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Any Human Heart [Paperback]

William Boyd
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
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Book Description

11 Nov 2010

Any Human Heart is William's Boyd's classic, bestselling novel - now a major Channel 4 drama

Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary, but Logan Mountstuart's - lived from the beginning to the end of the twentieth century - contains more than its fair share of both. As a writer who finds inspiration with Hemingway in Paris and Virginia Woolf in London, as a spy recruited by Ian Fleming and betrayed in the war and as an art-dealer in '60s New York, Logan mixes with the movers and shakers of his times. But as a son, friend, lover and husband, he makes the same mistakes we all do in our search for happiness. Here, then, is the story of a life lived to the full - and a journey deep into a very human heart.

Any Human Heart will be enjoyed by readers of Sebastian Faulks, Nick Hornby and Hilary Mantel, as well as lovers of the finest British and historical fiction around the world. It was recently adapted for a major Channel 4 four-part drama series scripted by William Boyd and starring Kim Cattrall, Gillian Anderson, Jim Broadbent and Tom Hollander. This edition features beautiful cover artwork from the television series.

'Astonishing, touching, extremely funny. A brilliant evocation of a past era and an immensely readable story' Sunday Telegraph

'Superb, wonderful, enjoyable' Guardian

'A terrific journey through the twentieth century. Thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable' Jeremy Paxman

William Boyd was born in Ghana, where his father was a doctor, and was educated there and in Scotland. His first novel A Good Man in Africa won both the Whitbread First Novel and Somerset Maugham Prizes, and his subsequent novels have gone onto win many awards. His books include: On the Yankee Station and Other Stories, An Ice-Cream War, Stars and Bars, School Ties, The New Confessions, Brazzaville Beach, The Blue Afternoon, The Destiny of Natalie 'X' and Other Stories, Armadillo, Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960, Any Human Heart, Restless, The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth, Ordinary Thunderstorms, Fascination, Bamboo and Waiting for Sunrise. He divides his time between London and south-west France.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (11 Nov 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0141047569
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141047560
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 3 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon Review

Logan Gonzago Mountstuart, writer, was born in 1906, and died of a heart attack on October 5, 1991, aged 85. Any Human Heart is his disjointed autobiography, a massive tome chronicling "my personal rollercoaster"--or rather, "not so much a rollercoaster", but a yo-yo, "a jerking spinning toy in the hands of a maladroit child". From his early childhood in Montevideo, son of an English corned beef executive and his Uraguayan secretary, through his years at a Norfolk public school and Oxford, Mountstuart traces his haphazard development as a writer. Early and easy success is succeeded by a long half-century of mediocrity, disappointments and setbacks, both personal and professional, leading him to multiple failed marriages, internment, alcoholism and abject poverty.

Mountstuart's sorry tale is also the story of a British way of life in inexorable decline, as his journey takes in the Bloomsbury set, the General Strike, the Spanish Civil War, 1930s Americans in Paris, wartime espionage, New York avant garde art, even the Baader-Meinhof gang--all with a stellar supporting cast. The most sustained and best moment comes mid-book, as Mountstuart gets caught up in one of Britain's murkier wartime secrets, in the company of the here truly despicable Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Elsewhere author William Boyd occasionally misplaces his tongue too obviously in his cheek--the Wall Street Crash is trailed with truly crashing inelegance--but overall Any Human Heart is a witty, inventive and ultimately moving novel. Boyd succeeds in conjuring not only a compelling 20th century but also, in the hapless Logan Mountstuart, an anti-hero who achieves something approaching passive greatness. --Alan Stewart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Any Human Heart tells the story of Logan Mountstuart's long and rackety life, one which spans every decade of the 20th century, in all its fantastic and humdrum, dangerous and tranquil, tragic and humorous aspects. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
162 of 168 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A life less/more ordinary? 19 Sep 2002
Format:Hardcover
I suppose that the measure of a good book is whether you want it to end or not.

I certainly didn't want "Any Human Heart" to end. In fact I was trembling when I read Logan Mountstuart's final diary entry. Now I am mourning the passing of a man I could not possibly have known, existing as he did only in the minds of the author and myself in the two days I have done little else but read this book.

On the face of it, "Any Human Heart" has little to recommend it. It has no plot, a character with more flaws than qualities and seemingly no message to impart.

