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dansquire's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
moirastone's review against another edition
4.0
Laceratingly funny, and all the better for making every one of these characters utterly alive and relatable *and* the butt of the joke.
Also, Penelope Lively is perhaps second only to Dickens in ability to pack an entire character in a proper name.
Also, Penelope Lively is perhaps second only to Dickens in ability to pack an entire character in a proper name.
sloatsj's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve read three Penelope Lively books in the last five months and this is my favorite. That’s despite the fact that at page 140 or so I thought it had turned into a yawner, and I was having trouble buying the main character’s attraction to a woman with whom he had nothing in common.
The plot centers on Mark Lamming, a biographer researching a book on the author Gilbert Strong. He’s a contentedly married, childless man in his early forties. His ebullient, efficient wife Diana works in an art gallery. As to Strong, Mark finds his essays and criticism best, though Strong also wrote a couple novels and a play he would have preferred to forget. Mark believes he’s got Strong pinned down when he goes off to do further research at Dean Close, Strong’s former home, now maintained by a foundation and Strong’s granddaughter Carrie, who runs a plant and nursery business on the premises with her gay partner Bill. Carrie is a kind of lost soul, diffident, detached, but attractive to Mark despite her having read only 4-5 books in her whole life.
There are three things Penelope Lively likes to explore: mother-daughter relationships, men as “other,” and tourism. The last one seems odd, I know, but in "Heat Wave," which I read first, the odious son-in-law figure is writing about tourist traps. In "Moon Tiger," there is also an important scene in a recreated historical village. In According to Mark, writers’ home are tourist spots - Thomas Hardy’s and Gilbert Strong’s - and there’s likewise a trip to a historical fortress, and then on to France and the Louvre.
Every reader knows the enjoyment of book has to do with the state of mind s/he’s in when s/he reads it. My satisfaction with According to Mark could have to do with having seen a movie a few days before with a sad ending that I had trouble accepting. Thus emotionally ripened, I said a glad grateful thank-you when Carrie finally threw off her passivity and found her way. And Mark’s discovery of a fresh, worthwhile source of information on Strong was also satisfying, and helped him discover and understand more about his subject and himself. The book wasn’t perfect - the character Diana especially didn’t quite convince - but it was an intelligent story in a literary setting that unfolded nicely.
The plot centers on Mark Lamming, a biographer researching a book on the author Gilbert Strong. He’s a contentedly married, childless man in his early forties. His ebullient, efficient wife Diana works in an art gallery. As to Strong, Mark finds his essays and criticism best, though Strong also wrote a couple novels and a play he would have preferred to forget. Mark believes he’s got Strong pinned down when he goes off to do further research at Dean Close, Strong’s former home, now maintained by a foundation and Strong’s granddaughter Carrie, who runs a plant and nursery business on the premises with her gay partner Bill. Carrie is a kind of lost soul, diffident, detached, but attractive to Mark despite her having read only 4-5 books in her whole life.
There are three things Penelope Lively likes to explore: mother-daughter relationships, men as “other,” and tourism. The last one seems odd, I know, but in "Heat Wave," which I read first, the odious son-in-law figure is writing about tourist traps. In "Moon Tiger," there is also an important scene in a recreated historical village. In According to Mark, writers’ home are tourist spots - Thomas Hardy’s and Gilbert Strong’s - and there’s likewise a trip to a historical fortress, and then on to France and the Louvre.
Every reader knows the enjoyment of book has to do with the state of mind s/he’s in when s/he reads it. My satisfaction with According to Mark could have to do with having seen a movie a few days before with a sad ending that I had trouble accepting. Thus emotionally ripened, I said a glad grateful thank-you when Carrie finally threw off her passivity and found her way. And Mark’s discovery of a fresh, worthwhile source of information on Strong was also satisfying, and helped him discover and understand more about his subject and himself. The book wasn’t perfect - the character Diana especially didn’t quite convince - but it was an intelligent story in a literary setting that unfolded nicely.
andrew61's review against another edition
5.0
Occasionally you pick up a book and become so absorbed in the characters lives that it proves impossible to put down. So it was with this book which on the surface is a simple story of a middle age man going through a mid life crisis but it is told with such gentle humour yet captures brilliantly the complexities of individuals lives and emotions that I was completely hooked. My only other Penelope Lively novel is the masterful 'Moon Tiger' which I loved so I was so pleased to find her skill with characters ,their conversations and feelings carried into this despite the more domestic nature of the theme.
