Notes from an exhibition
|
|
A really beautiful book - amazing for a frst novel. Would like more like that please.
|
|
|
A very clever book
|
|
This is the first Patrick Gale novel I have read. I rather think it won't be the last. I was attracted by the subject matter. The link between creativity and mental health is fascinating and, given such a vast topic I think this book works brilliantly. It brings living with a mental health disorder into everyday terms and made it real; accessible without being patronising or facile. In terms of the writing quality, I was very impressed with the apparent ease with which Gale moves between perspectives; each character has a very distinctive voice of their own that is reflected in the narrative and adds to the absorbing quality of the book. By the end some gaps have been filled but there's no sense of every loose end being tied up - the realism doesn't let up for an instant. I feel I want more but know that "more" would be too much. The final scene, which should be harrowing, is sublimely beautiful.
|
|
Notes from an Exhibition
|
This is a lovely, tender , powerful book.
The intricate relationships that make up a family are slowly revealed as you read , so that gradually the picture of each family member's interdependency and shared life unfolds .
Its a beautifully structured book that little by little allows each piece of the jigsaw to fall into place , each character draws you in a little further to understanding .
Patrick Gale writes hauntingly from a child's perspective and also from that of a troubled , passionate artistic mind .
I loved it from beginning to satisfying end and it made me long to be walking again on the Cornish coast land that's so vividly described as a background to the family's story .
|
|
Dross
|
|
Dreadful, dragged on and on. Didn't seem to have any point at all and then just finished with no conclusion. YUK!
|
|
|
...yawn...
|
Just like there are books that you will always remember and that fizz in your mind days after you have finished them, there are books you'll forget the minute you put them down. Notes from an Exhibition is the latter kind of book.
There was something so unchallenging and dull about the over-analyzed polite British emotions, that I found my thoughts wandering and at times I even rolled my eyes in frustration. It is a blue-grey book with average characters feeling average emotions and living average lives. This combined with the painful cliches - For example, all the women being not obviously attractive but having a 'sexy aura' (what IS that?) or the dramatic, pained but brilliant artist who is torn apart by internal struggles, makes enjoying this book hard work.
In addition to this, it is written so that the story jumps back and forth in time, which, when done well, can be amazing. But in this flaccid tale the direct effect is that I know what is about to happen, thus skipping some paragraphs because I have a feeling I have already read it. This structure also allows the story to amble aimlessly on without a point, climax or centre, the result being a disjointed and uninvolving tale.
There are some highlights, such as the bits on the Quaker religion, which I found very interesting, and some touching sequences between the characters, but they were far and few between - nowhere near good enough to save the rest of this tired baloon.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada