martin > Recent Status Updates

A migrant Brit who’s spent over half his life living outside the UK (currently a beachside village in Thailand) and who enjoys learning about other cultures / viewpoints, both within the UK and in other countries.
I speak 7 languages to varying degrees of mediocrity and will occasionally struggle through original language versions of German, French or Spanish novels.

Nearly there. Beginning to wonder if the author realised that a reader might be repelled rather than fascinated by this novel

Definitely a book that is best read a few pages a day rather than in large chunks. In that way it reminds me of Joyce’s Ulysses

Love hate relationship with this novel. Incredibly inventive language and he has a real gift for describing people places and feelings in unexpected and perceptive ways. The inclusion of children’s songs and rhymes (some of which I guess are his own creations) is also fascinating. On the downside there is perhaps too much repetition - of ideas rather than words - and the plot moves painfully slowly

Making progress. He’s been transferred to a home for older children, become institutionalised as a “home” boy rather than a village boy and then adopted by a couple who do child-rearing by numbers and have no empathy for him.

Not easy going and, if it weren’t so autobiographical, all this wallowing in abuse and emotional damage would feel excessive, but this is not just Dickensian exaggeration - instead it is an attempt to purge himself of the experience. I like the insertion (without warning) of nursery rhymes and poems. The news excerpts about child abandonment, orphanages and adoption are fascinating, if a little gloomy

The first time I’ve ever used Goodreads’ reading progress feature, mainly because I need the social pressure to encourage me with this novel. It’s not as difficult perhaps but also less poetic now, he’s moved to a different children’s home and there seems to be reflection and more activity. I’m beginning to enjoy the novel more than just finding it a challenge

First impressions after 20% progress would be that the writing is beautiful, the underlying story is heartbreaking and the pacing is extremely slow. I suspect this may take a while….

Not quite retired, a lifelong lover of fiction, although the occasional non-fiction book enthralls me too. I like a fairly diverse range of novels, more defined by what I don't usually like (pretentious, over-bearing "in" humour, war stories and idealistic romances mainly) than what I do.