and Bad at Games, was made. When he was offered a college lecturership, which would mean spending more time teaching, he was forced to choose between teaching and writing.
Boyd was selected in 1983 as one of the 20 'Best of Young British Novelists' in a promotion run by Granta magazine and the Book Marketing Council. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in the same year, and is also an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has been presented with honorary doctorates in literature from the universities of St. Andrews, Stirling and Glasgow. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005.
Boyd has been with his wife Susan since they met as students at Glasgow University and all his books are dedicated to her. His wife is editor-at-large of Harper's Bazaar magazine, and they currently spend about thirty to forty days a year in the US. He and his wife have a house in Chelsea, West London but spend most of the year at their chateau in Bergerac in south west France, where Boyd produces award-winning wines.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 13, 2013
Sometimes it’s merely the uncanny juxtaposition of two simple words that lets us know we’re reading a great writer. “(V)ast insouciance” — from the short story “The Pigeon” — is such an example.
William Boyd is not just a wordsmith; he’s a magician who pulls rabbit-words out of hats, throws them together, then lets us marvel at the effect. Problem is, we come away from the page thinking — we, the rest of us, we other purveyors of English prose — what’s the point? Why even bother? With writers like William Boyd to contend with, why not just throw in the towel and remain content to be readers?
If Boyd has any weakness as a short story writer, it’s in relying too much upon his readers to supply those bits he has clearly decided — perhaps in the interest of grace or economy — to omit. Consequently, his stories, as eloquent as they are imaginative, are not easy to read. Full and unforgiving concentration is a requirement. As well, a leap of faith in Boyd-logic — an equal necessity if we, his readers, are to grasp and hold that thin reed of a story we, ourselves, could not even begin to imagine, much less tell.
Do I recommend Fascination? Only to the intrepid. But to the intrepid, without reservation. Let your imagination run wild with only eyes and ears to chaperone and guide. And then, enjoy the party. William Boyd, like few others, knows how to throw one — at least, on the page.
RRB
5/12/13
Brooklyn, NY
William Boyd is not just a wordsmith; he’s a magician who pulls rabbit-words out of hats, throws them together, then lets us marvel at the effect. Problem is, we come away from the page thinking — we, the rest of us, we other purveyors of English prose — what’s the point? Why even bother? With writers like William Boyd to contend with, why not just throw in the towel and remain content to be readers?
If Boyd has any weakness as a short story writer, it’s in relying too much upon his readers to supply those bits he has clearly decided — perhaps in the interest of grace or economy — to omit. Consequently, his stories, as eloquent as they are imaginative, are not easy to read. Full and unforgiving concentration is a requirement. As well, a leap of faith in Boyd-logic — an equal necessity if we, his readers, are to grasp and hold that thin reed of a story we, ourselves, could not even begin to imagine, much less tell.
Do I recommend Fascination? Only to the intrepid. But to the intrepid, without reservation. Let your imagination run wild with only eyes and ears to chaperone and guide. And then, enjoy the party. William Boyd, like few others, knows how to throw one — at least, on the page.
RRB
5/12/13
Brooklyn, NY
May 15, 2017
I've read quite a few of Boyd's novels over the years, many of them reviewed on this site. I've always found them reasonably interesting and engaging, showing a strong talent yet usually lacking a certain something to make them truly great. Then I came across this collection of short stories and for the first time I was truly impressed by the authors' skill, variety and imagination. Short stories really are his metier and bring out the best in him.
This slim volume has 16 stories, many of them no more than a few pages long, some narratively driven and others impressionistic, written in a wide range of styles and covering all sorts of themes, mostly showing the darker, more quirky side of human nature. I found them all fascinating (pun intended); like small, edible treats that explode in the mouth and are then gone. Recommended, and a bit of a surprise!
This slim volume has 16 stories, many of them no more than a few pages long, some narratively driven and others impressionistic, written in a wide range of styles and covering all sorts of themes, mostly showing the darker, more quirky side of human nature. I found them all fascinating (pun intended); like small, edible treats that explode in the mouth and are then gone. Recommended, and a bit of a surprise!
September 17, 2012
This is the first time I have come across William Boyd and perhaps it wasn't the best place to start? This is a collection of sixteen short stories - I enjoyed A Haunting, Incandescence and The Ghost of a Bird but found many of the others unremarkable. And abrupt endings? This author must be the king of them!
September 18, 2020
Every story was a world I could invest in. Many of these had the theme of adultery though, and a few other connections between various stories. Each one complemented the next, but the mediums in which they grab were different.
June 9, 2025
I read these stories because I read and loved Boyd's 'The Ice Cream War'. I adored these stories and have marked a number of other novels by Boyd TBR but, despite that he is an author is just outside my circle of favorite authors. I will be reading Paul Bowles, Hugh Fleetwood, James, Francis King and even Gwyn Griffin sooner than him. My failure? prejudice? quirk? Don't let me stop you from reading him, I'll just plough my eccentric furrow.
