Deaf Sentence
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'Brilliantly entertaining. Makes us giggle, laugh and even roar' Daily Mail 'One of the most moving things I have read in a long while... extremely readable, pitch perfect writing' Spectator 'Very funny. Deaf Sentence supplies the unusual sight of a senior British novelist bringing off the very difficult trick of successfully extending his range' Guardian 'Expert and enjoyable... many laugh-out-loud moments... gloriously funny, moving' Literary Review 'Full to bursting with comic riffs, apercus and insights. Seriously funny' New Statesman 'Very good, deeply enjoyable... rich with satirical set-pieces' Observer 'Sophisticated, beautifully layered... speaks to the intellect as well as the senses. As moving as it is entertaining. Lodge is a consummate observer of modern life' Herald 'There is much that is wonderful' Scotland on Sunday 'A quietly brilliant study of deafness, death and linguistics' Prospect 'Defies categorization... celebrates the sheer preciousness of existence' Irish Independent 'Enjoyable, thought-provoking... Lodge at the top of his game' Irish Times 'One of Britain's best-loved comic writers' The Lady 'He renders the painful isolation of deafness comic. A deeply melancholic novel' Independent 'Extremely readable, generously studded throughout with amusing comic moments underpinned with passages of genuine compassion and insight' Big Issue 'Wise and witty' Tatler 'Witty, exhiliratingly sharp' Sunday Times 'Funny, humane' Financial Times 'Dark and revealing comedy... probably no other work of fiction has described so successfully the multiplicity of confusions, frustrations and social stratagems deriving from deafness' The Times Literary Supplement
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a sixty something who has been losing his hearing for about ten years i was attracted to this title and how glad i am that i was. His descriptions of hearing tests , the fitting of devices [ none of which work really well ], the weird shrieks and whistles therefrom, the batteries running out at the worst times and of course the embarrassment of guessing what is being said to you and getting it totally wrong are all spot on. After reading this book i find that i am not alone in finding this loss of one of my faculties while rather sad also not short in mirth and humour. Reading this was like sharing, for the first time, this whole deaf business with a close pal.
Like our main character, Desmond Bates , i found early retiral not really enjoyable; missing the day to day pressure of business and the banter with colleagues and clients. In the early days feeling suddenly rather useless. Again his descriptions are so apt.
There is, of course, a lot more to this than the above. He illustrates the acceptance of growing old ,becoming deaf, losing a loved one with a fine, realistic, but comic touch. His sympathetic visits to his old dad's dreary home and frugal yet independent life; his fragile emotional and physical relations with his younger wife Winifred and the mysterious even younger woman Alex Loom who nearly causes the collapse of all he holds dear makes for a never a dull moment novel.
As i have said i only picked it up because of the intriguing title and i now look forward to reading more by David Lodge.
Like our main character, Desmond Bates , i found early retiral not really enjoyable; missing the day to day pressure of business and the banter with colleagues and clients. In the early days feeling suddenly rather useless. Again his descriptions are so apt.
There is, of course, a lot more to this than the above. He illustrates the acceptance of growing old ,becoming deaf, losing a loved one with a fine, realistic, but comic touch. His sympathetic visits to his old dad's dreary home and frugal yet independent life; his fragile emotional and physical relations with his younger wife Winifred and the mysterious even younger woman Alex Loom who nearly causes the collapse of all he holds dear makes for a never a dull moment novel.
As i have said i only picked it up because of the intriguing title and i now look forward to reading more by David Lodge.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
David Lodge's latest novel explores the world of Desmond Bates, a retired professor of linguistics who is going deaf. It features the three main characters in his life - a student, his wife and his father - and the changing relationship he has with each of them.
It's an intriguing book and especially compelling in the treatment of deafness. Why, Bates asks, is this disability treated as something comic, whereas blindness is always tragic? He recounts the frustrations and embarrassment caused by his inability to hear and his journey as he comes to terms with his deafness, and, in an ongoing wordplay, with death.
