The Act of Love
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Review
you will quickly warm to the snap, crackle and pop of Jacobson's prose...lewd, rude, brilliantly argued, beautifully written and...very funny too
--Tribune
--Tribune
Tatler, rev'd by Sebastian Shakespeare
'...Jacobson went up in my estimation as a witty and ribald chronicler of the human heart'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
BEautifully written, generously sprinkled with literary references this is a tale of one mans fetish. He thrives on the agony of knowing, presuming, wanting to be cuckolded. Erotic without being titillating it's an interesting story of love, affairs but not quite betrayal. My book club all hated it, but I loved it. Perhaps I'm a little more liberated...
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Yet each man kills the thing he loves..." wrote Oscar Wilde, I might add, '...or else it kills him first.'
Felix Quinn (the novel's central character) chooses (or is chosen by?) jealousy, as his lethal weapon. The novel carries us along, as voyeur bordering on co-conspirator, as Felix plots to bring about the very condition he most fears, i.e. his wife lying in the arms of a lover. Why should he be so daft, you might ask? Because it is the only means he knows to experience the intense pain of love that surpasses all others in his experience. Far from opposites, love and hate constitute a double helix spiral, each dependent upon, and dependable for, the other. Wind yourself around this novel, or let it wind itself around you. It's quite a journey.
Felix Quinn (the novel's central character) chooses (or is chosen by?) jealousy, as his lethal weapon. The novel carries us along, as voyeur bordering on co-conspirator, as Felix plots to bring about the very condition he most fears, i.e. his wife lying in the arms of a lover. Why should he be so daft, you might ask? Because it is the only means he knows to experience the intense pain of love that surpasses all others in his experience. Far from opposites, love and hate constitute a double helix spiral, each dependent upon, and dependable for, the other. Wind yourself around this novel, or let it wind itself around you. It's quite a journey.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was initially resistant to this novel on the grounds that, after the first few pages I anticipated that this was going to be little more than Jacobson's take on the "literary prize" genre. Perhaps a parody on the pseudo academic literature that aims to please a select circle of academics,critics,and metropolitan self servers. Maybe he does allude to this,however there is also much to admire in this work.
The character study of the protagonist,Felix Quinn(FQ!) is terrific. The first person account of Felix's story brings out some remarkable prose that captures the sensitivity and nuances of his character with wit, irony, and sardonic social observation. As a literary study of love and sex as seen through the eyes of a disfunctional masochist the writer manages to maintain a sense of anticipation and reader involvement that displays great skill, humour and a disciplined structure.
At times the writing style tends to exemplify an essay rather than a novel,with frequent references to relevant works of literature and art. However most of this can be justified by the comparative relationships between writers, artists, their readers and critics, with the relationships in the novel. It certainly provides the author with the platform to impart his personal perspective and I feel he enjoys playing a game with us readers as well as the precious world of art and literature. Perhaps it may have worked better as a short story or a play but as with most of Jacobson's work there is much to enjoy.
The character study of the protagonist,Felix Quinn(FQ!) is terrific. The first person account of Felix's story brings out some remarkable prose that captures the sensitivity and nuances of his character with wit, irony, and sardonic social observation. As a literary study of love and sex as seen through the eyes of a disfunctional masochist the writer manages to maintain a sense of anticipation and reader involvement that displays great skill, humour and a disciplined structure.
At times the writing style tends to exemplify an essay rather than a novel,with frequent references to relevant works of literature and art. However most of this can be justified by the comparative relationships between writers, artists, their readers and critics, with the relationships in the novel. It certainly provides the author with the platform to impart his personal perspective and I feel he enjoys playing a game with us readers as well as the precious world of art and literature. Perhaps it may have worked better as a short story or a play but as with most of Jacobson's work there is much to enjoy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The act of love
This is the first book by Howard Jacobson which I have read. It is a strange and compelling work of literature. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. A. Mcinnes
The Act Of Love
For many readers, especially those more familiar with Jacobson's Booker long-listed and winning novels Kalooki Nights and The Finkler Question, The Act Of Love may prove something... Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Llewellyn
Obsession
This is only the second Jacobson novel I have read. "The Act Of Love" is so different from the Booker prize winner-which I loved- you have to compare it with other books about... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Gorilla
Brave and candid exploration of psychological masochism
A striking book, patiently describing an experience too few works are willing to explore. Jacobson is much better than Sacher Masoch, and his perceptions regarding submissive... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Anon
Is it all an Act?
Trailing clouds of glory from his Man Booker win, and with a rep for being funny and sexy, I thought it was time I gave Howard Jacobson a try. Read more
Published 16 months ago by John Lynham
Give this book a chance!
This novel was misunderstood by a number of reviewers when it first appeared. The crux of the matter seemed to be that they disagreed with the following statement from early on in... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Cardew Robinson
for the decadents out there!
This queasy, wry, hilarious tale is - for those who don't take themselves too seriously - a great read. I spent hours cackling to myself down the pub. Read more
Published on 11 April 2010 by Ben
act of love
could have been more detailed on the characters of the wife and lover.Attempts to be a high brow look at the subject matter,which is quite entertaining to begin with but I think... Read more
Published on 23 July 2009 by douglas livingston
Foreplay
I've never read this book and strongly recommend others to not read it as thoroughly. What I have read is Howard Jacobson's first book, in which many of the defamees were known to... Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2009 by BWE
The Act of Love, Howard Jacobson
Howard Jacobson is, arguably, the best writer of our time and my own, personal favourite. He is daring, bold, analytical, intelligent, highly intellectual and incisive and takes... Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2009 by Teresa Fisher
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