November 20, 2025
Short stories like a box of variety chocolates. Some are tasty little favourites and others kind of experimental and not your thing. So while uneven I always enjoy Boyd’s wry view of humanity.
April 1, 2017
Rating - 5
For a book w twelve short stories, the fact that only two were enjoyable is not nearly enough to warrant a good review; The stories lack a finish & there in no real emotional connection w characters
Each story is based on the theme of the bad choices made when people meander through life & are rift w dissatisfaction (same story, different character): Ambiguous symbolism creates a disruptive flow
For a book w twelve short stories, the fact that only two were enjoyable is not nearly enough to warrant a good review; The stories lack a finish & there in no real emotional connection w characters
Each story is based on the theme of the bad choices made when people meander through life & are rift w dissatisfaction (same story, different character): Ambiguous symbolism creates a disruptive flow
December 30, 2017
Much as I am a William Boyd fan, I did not enjoy this one so much.
June 30, 2017
Ghana
Beulaqh Berlin, an A-Z
"We are all, in our own ways, ill."
"Of all our body parts, the foot is the one we treat the most harshly."
"Tobacco is a strange drug, when you think about it. Alcohol seems more natural-we all have to drink, after all."
"I would calm myself imagining I was a rhino in a zoo, my day an ordered round of eating, defecating, and sleeping. In a zoo, but free somehow. Free from the world and its noisy demands. Free, finally, from angst."
The Woman on the Beach with a Dog
"It's hopeless, you know. I can't leave him."
"And I can't leave her."
"We can meet here."
"What kind of life is that?"
"It's better than a life of not meeting."
"But what's the point?"
"What's the point otherwise?"
The View from Yves Hill
"Everything in life is strange."
"Remembered happiness doesn't do the same trick as experienced happiness."
"Perception of another is a fiction constructed by the perceiver."
"Only in fiction is everything about other people explained."
Ghost of a Bird
"His life has become an endless series of labyrinths."
"He knows how badly he is damaged and how his world was fractured, and he struggles, as much as his strength permits, to overcome his problem."
"Such fragile, ephemeral foundations - too insubstantial a thing to build a new life on."
Beulaqh Berlin, an A-Z
"We are all, in our own ways, ill."
"Of all our body parts, the foot is the one we treat the most harshly."
"Tobacco is a strange drug, when you think about it. Alcohol seems more natural-we all have to drink, after all."
"I would calm myself imagining I was a rhino in a zoo, my day an ordered round of eating, defecating, and sleeping. In a zoo, but free somehow. Free from the world and its noisy demands. Free, finally, from angst."
The Woman on the Beach with a Dog
"It's hopeless, you know. I can't leave him."
"And I can't leave her."
"We can meet here."
"What kind of life is that?"
"It's better than a life of not meeting."
"But what's the point?"
"What's the point otherwise?"
The View from Yves Hill
"Everything in life is strange."
"Remembered happiness doesn't do the same trick as experienced happiness."
"Perception of another is a fiction constructed by the perceiver."
"Only in fiction is everything about other people explained."
Ghost of a Bird
"His life has become an endless series of labyrinths."
"He knows how badly he is damaged and how his world was fractured, and he struggles, as much as his strength permits, to overcome his problem."
"Such fragile, ephemeral foundations - too insubstantial a thing to build a new life on."
March 3, 2022
Unfortunately, I don't think any of these stories have made a lasting impression on me. Most of them focus on adultery in some form, with most of the central characters being shallow men with not many redeeming qualities and we see snapshots of their lives as they work or have social interactions, but we also see that their lives are suffused with trying to commit adultery. Some of the stories are OK but none are excellent - perhaps I have been spoiled by reading much better short stories, or perhaps other collections from William Boyd would be better, but this one didn't massively do it for me.
