Noah's Ark

by Barbara Trapido

Alison, who has two failed marriages which have left her with a broken heart, meets Noah Glazer - a whisky-drinking American doctor who gives her life a serenity she never thought possible. Until Noah is away at a conference, and Alison is drawn towards exploring certain avenues of her past.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Ebooks, British Literature, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth of Barbara Trapido's novels that I have read though it is her second in order of publication. Within two or three pages I felt completely at home in her world. I even identified strongly with a couple of her characters. I love the stylish insouciance of her prose, the allusions to poetry and music, the witty dialogue and her generous view of humanity. At the end, the main character has toughened up a bit and describes her previous existence as a black comedy. Well, certainly a comedy, but a sparkling one.

[Sahej Marwah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how much of that sexism was ironic or intended. Self-destructive, submissive characters are always a breath of fresh air.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noah’s Ark is chock full of eccentric characters not doing much of anything other than living their eccentric lives. I found the book refreshing, unusual, even delightful until about two-thirds of the way through when all that quirkiness just got irritating and pointless. Hmm, that’s pretty much how I feel about eccentric people.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel by Barbara Trapido is guaranteed to be jam-packed full of delights for the reader: a large cast of completely rounded, quirky, funny characters, multiple plot strands that are beautifully woven together, a bittersweet portrayal of family life and cracking dialogue. Noah’s Ark is no exception. It’s completely entertaining throughout but makes some serious points about modern family life and relationships (although first published in 1984, so much of what it has to say seems very contemporary). Pure joy from beginning to end.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This the second book I have read by Barbara Trapido. I think she is a very skilled storyteller. However, I just do not understand the the casual references ti paedophilia in both novels as if it's a bit smutty but ok.
I would dearly like her to say why she includes these references but i will throw away her books and not read anything else by her.
Very disappointed and upset.

[Helena Wildsmith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly I found this book to be nothing more than pretentious twaddle. Unlikable characters, an irritating lack of detail when needed and far too much detail when not, and a plot that didn't go anywhere - this book has put me off reading anything else by this author.

[Jo Birkett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up at 80% just not interested in these people and such a detailed following of their lives.

[Alex Ankarr · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. It's just okay. There's no time in life for books that are just okay. Or people, or anything else, for that matter.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Arguably well written, but since I disliked every character and cared little for their lives, the storyline was utterly irrelevant and irritating, the best thing for me about this book was the cover… and you know what they say about that…

[Kate Vane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a marriage but it is also a clever study of power.

Ali Bobrow, artistic, beautiful and unworldly, is easy prey to controlling men. Her third husband, Noah, is at least a benign dictator. Before him she was mistreated, her daughter was unhappy and she was unable to resist the demands of any manipulative neighbour or acquaintance. Noah, a doctor, the ultimate protector, replaces the chaos with love, calm and security – so long as she follows his rules.

Then one day Ali decides to rebel – and this disrupts the delicate balance of her life with Noah, and leads her to look back at her past in South Africa.

Trapido’s characters are funny and vivid and clever. You feel like you want to climb into her world (though probably not for too long – who could keep up?). She creates atmosphere with economy and style. The opening scene shows Ali sewing in her kitchen, an icon of domesticity. The apparently ordinary items – the fruit bowl, the pinboard – and her thoughts about them immediately evoke the family and her place within it.

There are other types of power here. Ali grew up under apartheid, the descendant of German refugees from World War Two. Her best friend at school was Jewish, and she is attracted to Jewish men. Her unconsummated first love was dark-skinned and was rumoured to have lied about his background to attend the all-white university.

There are also the dynamics between parents and children. Noah’s step-daughter, once so timid, is able to be rebellious and demanding precisely because he has made her feel safe – for now. He is also confronted by the stubbornness of his own daughter.

How do we respond to a world where every day people are harming others? Trapido asks subtle questions about the limits of power, resistance and compassion.

[Sam Falston · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this book is pro or anti-feminist?

It seems to despise its characters, especially the men, who are all cut from different horrible stereotypes. The women are either loose, vulgar or doormats (often more than one of these).

While I found the main character slightly annoying in her timidity at the beginning, she lost all my respect when she so casually cheats on her husband.

I'm pretty sure this novel may be deeper than I am depicting it, but the characters were so annoying I couldn't be bothered to contemplate the subversive, but oh so common messages in this kind of literature.

[Carla]

Certainly not on the level of BROTHER OF THE MORE FAMOUS JACK, but few books are, so that may not be fair. A novel with lots of children, a rather sexy, bossy husband, a less sexy ex-husband (complete with standard annoying new wife) and a potentially sexy lost love who (naturally) makes an appearance. Structurally, the book is lopsided, with much happening in the final chapters, as if, finally, the distracted heroine's life is getting interesting.

[Supriya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just marvellous: more tart and explicit than Brother of the More Famous Jack, and a much stronger exploration of themes and types we come to see in The Travelling Hornplayer. Perhaps the satire of the ex-husband is a bit too strong, but only '...More Famous Jack' is pitched to a sweeter note. I love Trapido and her masochistic women.

[Kathryn Holmes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up :(

[Kayleigh Goodyear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it a little hard to get into at first but soon became absorbed into the story. I enjoyed the eccentric characters in it especially the main character ali.
Was an OK read bit didn't grip me

[Judith Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first came across this book as an extract in Cosmopolitan magazine in the mid 80’s and was hooked. There are some truly awful characters ( yes you Melvyn) and I’ve no idea why all these male characters keep falling for dippy Ali but the plot zips along. I can temper thinking how large Noah must be when he was described as having a 36 inch waist when I first read it! Not today Noah!!! I always feel sad for the kitten smuggled from South Africa and the jampot house tea pot story pops up again in Frankie and Stankie but that’s a minor niggle.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a cross between Jilly Cooper and Kate Atkinson... I'm a fan of Trapido's novels and I tore through this one. Excellent characters, and the complicated web of marriages; it's everything I like.

I'll warn potential readers about the, shall I say politely, dated language which reoccurs about four times (I think); as published in the very early 80s it's not a great look but times have very much changed so if you can overlook this then you can enjoy the rest.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Barbara Trapido’s books and have read many of them, but this one was just an okay read for me. I struggled to like some of the main characters (like Noah) and found it hard therefore to understand the connection between him and Ali.
Other important characters such as Thomas were too sketchily drawn to grasp their appeal.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my favourite of her’s, probably because it’s set in such a different world. how can noah compare to joe angeletti? and alison is lifeless and infuriating next to stella and katherine.. at heart i am a trapido diehard however, and there are certain details (the orange painting.. eva bobrow’s wonky virginia woolf poster..) that i loved

[Jane Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immersive and startling novel by my new found book-interest, Barbara Trapido. She paints the setting here - the sort of hovering intelligentsia c70s - in moody burnt ochre tones, but the wit is only just bubbling under and lifts the mood from being too studied.

[Clare McHugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat over-stuffed, and chaotic, in structure, but full of luminous descriptions and laser-sharp characterization. It’s difficult not to admire Trapidos skill at scene setting, and her sense of humor. She rejects pieties of all sorts. She’s always a pleasure to read.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

She has that Diana Wynne Jones quality about her: every character feels completely believable and completely awful and completely understandable in their own way. Barbara Trapido knew people and liked them, and that makes her characters and her meandering charming messy novels utterly absorbing.

[Judith Yeabsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should this have been half the length I'd probably have added an extra star. It was quirky and interesting at first and then it continued ...
Certainly not a bad book but just too much of the same.

[Charlotte Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little strange but I enjoyed it. The storyline was subtle but I couldn't help feeling the benign dictator needed to go! The characters developed and it was an enjoyable read!

[susan muratoglu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous book very funny and witty. Read it

[Susan Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only the second book I have read by this author. I have enjoyed both so will seek out more. Recommended!

[Daniel Mihai Popescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb :) I have to read again the trilogy...

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off-beat novel which seems to be in keeping with Barbara Trapido's style. The main character Alison is equally endearing and a cause for desperation.

[David Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up from a local stores “bargain bin” one day when I was looking for something a little different from my usual kind of book. And it is certainly that.

Noah Glazer is a strong American doctor researching respiratory illnesses in the UK. But despite the book’s title, this isn’t really his story. Instead it follows the joys and tragedies of his second wife, Ali.

By the time Ali and Noah meet, she is estranged from her abusive second husband and attempting to bring up her eleven year old daughter on her own. Noah blasts into her life like a knight in shining armour, rescuing her not only from an oncoming car, but also from her own self-deprecation and the abuse of almost everyone else around her.

The relationship between Ali and Noah is tested when an old friend from her childhood in apartheid South Africa comes back into her life.

Ali Glazer is a shy woman. She is the victim of her oppressive childhood and two very bad marriages. It is her vulnerability that first attracts Noah to her, but through him she begins to slowly show signs of a new confidence.

Noah’s Ark is a witty and well written story with some very serious undertones. Dealing with abuse and the injustice of apartheid (the book was written in 1984) Barbara Trapido manages to balance the conflicting tones of the book very well.

Although it is not the kind of book I would normally set out to read, I found Noah’s Ark to be a captivating and very enjoyable novel.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I had expected at all, it was far more serious and slightly dark than the "fabulously witty" recommendation had suggested. Ali's decision, the one that affects her marriage with Noah (dont want to say too much in case I give a spoiler) but basically it was a decision that greatly decreased any respect I had previously felt for her. Which to be fair wasn't a great deal. Maybe this is being horribly judgmental but I disapproved of what she did and it affected my view of the rest of the book. Noah was a more likeable character but he wasn't one I would want to be married. I found him controlling and this annoyed me. Camilla was the best character in my opinion, with maybe Arnie as well. A well written novel that is only marked down for me because I did not connect with the protagonist.