Superb
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One of Jacobson's great strengths is his facility with language. His prose style is wonderful, full of beautifully constructed passages which read as natural and unfeigned. This book demonstrates that skill throughout.
Another great strength is his humour, which here made me laugh out loud at times, and at others brought a wry smile.
The story is excellent, and his characters are vivid and well drawn.
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Hard bats etc
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A comic English novel and table-tennis, two of my Favourite Things. How could this not be a good read? Well, possibly because Jacobson still doesn't seem to have got over reading Philip Roth from around 1970, but reworks Roth's old formula-but-two: the faux-autobiographical style, the oh-so-naughty jokes, the displaced narrator alienated by life (and here, even by the new style of table-tennis). Whereas Roth and others have long since moved on to amazing and subtle kinds of story-telling, here's the dear old English version, still plugging on with a literary sort of Carry On palaver and its tedious set-pieces. I've read Jacobson being very drole indeed as a columnist but as a novelist he seems to have run out of steam, and ideas, by this point.
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more ping than pong - very funny
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I must admit i did laugh out loud at some of the episodes in this, my first, Jacobson. He is a very clever writer and with the Jewish, post war, likely lad nostalgic humour this a bit like Philip Roth crossed with Woody Allen in an Only Fools and Horses setting. Jacobson is extremely funny in his mock philosophic analysis of table tennis and there are lots of little coming of age episodes to keep the reader amused along with the obligatory dysfunctional family, his street trader father, spinster aunts and classic jewish mother. There is poignancy too and the book, although over long, does move you to ponder profound questions but fundamentally it's the comic adventures of young Waltzer. Recommended.
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Mighty by name...
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When I first read this book, I was not bowled over by it, but as time went by a nagging thought in my mind became increasingly apparent – “You have to read this book again.” And thank goodness I did; The Mighty Walzer is a minor masterpiece. I think the main reason I love this book so much is that Walzer is something of an anti-hero, but sympathetic nevertheless – Alexander Portnoy rather than Holden Caulfield. He is a character with whom any teenage misfit is able to identify. The novel’s humour is largely down to Jacobson’s deadpan delivery, without which the book would be much more heavy-going. There are moments which misfire – I was not convinced of the necessity of the Cambridge scenes, though maybe necessity is not the point – Jacobson is telling a story, and not everything in life makes sense. I found the reunion scenes particularly powerful. I would urge anybody to read this book, but would advise that some prior knowledge of Yiddish (or at least Hebrew or German) could be useful. “The Joys of Yiddish” by Leo Rosten is a sound investment for the first-time Yiddish-user.
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Tedious & Uninspiring
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This book was extremely disappointing. From the cover it appeared to be a warm coming of age story involving a sport (table tennis) which is very infrequently written about (a sport I personally enjoy). The small amount written about table tennis was adequate, but the characters themselves, particular Walzer, are never engaging. The reader never develops any care for what happens to them. In the end, I was never motivated to read further the travails of Walzer. The most satisfying aspect of this book is the end, because it menat I could move on to something else.
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