July 17, 2024
I have read most of William Boyd’s novels and enjoyed them hugely . Love his style of writing, the characters he develops and the different locations he utilises . All these skills are evident in this collection of short stories though I am not sure ‘stories’ is the right label . They don’t have great plots , they are more vignettes leaving the reader scope to use their imagination to add to the picture . I have marked 3 because I found the collection a bit uneven , some excellent others uninteresting .If you haven’t read any William Boyd go to his novels first eg Any Human Heart A good Man in Africa
March 10, 2025
3.5⭐️ overall
My only complaint is that a lot felt the same: a married man describing his desire for an affair with a younger, working class woman
I do enjoy his experimentation with order and time though
These are my specific ratings:
Adult video: 4⭐️
Varengeville: 4⭐️
Notebook No. 9: 5⭐️
A haunting: 3.5⭐️
Fascination: 3.5⭐️
Beulah Berlin, an A-Z: 4⭐️
The woman on the beach with a dog: 3.5⭐️
The view from Yves hill: 3.5⭐️
Incandescence: 4⭐️
Visions fugitives: 2.5⭐️
Fantasia on a favorite waltz: 4⭐️
The ghost of a bird: 4⭐️
The mind/body problem: 3⭐️
The pigeon: 3.5⭐️
My only complaint is that a lot felt the same: a married man describing his desire for an affair with a younger, working class woman
I do enjoy his experimentation with order and time though
These are my specific ratings:
Adult video: 4⭐️
Varengeville: 4⭐️
Notebook No. 9: 5⭐️
A haunting: 3.5⭐️
Fascination: 3.5⭐️
Beulah Berlin, an A-Z: 4⭐️
The woman on the beach with a dog: 3.5⭐️
The view from Yves hill: 3.5⭐️
Incandescence: 4⭐️
Visions fugitives: 2.5⭐️
Fantasia on a favorite waltz: 4⭐️
The ghost of a bird: 4⭐️
The mind/body problem: 3⭐️
The pigeon: 3.5⭐️
April 14, 2020
Disappointed - I clearly haven't had enough sex - some of the characters seem to have that and only that on their minds / as their aim. I liked Incandescence and Ghost of a Bird, and the Haunting to some extent. The collection did however motivate me to try writing some more short stories of my own (for fun), and I might dip back into a couple of tales as a guide.
August 4, 2020
Recueil de 9 nouvelles, très inégales. On a l’impression que l’auteur est dans sa tête et ne désire pas nous faire entrer. Des bouts d’histoire qui finissent en queue de poisson. J’ai apprécié l’histoire Le fantôme d’un oiseau.
August 31, 2022
Sixteen stories of variety & style from William Boyd in 2004. Almost all of them engaged me with their dramas & personal trials & tribulations of a cast of characters who show human life as a constant struggle against despair, disaster & deception...
September 7, 2022
I loved these short stories by William Boyd. He's my favorite author and I got totally immersed in each one. They are all very different and set in many different countries and time periods but they all have his magic touch.
December 11, 2023
I have enjoyed all the other Boyd novels I have read. This one had maybe two or three decent short stories but on the whole was not engaging, character unlikeable and just generally not great. Thankfully a quick read at just over 200 pages…
May 24, 2024
Worth reading for the best of the 16 - "The Ghost of a Bird", a story about a WWII hospitalised British soldier. Most of the others left me unmoved so I think I will give the short story genre a break for a while.
May 7, 2025
I'm not a great fan of the short story format, but for William Boyd I'll make an exception. His mastery of the format is terrific - quickly engaging, frequently wondering where it's heading and then a resolution - or maybe not. Good stuff
November 3, 2019
I'm glad I read and enjoyed his other novels first as these stories were nasty. Nothing wrong with the writing but what ghastly people.
November 29, 2024
Great collection
March 16, 2025
Thought provoking, but I prefer his novels.
July 29, 2025
Not for me - mostly these short stories left me cold, although I have greatly enjoyed some of Boyd's novels.
September 2, 2025
4.5. Only two of the stories landed vaguely for me. Each of the rest was excellent in its respective way.
January 11, 2025
Разказите на Бойд са дотолкова разнообразни, че всеки би могъл да си намери нещо.
Стига да преодолееш препятствието на първия – Видео за възрастни – в което един сложен многоъгълник от комплексиран литератор, завистлив академичен ментор, брокерка на дотком акции на азиатския пазар, сляп италианец, опитващ се да учи английски, сестра му, морализиращ бял зимбабвиец (няма Бойд без Африка!) зъболекар и ... (други) се разиграва с дистанционното на видеото напред-назад във времето с паузи и справки във външна памет.
Пренавих касетката и го преодолях от втори опит. В друг експеримент с формата цялата житейска драма на главния герой е вкарана в поредица подробни менюта в кое заведение е обядвано, какво е консумирано, колко е била сметката и кой е платил. Тръгвайки от класен френски ресторант в лондонското Сохо, поредицата непоколебимо води до неделно печено в кафяв сос в ужким отдавна напусната селска къща в Норфък. Без изход.
Моето нещо е представянето (съчетано с обяснение в любов) на модния през 1940-те стил в архитектурата и дизайна стриймлайн модерн, завладял ако не целия свят, то – цялата индустрия на крайпътните закусвални в Щатите. Тук е съчинил драматична история с еврейски погроми и изселвания от авторитарна Европа като въведение на презентацията на стила.