The story is about Mark Lamming a moderately successful biographer who is married comfortably to the indefatigable and wonderful Diana (who works in an art studio). Mark embarks upon a biography of Gilbert Strong , great man of letters and literary critic of the twentieth century. As part of the project he visits Strong's home which is now run as a museum and garden centre by the granddaughter Carrie. Diana in the book describes Carrie as fey and it is perfect for this somewhat otherworldly young woman, who lives a life obsessed with her flowers in a run down house with her gay friend Bill. Carrie is however probably more emotionally flat because of a childhood with her bonkers mother Hermione moving from one European city to another without any settled roots or education. Inevitably as Mark becomes immersed in Strong's life he becomes besotted with Carrie and the story moves forward then at both a gentle pace but with wonderful wit and charm.
As I said the characters were wonderfully drawn and the situations they find themselves are both comic and at times moving. The author frequently takes one scene and shows it from several characters perspectives which I thought was wonderfully done so for example as mark and carrie drive down to the South of France to visit and interview Hermione we see a conversation and impressions of the conversation from both sides.
I also found Diana a wonderful character who takes control of a husband whom she loves and manages the situation with some witty one liners.
The finale of the book finds Mark discovering lost letters of Strong which help him understand a man who appears to have been at first glance a irascible womaniser who may have stolen ideas for a book and is far from pleasant but allows him greater insight into what can change a persons life and that insight allows his own reflection on life and the events of that summer.
Definitely a highlight of my reading year so far.
The story is about Mark Lamming a moderately successful biographer who is married comfortably to the indefatigable and wonderful Diana (who works in an art studio). Mark embarks upon a biography of Gilbert Strong , great man of letters and literary critic of the twentieth century. As part of the project he visits Strong's home which is now run as a museum and garden centre by the granddaughter Carrie. Diana in the book describes Carrie as fey and it is perfect for this somewhat otherworldly young woman, who lives a life obsessed with her flowers in a run down house with her gay friend Bill. Carrie is however probably more emotionally flat because of a childhood with her bonkers mother Hermione moving from one European city to another without any settled roots or education. Inevitably as Mark becomes immersed in Strong's life he becomes besotted with Carrie and the story moves forward then at both a gentle pace but with wonderful wit and charm.
As I said the characters were wonderfully drawn and the situations they find themselves are both comic and at times moving. The author frequently takes one scene and shows it from several characters perspectives which I thought was wonderfully done so for example as mark and carrie drive down to the South of France to visit and interview Hermione we see a conversation and impressions of the conversation from both sides.
I also found Diana a wonderful character who takes control of a husband whom she loves and manages the situation with some witty one liners.
The finale of the book finds Mark discovering lost letters of Strong which help him understand a man who appears to have been at first glance a irascible womaniser who may have stolen ideas for a book and is far from pleasant but allows him greater insight into what can change a persons life and that insight allows his own reflection on life and the events of that summer.
Definitely a highlight of my reading year so far.
abbystevenson's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ruthiella's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in anticipation of a future episode of the delightful podcast Tea or Books . I loved Moon Tiger and appreciate this kick in the pants to read more by Lively. The book is about a biographer, the titular Mark, and his experiences and dilemmas in researching the life of a fictional Edwardian era author named Gilbert Strong. I really disliked Mark but I do think the author intended this. The writing was impeccable and the story wry, witty and often wise. It reminded me in tone and subject matter - both in that it is a bit of a literary mystery and a literary pastiche - of one of my favorite books, Possession by A.S. Byatt, yet it is only a quarter of the length. My only complaints are the ending was a bit abrupt and Mark’s wife Diana a tad too understanding to be realistic.
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