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zoemig's review against another edition
4.0
"These things, the way they fall into place. The people we would be if these things were otherwise."
So Many Ways To Begin by Jon McGregor's second novel, the touching and complicated story of David Carter and the lives that are tangled into his. David is a collector of things, a man who dreamed of having his own museum since he was a little boy, who carried home rejected belongings from former bomb sites in England as his own pieces of history. Every object in David's collection tells a story, and So Many Ways To Begin is a collection of these stories, with each belonging being linked to a specific incident in David's life which is recalled throughout the book. After his increasingly senile Aunt Julia lets slip a family secret David is forced to reassess the history he thought he knew as he goes digging for what really happened. The story moves non-chronologically throughout time, as David marries his long-distance Scottish girlfriend Eleanor at a young age and eventually becomes a father. The novel is the result of a specific series of events which would have produced an entirely different outcome if anything had happened differently- but if it had McGregor wouldn't have had such a beautiful story to tell.
So Many Ways To Begin manages to be complex, told in little pieces which end up connecting into a beautiful and pure story. McGregor's writing is reserved and subtle, with a lyricalness and beauty infused in it. The novel flows with an elegance that is distinct and lovely. It is extremely difficult to capture what is so wonderful about So Many Ways To Begin because it is a novel which is unique, which manages to begin again and again, each time drawing the reader into a different time and giving them a taste of it before moving on and beginning again. In the end, McGregor tells a story with wisdom and grace far beyond what you would expect of such a young writer; So Many Ways To Begin is a novel with a deep soul and so many connections you can't help but become tangled in the beauty of them.****
So Many Ways To Begin by Jon McGregor's second novel, the touching and complicated story of David Carter and the lives that are tangled into his. David is a collector of things, a man who dreamed of having his own museum since he was a little boy, who carried home rejected belongings from former bomb sites in England as his own pieces of history. Every object in David's collection tells a story, and So Many Ways To Begin is a collection of these stories, with each belonging being linked to a specific incident in David's life which is recalled throughout the book. After his increasingly senile Aunt Julia lets slip a family secret David is forced to reassess the history he thought he knew as he goes digging for what really happened. The story moves non-chronologically throughout time, as David marries his long-distance Scottish girlfriend Eleanor at a young age and eventually becomes a father. The novel is the result of a specific series of events which would have produced an entirely different outcome if anything had happened differently- but if it had McGregor wouldn't have had such a beautiful story to tell.
So Many Ways To Begin manages to be complex, told in little pieces which end up connecting into a beautiful and pure story. McGregor's writing is reserved and subtle, with a lyricalness and beauty infused in it. The novel flows with an elegance that is distinct and lovely. It is extremely difficult to capture what is so wonderful about So Many Ways To Begin because it is a novel which is unique, which manages to begin again and again, each time drawing the reader into a different time and giving them a taste of it before moving on and beginning again. In the end, McGregor tells a story with wisdom and grace far beyond what you would expect of such a young writer; So Many Ways To Begin is a novel with a deep soul and so many connections you can't help but become tangled in the beauty of them.****
deea_bks's review against another edition
5.0
There are more kinds of books: the ones that you perceive as wonderful, but you struggle to get them finished as they have a really difficult style, the ones that you like for the story, but not so much for the eloquence of their writing, the ones that you like for the eloquence of writing, but not so much for the story, the ones that are great, but which are not very complex, and the ones that once you connect to their story don’t cease to impress you. You would say that my list above is not exhaustive and you are right: this is just a subjective categorization. It however serves the point I want to make: “So Many Ways to Begin” is a member of the last category: once you get connected to its story, it never stops being amazing, not for a page, not even for a line. Just Like “Stoner” or “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”, books that I discovered last year.
The temporal plans in this book are craftily juggled: there are short episodes from the future or present intercalated with the past, but mainly, the author keeps a chronological order. I’m not sure how to explain this, but what he succeeds in doing is magnificent: he can add only a glimpse of an idea that he will have in the future or a memory from the future and then unravel past and present events chronologically until you realize that he is actually explaining how that idea/memory formed over time. He therefore found this unique way to explore the ”so many ways to begin”: how relationships form over time, how we can lie just because saying the truth is extremely difficult, how we may judge others because we don’t understand that we would do the same in their place in the same situation, how abuse in childhood affects us as adults, how when committing adultery, people might do this out of solitude and frustration and helplessness, rather than out of a desire to be treacherous.
There are similarities between the other book by Jon McGregor that I read (“If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things”) and this one that I could not help but notice: there is an abusive mother that we are told about (in INSRT her actions were not presented in detail, we were only told about one of the characters’ difficult relationship with her mother; here however, Eleanor’s mother’s behavior is presented extensively); David gathers all kinds of objects and exhibits them in the house ever since he was a child and also each chapter of the book centers its story around important objects from David and Eleanor’s life which are catalogued in the same way the exhibits in a museum are (while in INSRT one of the characters gathers objects belonging to his neighbors and takes snapshots of them in an attempt to take a mental picture of the humans surrounding him).
