So Many Ways to Begin
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More About the Author
Product Description
David Isaacson, Daily Telegraph
`This is an unforgettable novel'
Review
'McGregor's careful prose is sharpened by anticipation and expectation' Observer 'An homage to ordinary people and ordinary things, to the parts of our lives that often go unspoken ... moving and honest' The Times 'McGregor's meticulous syntax melts into a hot flood of words ... This is a decorous novel that rises on occasion to ardour ... An intimate tale with penetrating things to say about the wider history of twentieth-century Britain' Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Sunday Times 'This is a novel of character and atmosphere ... The relationship between David and Eleanor from youth to age, imperfect, deeply loving, underpins the whole ... a book about the search for greater meaning in the strange dance of chance' Carol Birch, Independent
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I loved Jon McGregor's critically acclaimed debut so it was with nervous excitement that I awaited this follow-up. It is a different book: meandering but with the same clarity of expression which made `If Nobody Speaks...' such a privilege to read. The story follows Museum-Curator and adopted son David Carter through the course of his life. It is at once a paean to forgotten times and a celebration of the course of post-war British history. Through mementos from his life, David gradually integrates the past with the present and carries the reader along with the persistent tug of time. In many ways it reminded me of John Banville's Booker winning novel `The Sea'. It has that same longing, the same concepts of remembering and forgetting. But this is a superior novel. Jon McGregor is effortlessly poetic; this is easy-to-read and full of everyday occurrences rendered with the author's razor-sharp observation. Jon McGregor is an emerging gem of an author and this book will see his reputation continue to rise.
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having been utterly captivated by Jon McGregor's prose style in 'If nobody speaks of remarkable things', I opened 'So many ways to begin' with delicious anticipation. It does not disappoint. Whilst it does not have the instant panache of the beginning pages of his first novel, it beguiles and builds in a different way. The story of David Carter's journey through life works its way to and fro through memorabilia, building an intimate portrait of his marriage,his childhood passions and his not so brilliant career, and his search for his real birth mother. McGregor's prose is beautiful,poetic. I particularly enjoyed the interposing of alternative thoughts and behaviours that may or may not have happened, at key moments. They make you pause and consider, without stopping the flow of narrative or feeling heavy-handed. A lovely, lyrical book about everyday life.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I loved "If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things" and rushed to buy this book as soon as it was published. It didn't disappoint. It is easier to understand and has a real "unputdownable" quality; the characters and their lives are beautifully drawn and revealed gradually as McGregor "drip feeds" his reader using literary, unpretentious language. I particularly like the way he withholds judgement or blame in this novel, thus posing hidden questions for his readers to answer. I found this to be a sad book in many ways, but also filled with hope, a particularly good choice for anyone born in the 40's or 50's perhaps!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Beautifully observed
If someone had asked me when I was about 50 pages into this I might have said what some other reviewers have - it's boring, I'm going to throw it in the bin. Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Saltiel
Trying to find beauty in the mundane
This mostly a novel (mostly) about everyday things, told in (mostly) everyday language. Don't come here in search of dramatic twists (though there is one) or poetic prose, of which... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Lendrick
Not quite remarkable...
But still a great book, the very man story told in Mcgregor's unique poetic prose, not quite as captivating as If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things but well worth a read. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Marc Munier
Very boring
I had to read this for a reading group. The cover is not very inspiring and after reading the start of the book I began to realise the story was very dull. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. M. Cooke
"Ordinary" lives
This is not a conventional love story. It tells the story of David, who has a fascination for the mundane and ordinary artefacts of everyday life. Read more
Published 14 months ago by L C James
Quite simply the best book I have ever read.
This is a rare novel. It is the story of the mundane, but extraordinary. It's difficult to explain it in a review in a way that will do it justice, so I don't think I'll try. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Esme Lennox
Best way to begin - open the book
I have just finished 'So many ways to begin'. I loved it. It was full of life - descriptions of ordinary things, the simplicity and the nobility of the main character - David, and... Read more
Published 20 months ago by DC
so many ways to begin
This book was of high standard in terms of quality. Arrived within a couple of days. In terms of the book it was a little melancholy...
Published 22 months ago by D. Milne
A vague and tiring read
My Dad handed me this book, saying he hadn't enjoyed it, but as it had received such good reviews he thought he might have missed something. Read more
Published on 21 April 2010 by Faye
Boring
What a boring load of badly written drivel, threw it in the bin after the first chapter
Published on 10 Mar 2010 by David Palmer
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