Jonathan’s Reviews > A Glastonbury Romance > Status Update
Jonathan
is on page 510 of 1180
One of the ways this is such a work of genius is he has the rare ability to create a huge, complex work which remains an absolutely gripping page turner. His characters are so clearly delineated, alive and distinct, that it is easy to keep track of them, and easy to get caught up in the intertwining flow of their lives. And yet also he can riff on insane philosophical, spiritual and frankly nuts stuff as he goes...
— Aug 11, 2026 05:35AM
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Jonathan’s Previous Updates
Jonathan
is on page 260 of 1180
This novel is what would happen if Middlemarch did magic mushrooms
— Aug 08, 2026 03:36AM
Jonathan
is on page 110 of 1180
Rereading this extraordinary, batshit masterpiece now it has come out in penguin. Just as wonderful and baffling and awe inspiring as I remembered
— Aug 07, 2026 03:20AM
Jonathan
is on page 910 of 1180
The chapter with the Arch and the resurrection was genius - he knows just when to switch POV for maximum impact
— Oct 20, 2015 05:10AM
Jonathan
is on page 804 of 1180
I simply cannot get over the size, the weight, of this achievement. There is just so much in this novel.
— Oct 19, 2015 09:42AM
Jonathan
is on page 710 of 1180
Another stupid metaphor - Imagine you hate eggs, to the extent that you gag at the sight of them. Then imagine a chef of such talent he could cook you an omelet that (so long as you kept your eyes closed) was one of the most delicious things you have ever tasted. Such is my experience with JCP. I have no idea why i am not annoyed by him, though I am by DH Lawrence (for example), and both have similar issues.
— Oct 19, 2015 03:29AM
Jonathan
is on page 618 of 1180
Holy crap. JCP is like that scene in a Kung fu movie where some old, disheveled drunk man suddenly drops his walking stick, straightens his spine, and kicks everyone's ass. Those left bruised and bloodied in the dust being Literature in general, in this idiotic metaphor of mine.
— Oct 16, 2015 02:42PM
Jonathan
is on page 485 of 1180
I don't think I have read a book as breathlessly as i am reading this since I was a teenager...a testament to his genius that I am doing so despite resisting with every fibre of my being his mysteries and souls and gods and all the rest - I would probably dislike the man intensely had I met him, but he writes so damn well.
— Oct 15, 2015 02:05PM
Jonathan
is on page 310 of 1180
Well I missed my tube stop this morning because I was so engrossed in the power of this - the scene with the cancer-ridden Tittie Petherton and Geard lying down next to her, his paunch popping a button on his shirt, was just extraordinary.
— Oct 15, 2015 01:28AM
Jonathan
is on page 233 of 1180
He flicked the dead fly with his fingernail out of the window, and resting his elbows on the woodwork leaned far out. A faint odour of funguses came to him, mingled with that peculiar smell of road-dust that bears upon it the first weight of the falling night. A rustling sound followed by a series of sleepy, peevish clucks and then by more rustling indicated the presence of roosting fowls.
— Oct 14, 2015 01:55PM
Jonathan
is on page 205 of 1180
Incredible writing, but all these spirits of land and animals, these trees getting turned on by people making out against them, irritate the hell out of me.
— Oct 14, 2015 01:51AM