The temporal plans in this book are craftily juggled: there are short episodes from the future or present intercalated with the past, but mainly, the author keeps a chronological order. I’m not sure how to explain this, but what he succeeds in doing is magnificent: he can add only a glimpse of an idea that he will have in the future or a memory from the future and then unravel past and present events chronologically until you realize that he is actually explaining how that idea/memory formed over time. He therefore found this unique way to explore the ”so many ways to begin”: how relationships form over time, how we can lie just because saying the truth is extremely difficult, how we may judge others because we don’t understand that we would do the same in their place in the same situation, how abuse in childhood affects us as adults, how when committing adultery, people might do this out of solitude and frustration and helplessness, rather than out of a desire to be treacherous.
There are similarities between the other book by Jon McGregor that I read (“If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things”) and this one that I could not help but notice: there is an abusive mother that we are told about (in INSRT her actions were not presented in detail, we were only told about one of the characters’ difficult relationship with her mother; here however, Eleanor’s mother’s behavior is presented extensively); David gathers all kinds of objects and exhibits them in the house ever since he was a child and also each chapter of the book centers its story around important objects from David and Eleanor’s life which are catalogued in the same way the exhibits in a museum are (while in INSRT one of the characters gathers objects belonging to his neighbors and takes snapshots of them in an attempt to take a mental picture of the humans surrounding him).
You get to discover together with David his life story in a similar way in which you discover stories when/after visiting a museum. You see objects, you read their description, their history, their importance in the characters’ life, you might even start investigating more and digging for more details. Then, you compile all the stories about the objects you’ve seen and this helps you scribble a story in your head. It’s not a complete one, a story can never touch all the aspects of a real life, but you get a very clear picture of what it must’ve been like. And this is what Jon McGregor does: he tells us the story of two normal people (just like me, or you or someone we know) who are fragile as only humans can be and he explores where it all begins (how they turned to be the people they are, when exactly they began making certain mistakes, what determined them, how they became depressed, what made them happy or unhappy, what was the exact beginning of the outcomes of the present).
“These things, the way they happen. These things, the way they begin.” “Isn’t it funny to think we almost never met?”
nocto's review against another edition
5.0
This book has a long prologue entirely written in italics. I decided I hated the book and I might as well skip the unreadable prologue and see if the chapters were any better. They were.
I liked the way the story was put together by a museum creator handling objects from his family's past and recalling stories associated with them. I also liked the way all the speech was reported with not a quote mark in sight. The story itself isn't anything remarkable; it's just a very nicely told tale of fairly ordinary happenings that are kind of out of the ordinary in themselves. Hard to explain.
I went back and read the italicised prologue when I reached the end of the book. I don't think I missed anything; all it does is confirm that something that happens at the end of the story happened how you thought it did from reading the rest of the book. Seemed to be spoiler like to me. I thought the book was better off without it anyway.
I liked the way the story was put together by a museum creator handling objects from his family's past and recalling stories associated with them. I also liked the way all the speech was reported with not a quote mark in sight. The story itself isn't anything remarkable; it's just a very nicely told tale of fairly ordinary happenings that are kind of out of the ordinary in themselves. Hard to explain.
I went back and read the italicised prologue when I reached the end of the book. I don't think I missed anything; all it does is confirm that something that happens at the end of the story happened how you thought it did from reading the rest of the book. Seemed to be spoiler like to me. I thought the book was better off without it anyway.
jackiefranklee's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
fipah's review against another edition
4.0
Captivating and crisp language; always attentive to details, John McGregor has the impeccable ability to capture the everyday life with a bit of magic and make the reader really feel very present - right there - with the characters. I feel like he anchors us there in the moment via his meticulous, but not lengthy, descriptions of how characters flinch, how they hunch, how they put their hair behind their ears... yet we are never invited closer, we remain slightly distanced observers, and I would like to go closer, actually. I often felt I wanted to break free from the cinematic experience, regardless of how nice and characteristic of Mr. McGregor it is.
Also, I have to say I think more depth would benefit the writing and would not undermine its characteristic evanescent quality - which is by the way strengthened by the absence of quotation marks, as seen in If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things , which I find interesting. I am saying this because sometimes when reading McGregor I feel like it is a bit "too much" - I think one can gently describe the characters and make the mundane look enchanting, yet if it is the most of what the author offers, I feel like there is something missing, especially when we as readers are left on the outside, on the very observing side.
Nevertheless, I did indeed enjoy the process of reading - hence the rating - yet I found the lack of depth, character and story wise, disappointing; same with the unexplained decisions of the characters and the very open ending. I did enjoy being an observer, yet I feel it could have offered me much more - at least an ending, please. A resolution, revelation, a change.
Nevertheless, for fans of McGregor, it is indeed worth of reading , especially when one feels like reading something in a way distant, calm, meditative even.