Похвата с неочакваната тема (което е различно от неочакван край) го ползва и на други места. Чак към развръзката разбираш за какво всъщност е замислено да се разказва. Най-отприщено в това отношение му е въображението в новелата за изпитващия странни симптоми на психично разстройство ландшафтен архитект от Венис, Калифорния (опитал се да пробута овален басейн на клиент, поръчал правоъгълен), комбинирани с мания за преследване и внезапни пристъпи на дислексия, поне що се отнася до вмъкването на произволни места на буквата X, разтеглена като хералдически андреевски кръст. Докато уликата не ни отвежда в Кралския шотландски институт по хидродинамика в Единбург и не стигнем до техническо нововъведение, внедренo повсеместно във въгледобивната промишленост през първата половина на XIX век със спорен между двама изобретатели патент. А дали не би могло да се внедри и в ландшафт архитектурата на морски курорти като Биариц?
След което се прехвърляме на една фантазия върху любим валс, въвличаща Йоханес Брамс, брат му и самотна майка музикантка, едва свързваща двата края с работа по долнопробните локали в Хамбург.
Има и едно почтително намигване към Чехов. С разказа за младия помешчик с парижко образование, който си хванал белята като спонсорирал местното училище дълбоко в някаква Н-ска руска губерния. И после го викат той да им реши проблема с гълъба, оплел се в мрежата над училищния двор, дето я разпънали нарочно, за да не се цвъка по темето на бюста на още по-големия благодетел на училището граф Хоботов.
Има и почтителни намигвания към Клишето. Запознаваме се например със свличащия се по стръмното нанадолнище на провалите (бивш) славен кинорежисьор, нарушил правилото номер 1: да не подчинява филмите на личния си любовен си интерес. Срещаме и (посредствения) френски импресионист в самотната къща с гледка към океана (много на север от Биариц!) през погледа на (разочаровано) градско момче, скучаещо с техните в селото. За сравнение в азбучно-подредената биография на английска авангардна артистка няма място за скука и разочарование.
Извънбрачната любов, когато си нещастен в неразтрогваем брак, даже не е клише. Вечна е. Тъга и надежда. В случая цвят (черен) добавя кучето Евклид, покрай което се запознават. На брега. В друга романтична драма действието се развива в скучен новичък („което е по-лошо от нов“) градец близо до летище Гатуик. Случаен съсед го хващат да услужи с откарването на затворник в отпуск до летището да се разбере с бившата си жена да не отвежда децата им в Испания. А същевременно млад поет се опитва да си изкарва хляба като спортен журналист, но вместо да задава въпроси за дългия скок, кани момичето в спалнята си да ѝ чете поезия.
Отхвърлен (или сам напуснал) ухажор е поканен от случайно срещналата го в Хародс майка на момичето за уикенд със семейството. И попада в сложна схема на тайни, лъжи и хитрини, включваща няколко жени и разпознат мошеник, върнал се от Африка, да се спаси ипотекираното имение от съдебните изпълнители. Още спомени, още тайни и лъжи и още – история на киното – разкриваме около американско военно гробище от Първата световна в Северна Франция. А в английска военна болница от Втората се опитваме да отсеем тайната от мечтата и халюцинацията в загубена при мозъчни поражения от раняване на фронта памет.
А моето лично второ нещо е за сина на двойка професионални здравословни фитнес маниаци. Младежът изобретява едно пласебо, ужким достъпно само от сенчестата страна на световната фармацевтика, с което да спасява клиентите на родителите си от химията, която ги зомбират да зобят, и от вредите на която той с недъзите и болнавостта си е ходещо доказателство.
Стига да преодолееш препятствието на първия – Видео за възрастни – в което един сложен многоъгълник от комплексиран литератор, завистлив академичен ментор, брокерка на дотком акции на азиатския пазар, сляп италианец, опитващ се да учи английски, сестра му, морализиращ бял зимбабвиец (няма Бойд без Африка!) зъболекар и ... (други) се разиграва с дистанционното на видеото напред-назад във времето с паузи и справки във външна памет.
Пренавих касетката и го преодолях от втори опит. В друг експеримент с формата цялата житейска драма на главния герой е вкарана в поредица подробни менюта в кое заведение е обядвано, какво е консумирано, колко е била сметката и кой е платил. Тръгвайки от класен френски ресторант в лондонското Сохо, поредицата непоколебимо води до неделно печено в кафяв сос в ужким отдавна напусната селска къща в Норфък. Без изход.
Моето нещо е представянето (съчетано с обяснение в любов) на модния през 1940-те стил в архитектурата и дизайна стриймлайн модерн, завладял ако не целия свят, то – цялата индустрия на крайпътните закусвални в Щатите. Тук е съчинил драматична история с еврейски погроми и изселвания от авторитарна Европа като въведение на презентацията на стила.
