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This Secret Garden: Oxford Revisited (Writer and the City Series)

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This Secret Garden: Oxford Revisited (Writer and the City Series) (Hardcover)

by Justin Cartwright (Author)

1.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

RRP:	�9.99
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Product details

Hardcover: 223 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (3 Mar 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 074757961X
ISBN-13: 978-0747579618
Product Dimensions: 18 x 11.7 x 2.5 cm

Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 292,256 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Review

#39;Justin Cartwright looks to be one of the finest novelists currently at work #39; Guardian PRAISE FOR THE SONG BEFORE IT IS SUNG: 'With inexorable tenderness Cartwright weaves his narrative threads into a fabric of beautiful complexity [ #133;] He is notably good at openings, but the opening page of The Song Before It Is Sung, a list of the random thoughts drifting through Conrad #39;s mind on a flight towards Berlin, is heartstopping #39; Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph #39;This is a magnificent novel, the narrative utterly compelling, the author #39;s understanding of moral complexities quite remarkable #39; Allan Massie, Scotsman

Product Description

Oxford is many things. But it has a symbolic meaning well beyond its buildings, gardens, rituals and teaching. It stands for something deep in the Anglo-Saxon mind - excellence, a kind of privilege, a charmed life, deep-veined liberalism, a respect for tradition. Cartwright has spoken to many leading figures, looked at favourite places in Oxford, subjected himself to an English tutorial - he performed very poorly - attended the Freshers' dinner in his old college, studied various works of art and museums, investigated the claim that dons like detective novels, and reread many Oxford classics.At the same time, he has looked at some of the great debates which made Oxford what it is, as well as the most recent debate about funding, which ended in a resounding defeat for the reformers. He depicts the beauty of this historic city, the landscape of enclosed quads and gardens, and the astonishing collection of buildings. Cartwright concludes that the Oxford myth, while outstripping the reality, is as powerful as ever. This is an enchanting and highly original look at Oxford, indispensable reading for anyone interested in the myth and reality of Oxford.

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1.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

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13 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars An Outsider's View of Oxford, 21 April 2008

By	helen "heliogabal" (UK) - See all my reviews

I read an excerpt of this book in the Financial Times and really liked it. Having subsequently bought it, I was in for a massive disappointment. It is riddled with errors and sloppy research. The view of Oxford is so corny, it makes one groan. Like a tourist without a clue writing a really bad blog. It travels the yawn-inducing route of Maurice Bowra, high-table here and there, Zuleika Dobson and assorted characters from the Fifties. Rather terrible really.

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2.0 out of 5 stars A lot of Beloffs, 10 Aug 2009

By	P. J. Chippendale "Phil" (Milton Keynes) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Justin Cartwright arrived in Oxford as a penniless student from South Africa, so poor that he had to borrow to afford his polo pony. Many houses in the more decorous streets of North London where he now lives belong to Oxford educated barristers, solicitors and journalists, he tells us. Those who blame Oxford because people from "sullen" council estates "rarely get there - or anywhere else - are labouring under an enormous delusion", he explains. Towards the end of the book, the author confesses how he was expelled from his lodgings, after burning furniture in the grate during an Oxford party.

As a former Oxford student born on a northern council estate and attending state schools, then achieving three A-levels at grade A, I find revealed by the writer one reason why affordable accommodation had been so hard to obtain. Mostly because of accommodation difficulties, I underachieved in my finals. I got to Oxford and took my degree but I doubt that my subsequent career path would count as "anywhere else" in Cartwright's opinion.

"After endless conversations, my own impression is that Oxford dons are very keen to get more state school pupils in" writes Cartwright. That's hardly surprising as Oxford University does depend greatly on state funding. As a state school entrant, I never felt nurtured by Oxford, and I suspect many others feel similarly.

This book, in "The Writer and the City" series, is Justin Cartwright's personal description of Oxford University. Try counting the number of times the author quotes the opinions of the former President of Trinity College, Michael Beloff. This is not an Oxford I remember, and the book seems to me largely an exercise in kissing up to the University's more conservative authorities.

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