Books
by Marcel Proust
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In Search of Lost Time |
If you've ever been tempted to take the plunge but been daunted by the length or the seemingly endless meanderings, please think again! I read this epic novel during a six week holiday this summer. It had long been an ambition so despite an aborted attempt years ago I decided to try again. But this time my approach was different; I did not expect pace, plot or character development, was prepared for some tedious passages but was also prepared to give it up again if I wasn't really enjoying it. And my summer holiday became a wonderful, memorable journey. I soon enjoyed drifting along with his incredibly long sentences, found his prose achingly beautiful even when describing ugly things, was amazed at his meticulous observations of all aspects of human nature, loved the sheer pomposity of his language and laughed out loud many, many times. Why doesn't anyone ever mention Proust's humour? So, if you're tempted, all I can say is that, for me, the reward far outweighed the time invested, though I was lucky to have two things: several hours every day to devote to reading . . . and my Kindle!
P.S. (Thank you Jenny for allowing me more than 75 words to review 3,500 pages and apologies to James that I didn't do it all in one sentence!!)
(Denise Lewis - bwl 62 Autumn 2011) |
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Swann's Way - A la recherche du temps perdu - Volume 1 |
Unlike most of us, Proust was an acute observer: an observer of himself when recalling how as a boy he tricked his mother to come and kiss him good night over and over again; an observer of human behaviour when describing Swann and his love for Odette, 'a woman who was not even his kind'! and lastly an observer of nature as is revealed in his depiction of the countryside and the world around him.
(Laurence Martin Euler - bwl 13 April 2002) |
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