Похвата с неочакваната тема (което е различно от неочакван край) го ползва и на други места. Чак към развръзката разбираш за какво всъщност е замислено да се разказва. Най-отприщено в това отношение му е въображението в новелата за изпитващия странни симптоми на психично разстройство ландшафтен архитект от Венис, Калифорния (опитал се да пробута овален басейн на клиент, поръчал правоъгълен), комбинирани с мания за преследване и внезапни пристъпи на дислексия, поне що се отнася до вмъкването на произволни места на буквата X, разтеглена като хералдически андреевски кръст. Докато уликата не ни отвежда в Кралския шотландски институт по хидродинамика в Единбург и не стигнем до техническо нововъведение, внедренo повсеместно във въгледобивната промишленост през първата половина на XIX век със спорен между двама изобретатели патент. А дали не би могло да се внедри и в ландшафт архитектурата на морски курорти като Биариц?
След което се прехвърляме на една фантазия върху любим валс, въвличаща Йоханес Брамс, брат му и самотна майка музикантка, едва свързваща двата края с работа по долнопробните локали в Хамбург.
Има и едно почтително намигване към Чехов. С разказа за младия помешчик с парижко образование, който си хванал белята като спонсорирал местното училище дълбоко в някаква Н-ска руска губерния. И после го викат той да им реши проблема с гълъба, оплел се в мрежата над училищния двор, дето я разпънали нарочно, за да не се цвъка по темето на бюста на още по-големия благодетел на училището граф Хоботов.
Има и почтителни намигвания към Клишето. Запознаваме се например със свличащия се по стръмното нанадолнище на провалите (бивш) славен кинорежисьор, нарушил правилото номер 1: да не подчинява филмите на личния си любовен си интерес. Срещаме и (посредствения) френски импресионист в самотната къща с гледка към океана (много на север от Биариц!) през погледа на (разочаровано) градско момче, скучаещо с техните в селото. За сравнение в азбучно-подредената биография на английска авангардна артистка няма място за скука и разочарование.
Извънбрачната любов, когато си нещастен в неразтрогваем брак, даже не е клише. Вечна е. Тъга и надежда. В случая цвят (черен) добавя кучето Евклид, покрай което се запознават. На брега. В друга романтична драма действието се развива в скучен новичък („което е по-лошо от нов“) градец близо до летище Гатуик. Случаен съсед го хващат да услужи с откарването на затворник в отпуск до летището да се разбере с бившата си жена да не отвежда децата им в Испания. А същевременно млад поет се опитва да си изкарва хляба като спортен журналист, но вместо да задава въпроси за дългия скок, кани момичето в спалнята си да ѝ чете поезия.
Отхвърлен (или сам напуснал) ухажор е поканен от случайно срещналата го в Хародс майка на момичето за уикенд със семейството. И попада в сложна схема на тайни, лъжи и хитрини, включваща няколко жени и разпознат мошеник, върнал се от Африка, да се спаси ипотекираното имение от съдебните изпълнители. Още спомени, още тайни и лъжи и още – история на киното – разкриваме около американско военно гробище от Първата световна в Северна Франция. А в английска военна болница от Втората се опитваме да отсеем тайната от мечтата и халюцинацията в загубена при мозъчни поражения от раняване на фронта памет.
А моето лично второ нещо е за сина на двойка професионални здравословни фитнес маниаци. Младежът изобретява едно пласебо, ужким достъпно само от сенчестата страна на световната фармацевтика, с което да спасява клиентите на родителите си от химията, която ги зомбират да зобят, и от вредите на която той с недъзите и болнавостта си е ходещо доказателство.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2016
Overall interesting, but confirmation that short stories aren't really my thing - they seem to have limitations which outweigh the advantages. Though Boyd writes beautifully, this collection of sixteen stories (loosely on the subject of desire) illustrated that his abilities are wasted unless the plot can make each piece worthwhile. I may read some of his full-length fiction, but he didn't strike me as an exceptional writer.
Averaging each story out, three stars is correct as a 'score'.