However, it's an uneven novel and the flow is not helped by the move from Bates' first person reflections to third person narrative. The mix of intimate story-telling, as Bates deepens his relationship with his wife and father, does not sit easily with the thriller-like tale where we see Bates become entangled in the ever stranger behaviour of his American student, Alex.
David Lodge himself is becoming deaf, and the depiction of Bates' deafness has a touching authenticity. Likewise, the character of the father is modelled on Lodge's own father, and also rings true, as does Bates' wife. But Alex (a blonde American postgraduate, researching suicide notes) is entirely fictional, and it's hard to believe her story. The final denouement seems contrived and is deeply unsatisfying.
It's a shame that Lodge brought in Alex to add suspense. She contributes little and detracts from the powerful figures of Bates' wife and father. The latter two teach the meaning of deepening intimacy. Alex shows us that people do strange things. I know which I find more insightful.
It's an intriguing book and especially compelling in the treatment of deafness. Why, Bates asks, is this disability treated as something comic, whereas blindness is always tragic? He recounts the frustrations and embarrassment caused by his inability to hear and his journey as he comes to terms with his deafness, and, in an ongoing wordplay, with death.
However, it's an uneven novel and the flow is not helped by the move from Bates' first person reflections to third person narrative. The mix of intimate story-telling, as Bates deepens his relationship with his wife and father, does not sit easily with the thriller-like tale where we see Bates become entangled in the ever stranger behaviour of his American student, Alex.
David Lodge himself is becoming deaf, and the depiction of Bates' deafness has a touching authenticity. Likewise, the character of the father is modelled on Lodge's own father, and also rings true, as does Bates' wife. But Alex (a blonde American postgraduate, researching suicide notes) is entirely fictional, and it's hard to believe her story. The final denouement seems contrived and is deeply unsatisfying.
It's a shame that Lodge brought in Alex to add suspense. She contributes little and detracts from the powerful figures of Bates' wife and father. The latter two teach the meaning of deepening intimacy. Alex shows us that people do strange things. I know which I find more insightful.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I kept having to remind myself that this novel was fiction. It chronicles the tribulations of a middle aged man going deaf. Not completely deaf but missing bits of words and not being able follow conversations at parties. Anyone who suffers in a similar fashion will recognise the circumstances in which he finds himself. It is crammed full of shrewd observations and is in addition very funny. There are not any cruel jokes about people who are hard of hearing, but this is a story told with sympathy. A really excellent read and highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
enlightening book
This book gives a real insight into what it is like to be deaf. However it is also very funny, and very well written. Read more
Published 12 days ago by elaine
Deaf Sentance
I enjoyed this book immensely being different from the crowd, so to speak. David Lodge is masterly at painting vivid pictures of events and episodes that take place throughout the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Neil Sutherland
Not great condition
I ordered this book used because there was no kindle edition and while it was advertised as in very good condition, it really wasn't. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kelmadar
Deaf Sentence Review
I liked a lot about this book, I could identify with the aspects around getting older, however, I really did not enjoy the 'back story'.
Published 5 months ago by EBS
Funny and serious at the same time
I have read several of Lodge's books over the years. This one resembles many of the others in two ways: first, it is a comedy which also makes serious points; and second, the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by James
Very enjoyable - and a great title!
I have always liked the novels of David Lodge - usually serio-comic and based around academic life. Deaf Sentence is the story of professor, Desmond Bates, who has taken early... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Wynne Kelly
deaf sentence
Great book, very funny and bang on track if you have any experience of living with someone who is hard of hearing. Made me laugh out loud in places, always a good sign to me!
Published 7 months ago by Mags
Lacking in both style and substance.
This book is mostly based on Lodge's own experience. To my mind it is completely spoiled by the fact that these experiences have not been properly digested. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mrs. A. M. J. Wigmore
My comment.
This is a book with at least, three different themes affecting the life of the subject of the story; first and foremost the problem of deafness and this is dealt with in a... Read more
Published 11 months ago by G. Smith
Deafness and Aging: not a great combination
I loved Changing Places and so picked this up and wish I had read the subject matter before starting it. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Kiwifunlad
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