But Boyd's book is about a life. A life that is very different from yours or mine, in as much as mine is different from yours and ours are different from anyone else's. All our lives are plotless and for the most part very ordinary. Most of us have qualities that pale into insignificance when measured alongside our faults. Logan Mountstuart enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame which - despite Andy Warhol's assertions to the contrary - we don't all experience. "Every dog has his day" is probably closer to the mark.

But in reading "Any Human Heart" we get a rare insight into someone else's life - Logan Mountstuart's - from the minutiae of what he ate for lunch to the experiences that rocked his world and changed him for better or worse. Remarkably, it didn't matter to me that Logan Mountstuart was an entirely fictional character. I suppose this is because all our lives are fictions to those who don't live them.

The title confused me at first, but now I understand. We all have our stories to tell and even the most superficially "ordinary" life is extraordinary to someone else. Just consider the popularity of television's "Big Brother" to realise how fascinating we find other people's experiences - presumably because we find our own so dull. But that is not to say that others will.

We all have our ups and downs, our foibles and our virtues and experiences that make or break us. Most of our stories go untold, but Logan Mountstuart's did not. But swap his experiences for your own and this really could have been "any human heart".

Nothing I have read for years has had such a profound effect on me as this has. I don't think I could ever read it again - lives after all are only lived once. But I shall certainly be seeking out more of Mr Boyd's books.

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84 of 87 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly rare novel. 17 Nov 2006
Format:Paperback
Read this book! This is the kind of book you chance upon just once or twice every few years - a real journey. Not many authors are capable of what Boyd achieves in these pages: a clever interweaving of fact with fiction and a kaleidoscope of emotions that runs the complete gamut of human experience. I read pretty much continuously, but was unable to pick up another book for almost two weeks after finishing this - there was no point, I was...replete. It stayed with me for ages - this is the literary equivalent of a nine-course meal with a great bottle of wine. Deeply satisfying.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly awesome epic and a pleasure... 10 Jan 2005
Format:Paperback
This book made me want to write books, travel the world, fall in love and abandon fear for the rest of my days...! Logan Gonzago Mountstuart, the half English and half Uruguayan writer of these journals, infuses them with honesty and black humour and documents his life from being a school boy to an old man. This book is about his life, passions and loves; his writing, friends and war and finally his loyalties, weaknesses, losses and fears. Boyd has really outdone himself this time. Logan is a powerful, witty, emotional protagonist who is unashamedly himself in all of the many situations he finds himself . I think Englishmen aspire to be like him. This book moved me, made me laugh and most importantly it made me dream. Tremendous! Thank you William Boyd!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A life made extraordinary for its numerous failings
Round every corner I expected Logan to be successful, to have good fortune or just have some good luck. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Mrs. Elizabeth H. Sheldon
5.0 out of 5 stars Any Human Heart
Another intriguing and well-written book by William Boyd. Held my attention throughout. A fascinating character study of a man from his childhood until his death.
Published 14 days ago by maryloo
2.0 out of 5 stars Ploughed through this one
Did not enjoy this at all. I found it a trial to try and finish it. I could not relate to Logan the main character in this book. The book is in diary form which I am not a fan of. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Sabrina Stynes
4.0 out of 5 stars This books pulls you in
A fabulous book, which slowly pulls you into the world of Logan Mountstuart. The diary entry format of the book works very well and allows a very personal insight into the events... Read more
Published 21 days ago by Miss J M Trafford
5.0 out of 5 stars Portrait of the twentieth century
I enjoyed the recent tv adaptation of this novel and, having also enjoyed a few other William Boyd books, thought this would be good to read. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Janie U
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book
In his inimitable way W Boyd has once again written an excellent book about the 1st world war and the actions of spies in it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by dotmac
5.0 out of 5 stars Boyds best book
A truly great read.This is the type of book he does best(life stories).
Also consider 'The New Confesions' which is similar.
Published 1 month ago by David Barry
4.0 out of 5 stars A classic
With all the quality that you would expect from William Boyd. Well written. Had just finished "Waiting For Sunrise" so sought out another Boyd novel and was not... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rosrob
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story ,,,
- I actually googled the name Logan Mountstuart afterwards as the character and his story seemed so real! ... but DIRE Kindle edition. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs P
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Warming and Heart Rending
From the beginning of a young boy's boarding school experiences to an old man's solitary death some 80 years later this book takes you through the major events of the 20th century... Read more
Published 1 month ago by John man!
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