Brief summary of each story below:- ***** SPOILER ALERT *****
'Adult Video' - About a writer helping a blind boy, and an affair with a girl which seems to make up his mind about his fiancee. The glib use of fast-forward, pause, play, rewind etc. was more of a distraction than an addition to the story. (3/5)
'Varengeville' - A twleve year-old boy sent off on his bike running errands, while his mother runs an affair, meets an artist. Evocative, but didn't go anywhere as a story and ended abruptly. (2/5)
'Notebook No. 9' - Written ramblings of a film director, often in cafes/bars, his thoughts and his eavesdropping. Some very witty perceptive one-liners, and I felt affinity with someone writing notes in those circumstances, but it was basically just an unfinished idea. (4/5)
'A Haunting' - The longest in the collection - a better length of story which allowed it (about an engineer losing his santity and self-destructing) to develop to a greater extent. A nice mystery at the centre, well-written and more rounded as a consequence. (4/5)
'Fascination' - Two beautifully described stories told in parallel (a student helping his female neighbour, a writer interviewing a female athlete) with little connection between them but desire. (4/5)
'Beulah Berlin, an A-Z' - 26 alphabetical paragraphs where the last word of each linked into the first word of the next. A clever but contrived motif which amounted only to gloss over a narrative about an unconvincing girl artist boasting about what she'd done. (3/5)
'The Woman on the Beach with a Dog' - A 'Brief Encounter'-esque tale of a businessman and housewife fucking (well, what they did leading up to fuck, and what they did afterwards) which reminded me of European cinema. A little stark. (3/5)
'The View from Yves Hill' - A meandering elderly man's monologue about his slightly odd doting maid. It didn't go anywhere, as elderly people's anecdotes tend to (which, I suppose, made it a convincing tale). There were odd moments of witty insight. (3/5)
'Lunch' - An evocative but utterly pointless description of a week's worth of mid-day meals, from the point of view of a male character who was poorly defined. (2/5)
'Loose Continuity' - This lived up to the title - a loosely connected narrative about loosely moraled Europeans, which didn't go anywhere. It felt like 'Beulah Berlin, an A-Z' without the gimmick. (2/5)
'Incandescence' - This would have made a good drama - a story of class, of money, of people's pasts, of stately homes, of deceit and of lust. An enthralling gem. (5/5)
'Visions Fugitives' - Disjointed, again. Mainly in the mind of an unfaithful man, again. Domestic staff as objects of desire, again. European setting, again. Early 20th Century time frame, again. I felt like I'd read the same story several times before in this collection. (2/5)
'Fantasia on a Favourite Waltz' - A brief tale about a German prostitute (told somewhat sympathetically) and a young man who plays the piano. Short and sweet, but abruptly concluded. (4/5)
'The Ghost of a Bird' - A doctor's account of an injured serviceman's recovery from serious injuries, and the neurological issues with memory, reality and imagination associated. Average (3/5)
'The Mind/Body Problem' - Precocious student discusses dualism with reference to a 'project' on his body-builder girlfriend. None of the characters were likeable, and the author came across as pretentious. (2/5)
'The Pigeon' - Impenetrable Russian(?) blethering, touching on respect for 'the master' and including something about a dead bird. Obvious why this was last in the book, it was also worst. (2/5)
***** END SPOILER *****
Averaging each story out, three stars is correct as a 'score'.
Brief summary of each story below:- ***** SPOILER ALERT *****
'Adult Video' - About a writer helping a blind boy, and an affair with a girl which seems to make up his mind about his fiancee. The glib use of fast-forward, pause, play, rewind etc. was more of a distraction than an addition to the story. (3/5)
'Varengeville' - A twleve year-old boy sent off on his bike running errands, while his mother runs an affair, meets an artist. Evocative, but didn't go anywhere as a story and ended abruptly. (2/5)
'Notebook No. 9' - Written ramblings of a film director, often in cafes/bars, his thoughts and his eavesdropping. Some very witty perceptive one-liners, and I felt affinity with someone writing notes in those circumstances, but it was basically just an unfinished idea. (4/5)
'A Haunting' - The longest in the collection - a better length of story which allowed it (about an engineer losing his santity and self-destructing) to develop to a greater extent. A nice mystery at the centre, well-written and more rounded as a consequence. (4/5)
'Fascination' - Two beautifully described stories told in parallel (a student helping his female neighbour, a writer interviewing a female athlete) with little connection between them but desire. (4/5)
'Beulah Berlin, an A-Z' - 26 alphabetical paragraphs where the last word of each linked into the first word of the next. A clever but contrived motif which amounted only to gloss over a narrative about an unconvincing girl artist boasting about what she'd done. (3/5)
'The Woman on the Beach with a Dog' - A 'Brief Encounter'-esque tale of a businessman and housewife fucking (well, what they did leading up to fuck, and what they did afterwards) which reminded me of European cinema. A little stark. (3/5)
'The View from Yves Hill' - A meandering elderly man's monologue about his slightly odd doting maid. It didn't go anywhere, as elderly people's anecdotes tend to (which, I suppose, made it a convincing tale). There were odd moments of witty insight. (3/5)
'Lunch' - An evocative but utterly pointless description of a week's worth of mid-day meals, from the point of view of a male character who was poorly defined. (2/5)
'Loose Continuity' - This lived up to the title - a loosely connected narrative about loosely moraled Europeans, which didn't go anywhere. It felt like 'Beulah Berlin, an A-Z' without the gimmick. (2/5)
'Incandescence' - This would have made a good drama - a story of class, of money, of people's pasts, of stately homes, of deceit and of lust. An enthralling gem. (5/5)
'Visions Fugitives' - Disjointed, again. Mainly in the mind of an unfaithful man, again. Domestic staff as objects of desire, again. European setting, again. Early 20th Century time frame, again. I felt like I'd read the same story several times before in this collection. (2/5)
'Fantasia on a Favourite Waltz' - A brief tale about a German prostitute (told somewhat sympathetically) and a young man who plays the piano. Short and sweet, but abruptly concluded. (4/5)
'The Ghost of a Bird' - A doctor's account of an injured serviceman's recovery from serious injuries, and the neurological issues with memory, reality and imagination associated. Average (3/5)
'The Mind/Body Problem' - Precocious student discusses dualism with reference to a 'project' on his body-builder girlfriend. None of the characters were likeable, and the author came across as pretentious. (2/5)
'The Pigeon' - Impenetrable Russian(?) blethering, touching on respect for 'the master' and including something about a dead bird. Obvious why this was last in the book, it was also worst. (2/5)
***** END SPOILER *****
November 29, 2015
16 stories. 208 pages. Typically, a hetero-sexual man in a long-distance relationship meets a pretty stranger, and/or a man has a nervous breakdown. There are several artists and no shortage of music, breasts, World Wars in Northern Europe, name-changing and signs.