Also, I have to say I think more depth would benefit the writing and would not undermine its characteristic evanescent quality - which is by the way strengthened by the absence of quotation marks, as seen in If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things , which I find interesting. I am saying this because sometimes when reading McGregor I feel like it is a bit "too much" - I think one can gently describe the characters and make the mundane look enchanting, yet if it is the most of what the author offers, I feel like there is something missing, especially when we as readers are left on the outside, on the very observing side.
Nevertheless, I did indeed enjoy the process of reading - hence the rating - yet I found the lack of depth, character and story wise, disappointing; same with the unexplained decisions of the characters and the very open ending. I did enjoy being an observer, yet I feel it could have offered me much more - at least an ending, please. A resolution, revelation, a change.
Nevertheless, for fans of McGregor, it is indeed worth of reading , especially when one feels like reading something in a way distant, calm, meditative even.
magicschooltokoro's review against another edition
I appreciate the experience of domestic books like this for reasons I can't articulate even to myself, and am eager to discover more, while varying the authors. I haven't discerned reliable patterns yet of how to guess if what I want to experience again would reliably be in other books. I just know it can be in a leisurely-paced read, a British of some kind author sometimes, some sort of foggy-night-misty-morning-like atmosphere which brings me back in a nostalgic manner to that of which some Danish and Norwegian clouded my head with. Maybe somnambulism can tentatively illustrate it, or Johan Nagel's wandering and enchanted encounter in the forest in Knut Hamsun(d)'s Mysteries can. But some stories with this element still don't reach that elusive 'it.'
Edit for sensiblity to come, hopefully.
Edit for sensiblity to come, hopefully.
theautumnfox's review
5.0
This book follows the whole life of David, a collector. On basis of bits and pieces of his life his story unfolds. His work, his love and wife Eleanor, his job at the museum that does not live up to his expectations, his daughter and the shaken fundament of his identity leave him searching for the truth.
McGregor’s book and the protagonists absorbed me. Seldom have I felt that much like I actually lived the life that is told in a story. While reading I completely slip into the characters, into their minds.
Recently a friend told me she doesn't want to read books about ordinary people with ordinary lives. I have never felt that way and for me "So Many Ways to Begin" is the proof that especially this kind of quite insight into regular life is something extraordinary to read.
After this book I feel like I have lived through many emotional situations I have never experienced in real life.
McGregor’s book and the protagonists absorbed me. Seldom have I felt that much like I actually lived the life that is told in a story. While reading I completely slip into the characters, into their minds.
Recently a friend told me she doesn't want to read books about ordinary people with ordinary lives. I have never felt that way and for me "So Many Ways to Begin" is the proof that especially this kind of quite insight into regular life is something extraordinary to read.
After this book I feel like I have lived through many emotional situations I have never experienced in real life.
litdoes's review against another edition
3.0
Jon McGregor's debut novel 'If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things' made a huge impact on me, transforming the way I saw prose poems, and giving me a keener sense the sound and feel of words and sentences. The work had a beauty that was simple, amplifying the often ordinary and unremarkable. It was quiet and yet it resonated.
With such a strong first novel, it only made for a tough act to follow. McGregor's second novel, 'So Many Ways to Begin', draws from everyday objects and keepsakes as starting points for each chapter, weaving together threads of the protagonist David's life. As the title suggests, David is made aware of alternative beginnings when a close family friend unwittingly makes a disclosure.
The narrative is always tender: from the treatment of his young romance with Eleanor, even as she succumbs to depression when they marry, his relationship with his mother, and the estrangement of Eleanor with her own mother.
The writing is still as sharp, and the characters portrayed sensitively, albeit with a tinge of melancholy. However, it was not as engaging perhaps because of the writer's reticence. Too many things are implied or merely hinted at; e.g. Eleanor's estrangement with her family was not very convincingly played out without a pivotal event.
One only hopes for a young writer like McGregor, that he had not peaked too early in his career.
With such a strong first novel, it only made for a tough act to follow. McGregor's second novel, 'So Many Ways to Begin', draws from everyday objects and keepsakes as starting points for each chapter, weaving together threads of the protagonist David's life. As the title suggests, David is made aware of alternative beginnings when a close family friend unwittingly makes a disclosure.
The narrative is always tender: from the treatment of his young romance with Eleanor, even as she succumbs to depression when they marry, his relationship with his mother, and the estrangement of Eleanor with her own mother.
The writing is still as sharp, and the characters portrayed sensitively, albeit with a tinge of melancholy. However, it was not as engaging perhaps because of the writer's reticence. Too many things are implied or merely hinted at; e.g. Eleanor's estrangement with her family was not very convincingly played out without a pivotal event.
One only hopes for a young writer like McGregor, that he had not peaked too early in his career.
sarahkomas's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Memory is fascinating, and this has glimpses of that. Intriguing if frustrating at times
carlamarcella's review
5.0
One of the few books I really didn't want to end when it was about to. My copy has pages as thin as those of a bible, and this one deserves being the most sold novel ever more, in my opinion. Jon McGregor should get his Noble Price of Literature soon.