The Cat's Table
Registered by zzz of Rakovica / Раковица, City of Belgrade Serbia on 12/6/2012
This book is in a Controlled Release!
This book is in a Controlled Release!
2 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by zzz from Rakovica / Раковица, City of Belgrade Serbia on Thursday, December 6, 2012
This is first Ondaatje's novel I've read and I'm absolutely impressed with the lyrical prose in it. It flows effortlessly (no wonder he's quite good poet as well) and as such the book itself is quite fast read. I've read it in a day but not thanks to the story but precisely to the style.
It's a coming of age story (which might it is) mixed with the vignettes from the recent past and present (though the majority of the plot happened few decades ago) which was quite successful mixture. I love the old narrator's perspective when talking about events (on the boat which is where almost everything is happening) he experienced as a boy. And then there is a kind of mystery but in the way that seems quite irrelevant and as such you can't solve it nor you even think of doing it. Actually you don't even noticing it other than just yet another vignette in the scenery of the plot which you can't really say what is all about (except the obvious: voyage from Sri Lanka to England of the main character who'll stay there with his mother who left the (Asian) island "three or four years ago"). And as the story, or better stay stories enfold (still without clearly seeing where they'll led you) something that was kind of irrelevant becomes not quite so. It left me a bit confused because I didn't expect that (but in sort of bad-ish way).
It was as if I was reading a memoir, in one moment I even thought it's Mr. Ondaatje's personal story. As I said I really loved that time distance. And again the language is beautiful. If it wasn't as lyrical as it is It would be one (maybe even two) stars less.
This is on its way to my dear ajsmom. Hope you'll like it :)
Happy Holidays!
It's a coming of age story (which might it is) mixed with the vignettes from the recent past and present (though the majority of the plot happened few decades ago) which was quite successful mixture. I love the old narrator's perspective when talking about events (on the boat which is where almost everything is happening) he experienced as a boy. And then there is a kind of mystery but in the way that seems quite irrelevant and as such you can't solve it nor you even think of doing it. Actually you don't even noticing it other than just yet another vignette in the scenery of the plot which you can't really say what is all about (except the obvious: voyage from Sri Lanka to England of the main character who'll stay there with his mother who left the (Asian) island "three or four years ago"). And as the story, or better stay stories enfold (still without clearly seeing where they'll led you) something that was kind of irrelevant becomes not quite so. It left me a bit confused because I didn't expect that (but in sort of bad-ish way).
It was as if I was reading a memoir, in one moment I even thought it's Mr. Ondaatje's personal story. As I said I really loved that time distance. And again the language is beautiful. If it wasn't as lyrical as it is It would be one (maybe even two) stars less.
This is on its way to my dear ajsmom. Hope you'll like it :)
Happy Holidays!
Arrived yesterday, picked up today! Thank you, zzz, I am a big fan of Ondaatje and highly recommend "In the Skin of a Lion".
I agree with many of zzz's comments. I couldn't believe this wasn't a memoir, the writing was that convincing. I love the back story telling - how he flicked from past to present so easily, filling in character gaps effortlessly - he truly is a remarkable storyteller.
Thank you again, zzz. I may be leaving it with my friend in Brooklyn and if not, will wild release it while away from home.
Thank you again, zzz. I may be leaving it with my friend in Brooklyn and if not, will wild release it while away from home.
Left with EF.