Stories are often episodic, even fragmentary. "Visions Fugitives" has some sections that are letters, some that supposedly come from tourist guides, etc. It has this passage - I ... shuffle the images that slip into my mind. ... You know those unhindered hours of the night when your thoughts will wander free, sometimes freighted with despair, but sometimes inspired and almost miraculous - this is one of those nights ... We all know these moments of fleeting significance that touch our lives. The great problem, the abiding problem is to make some sense of them ... The bizarre death of John Culpepper in St Julien on 4 November 1918. Brahms's 'Variations on a Theme of Haydn'. Jay turning into Irène. (There's one: she recognized Brahms. What if she had not?) Visions fugitives. Jean-Didier Mavrocordato's decision to film his nouvelle vague masterwork in the small town on the Meuse where my grandfather had died. Irène's misconception that it was filmed near Lausanne provoking our argument. Mavrocordato's suicide.
These images are all connected in the story. So? I liked the title story, with sections alternately in the 1st person present and the 2nd person past. "Beulah Berline, an A-Z" has 26 sections, an abcedarian where the last word of each section is echoed in the first word of the next - "cooler/colour", "England/Glands", "teflon/London", etc., the final section ending with "angst", which is how the story begins. "Loose Continuity" has sections in the present tense alternating with sections about the same main character in the past. "The Ghost of a Bird" is in the form of a medical diary. Some of the dialog rings true, but that's about it. I liked "The Mind/Body Problem", which managed to juggle the 2 main themes successfully.
The text isn't lacking literary detail and imagery - e.g. "I felt that I had reached somewhere significant in my life ... A benign sense of ageing, perhaps, of the body clock sounding the hour" (p.39). Some literary passages put me off -
* "A sudden, stiffish breeze combs the leaves of the willows - their silver under-sides glinting in the sunshine like a flashing shoal of fish darting amongst weeds. Too complicated a simile, he thinks, admiring the graceful, supple willows nonetheless, as they bend and recoil to the invisible urgings of the wind" (p.203). Persona/narrator roles are suddenly being spliced.
* the start of "Varengeville" - "Oliver frowned darkly and pushed his spectacles back up to the bridge of his nose, taking in his mother's suspiciously bright smile and trying to ignore Lucien's almost sneering, almost leering, grimace of pride and satisfaction",
* "Oliver allowed himself an audible sigh" (near the end of the same story. It was published in the "New Yorker").
I didn't rate "Notebook No.9". "The Woman on the Beach with a Dog" seemed very inconsequential. Ditto "The View from Yves Hill", "Lunch" ,"Incandescence" and I don't get "The Pigeon".
My workplace features in "A Haunting" - "She had shown my pages of 'automatic writing', as she termed it, to a friend of her, a mathematics don at Cambridge University ... he called back some few days later to say that the sign had been recognized by someone in the engineering department" (p.51).
Stories are often episodic, even fragmentary. "Visions Fugitives" has some sections that are letters, some that supposedly come from tourist guides, etc. It has this passage - I ... shuffle the images that slip into my mind. ... You know those unhindered hours of the night when your thoughts will wander free, sometimes freighted with despair, but sometimes inspired and almost miraculous - this is one of those nights ... We all know these moments of fleeting significance that touch our lives. The great problem, the abiding problem is to make some sense of them ... The bizarre death of John Culpepper in St Julien on 4 November 1918. Brahms's 'Variations on a Theme of Haydn'. Jay turning into Irène. (There's one: she recognized Brahms. What if she had not?) Visions fugitives. Jean-Didier Mavrocordato's decision to film his nouvelle vague masterwork in the small town on the Meuse where my grandfather had died. Irène's misconception that it was filmed near Lausanne provoking our argument. Mavrocordato's suicide.
