Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, powerful novel, 28 Mar 2008
A convincing portrayal of a loner, a troubled character, Mike Engleby, this is a gripping read that draws you back until it is finished. I was intrigued how this would progress and how his life would play out after the occurences we hear about from his school and college years. The novel tells Engleby's story as seen through his eyes, and it is up to the reader to believe what they will to an extent. Faulks cleverly evokes some degree of sympathy in the reader for Engleby and the lonely world he inhabits, yet we are fearful and chilled by some of his actions and reactions to people and events as the novel progresses. It was interesting to read a novel in which mental illness is dealt with, and compelling, though at times painful, to be inside Engleby's head. Though it doesn't make for an easy read, I really enjoyed this novel, and am glad I picked it up. The period detail of the times he lives through is a thorough and well written backdrop to the events that Engleby recites. I thought the occasional comments that are slipped in about the changes in education over the time period that the novel spans, 70's through to present day, were quite telling.
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168 of 175 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book of 2007 so far....., 20 May 2007
This book is phenomenal; it has shot into my top ten books of all time. It takes a lot to make it into this esteemed list and Faulks has certainly delivered a lot here. He is truly a master and this change from his usual style is brilliant. He has moved away from the historical novel to a relatively contemporary setting. The story touches on the themes of education, class, politics, and psychosis. The narrator is Engleby, an undergraduate at Cambridge in the 70's. He is a strange character, a loner and outsider, very much on the fringes of life. He is not particularly pleasant but he is engaging, intelligent and funny. However, there is always something missing from his accounts of his life and the reader can never be sure if they are missing some details. Most of the book takes place inside his mind and since he has `selective memory' he is always one step ahead of the reader. This isn't a book in which a great deal happens but the beauty is in the subtlety.
Faulks' writing style is very lucid and he uses language sparingly; with his books you get none of the 'misty' effect I've noticed in many new books lately where the actual story seems to be lost underneath a mass of unnecessary verbosity. He is perceptive and insightful with a dry sense of humour. His ruminations on the pointlessness of studying English are very, very funny. Faulks is not afraid to offend and that is a refreshing quality in this day and age.
I read this book very quickly as I found myself literally unable to put it down. If you are a Faulks fan this is a must read for you. If you are new to him, Engleby is a great introduction (although don't expect his other works to be similar - they're not.) Every time I open a book I hope that this will be the one that gets me really inspired and keeps me up all night reading; this was the one.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More like this one, please ..., 21 April 2008
It's open to question whether someone like Mike Engleby, who experiences the world with a degree of disconnection, could actually write in the way that he does in this affecting memoir. But at least it puts his oddness into the context of a world we can relate to - one in which our definitions of 'sanity' and 'normality' begin to look debatable! (You're at a dinner party, and finding it hard to cope with the conversation. The people on either side of you are droning on and on about what schools their children should go to. Is it just you that has a problem?)
The structure may at times be contrived, but I thought this was a brilliant and important novel, and it's left a deep impression. It was very accessible, with plenty of laughs (former members of Human League beware, p.207!), and the writing quality alone made it worth the purchase. Just once - in Chapter 6 - I started losing interest, but then three pages of electric prose on Engleby's perception of the Brixton riots brought me back, and after that I found it hard to put down. The final chapters offer a dark and pessimistic reflection on the human condition, but this is fitting, given Engleby's situation. And his poignant fantasizing about an alternative outcome to the story provides the perfect ending.
It's easy to feel sorrow for Engleby's victims, but shouldn't we feel just as sad for him? There but for the grace of ... well, He Who Moves Very Mysteriously Indeed. A challenging and hugely rewarding read, and (for me) a welcome departure from Faulks's previous novels.
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