These images are all connected in the story. So? I liked the title story, with sections alternately in the 1st person present and the 2nd person past. "Beulah Berline, an A-Z" has 26 sections, an abcedarian where the last word of each section is echoed in the first word of the next - "cooler/colour", "England/Glands", "teflon/London", etc., the final section ending with "angst", which is how the story begins. "Loose Continuity" has sections in the present tense alternating with sections about the same main character in the past. "The Ghost of a Bird" is in the form of a medical diary. Some of the dialog rings true, but that's about it. I liked "The Mind/Body Problem", which managed to juggle the 2 main themes successfully.
The text isn't lacking literary detail and imagery - e.g. "I felt that I had reached somewhere significant in my life ... A benign sense of ageing, perhaps, of the body clock sounding the hour" (p.39). Some literary passages put me off -
* "A sudden, stiffish breeze combs the leaves of the willows - their silver under-sides glinting in the sunshine like a flashing shoal of fish darting amongst weeds. Too complicated a simile, he thinks, admiring the graceful, supple willows nonetheless, as they bend and recoil to the invisible urgings of the wind" (p.203). Persona/narrator roles are suddenly being spliced.
* the start of "Varengeville" - "Oliver frowned darkly and pushed his spectacles back up to the bridge of his nose, taking in his mother's suspiciously bright smile and trying to ignore Lucien's almost sneering, almost leering, grimace of pride and satisfaction",
* "Oliver allowed himself an audible sigh" (near the end of the same story. It was published in the "New Yorker").
I didn't rate "Notebook No.9". "The Woman on the Beach with a Dog" seemed very inconsequential. Ditto "The View from Yves Hill", "Lunch" ,"Incandescence" and I don't get "The Pigeon".
My workplace features in "A Haunting" - "She had shown my pages of 'automatic writing', as she termed it, to a friend of her, a mathematics don at Cambridge University ... he called back some few days later to say that the sign had been recognized by someone in the engineering department" (p.51).
February 25, 2024
15 different stories all about cheating on your wife. Picked this up a few years ago and didn’t finish because the sheer amount of cheating was very unexpected - but if you know what it’s all about it’s pretty good. Will read his other works.
I do think though… imagine being this guys wife and he releases a short story collection of 15 stories about adultery. Would I be suspicious?
I do think though… imagine being this guys wife and he releases a short story collection of 15 stories about adultery. Would I be suspicious?
October 10, 2012
So I decided it was about time I read something by William Boyd – but where to start with such a prolific author? I asked for suggestions on Twitter, and the most common response by far was his 1987 novel The New Confessions. I looked for that book next time I was in the library, but they didn’t have it; instead, I came away with Fascination, one of Boyd’s short story collections – and it wasn’t the best place to start.
Most of Boyd’s protagonists in these stories experience sudden (and often unhealthy) desire for another person; this can lead to some effective moments, as in ‘The Woman on the Beach with a Dog’, whose married main character pursues a woman he encounters, but has no idea what to do after he’s done so. But, too often, I get a sense that, take away Boyd’s formal conceits – a story told in the form of a diner’s notes on a week’s lunches, for example; or one where individual scenes are headed with video operations (past-set scenes labelled ‘rewind’, and so on) – and there’s not much left to make the tales stand out.
I certainly get enough of a sense from Fascination that Boyd is a writer worth reading: ‘The Ghost of a Bird’ is a poignant portrait of a convalescing soldier recovering his memory, and struggling to distinguish between reality and fantasy. The title story draws neat parallels between two relationships with women in a journalist’s past and present. ‘The Mind/Body Problem’ deploys its theme in interesting ways, as a philosophy student makes fake lotions and potions for a female bodybuilder at his parents’ gym and in a sense ‘remakes’ her as a person when her attitude changes. But I think I should have started with one of Boyd’s novels, so I’ll have to keep an eye out for The New Confessions.
Most of Boyd’s protagonists in these stories experience sudden (and often unhealthy) desire for another person; this can lead to some effective moments, as in ‘The Woman on the Beach with a Dog’, whose married main character pursues a woman he encounters, but has no idea what to do after he’s done so. But, too often, I get a sense that, take away Boyd’s formal conceits – a story told in the form of a diner’s notes on a week’s lunches, for example; or one where individual scenes are headed with video operations (past-set scenes labelled ‘rewind’, and so on) – and there’s not much left to make the tales stand out.
I certainly get enough of a sense from Fascination that Boyd is a writer worth reading: ‘The Ghost of a Bird’ is a poignant portrait of a convalescing soldier recovering his memory, and struggling to distinguish between reality and fantasy. The title story draws neat parallels between two relationships with women in a journalist’s past and present. ‘The Mind/Body Problem’ deploys its theme in interesting ways, as a philosophy student makes fake lotions and potions for a female bodybuilder at his parents’ gym and in a sense ‘remakes’ her as a person when her attitude changes. But I think I should have started with one of Boyd’s novels, so I’ll have to keep an eye out for The New Confessions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews