Upper Middle Class novels

[Crispy]

Yeah.. fair enough.. but d'you think mcewan just wanted people to enjoy his writing when he was writing this?

Oh, of course not - he probably intended to create litrachor.

But hey, art is what you make it, right?

 

[tastebud]

I didn't really believe in her though – I just thought she was a collection of irritating cliches.

Like so many people when they assert their politocal opinion. Hmm, maybe I've just had bad luck, but I've met a few (usually younger, definitely m/c types) people like her.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Hardly a spoiler.

Just thought I better mention it just in case.

 

[andy2002]

Saturday is mentioned explicitly in the first post – if I was halfway through the book that would have been my cue to not read on any further just in case spoilers lay ahead. Besides, as I've pointed out, mentioning the neurosurgeon's dilemma spoils nothing for you.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Saturday is mentioned explicitly in the first post – if I was halfway through the book that would have been my cue to not read on any further just in case spoilers lied ahead. Besides, as I've pointed out, mentioning the neurosurgeon's dilemma spoils nothing for you.

Well that's obviously told me then.

 

[cyberfairy]

Without spoiling, do things start moving a little quicker as the story progresses? If they do then I think I'm really going to like it (I'm at page 150ish) because it will feel like a really good build up. If not though I think I'm going to feel a little cheated.

You would think with it being out for so long and in the top ten, you would be able to find it at a charity shop I have waited patiently, been to library to no avail, but scared to buy it new as then will see it for 49p everywhere i ever go for the rest of my life which will make me unreasonably angry and detract from my enjoyment of the book

 

[andy2002]

Like so many people when they assert their politocal opinion. Hmm, maybe I've just had bad luck, but I've met a few (usually younger, definitely m/c types) people like her.

I suppose I've met people a bit like her but not for many years. Thankfully.

 

[Hollis]

For me, though, McEwan turns it round in the last 80 or 90 pages, which are actually very powerful. The neurosurgeon's dilemma at the end is particularly well handled and ultimately quite uplifting.

Without being controversial for the sake of it, I'd almost say the exact opposite.. I prefer it whne he's bumbling around doing fuck all - like the visit to his mum - rather than the 'action' with Baxter.

 

[andy2002]

Without being controversial for the sake of it, I'd almost say the exact opposite.. I prefer it whne he's bumbling around doing fuck all - like the visit to his mum - rather than the 'action' with Baxter.

Heh – contrarian. It's the aftermath of the Baxter action that I really like. I think it has a lot to say about forgiveness and what makes someone truly "human". Beautifully written in a way the rest of the book really isn't – McEwan spends far too much time showing off about all the research he's done into brain surgery etc...

 

[Orang Utan]

Just thought I better mention it just in case.

A spoiler would be to mention the specific dilemma - the situation Perowne finds himself when he's torn between the affections of the alien queen and his duty as a secret crime fighting superhero.

Oops, sorry, it slipped out.

 

[tastebud]

I think it does though.. It may be well written, but I'm not sure (a) how plausible it all is, (b) what its saying.

Don't read this if you haven't read it ...



- but I thought the interaction between the protagonist and the guy with the neurological disorder in the street was very real. I've witnessed that kind of tension myself - I think this is a situation where class does come into play. The m/c surgeon being the one with the power over this w/c guy with a disorder that he detests - leading to the anger and subsequent attack - I could really feel his resentment. And this was very plausible. For the sake of a short novel, whilst the end chapter might be slightly implausible (like the premise for quite a few of his novels though - and completely gripping in a 'I can't put this down way'), it portrayed some problems with the health care provider-patient relationship well, and also the obvious class divide in a lot of these cases.

I think also (with the daughter), his intention was to portray the typical example of m/c people being priviliged to a decent political education (thus 'opinion'), but then being happy to go on with their over-privilidged lives despite the problems of the world, and underneath it all probably not really giving a shit.

Edit - I didn't need the large writing after all -

A spoiler would be to mention the specific dilemma - the situation Perowne finds himself when he's torn between the affections of the alien queen and his duty as a secret crime fighting superhero.

Oops, sorry, it slipped out.

 

[Orang Utan]

Without being controversial for the sake of it, I'd almost say the exact opposite.. I prefer it whne he's bumbling around doing fuck all - like the visit to his mum - rather than the 'action' with Baxter.

Hmm, quite.

 

[tastebud]

Hmm, quite.

the slow pace then. yes, i liked that.

i still found the last bit gripping though.

edit: why is it i only ever get fired up and really motivated to post on urban when hollis is here!

 

[foo]

I think someone on here said (sorry, I can't remember who), Ian McEwan is a really good writer, he just a shame he writes about tossers.

hearing him being interviewed, he comes across as a tosser himself. so p'raps that's why his novels are full of tossers.

Hollis - i hear ya!!!

 

[tastebud]

hearing him being interviewed, he comes across as a tosser himself.

Really? That's a shame - maybe I'll just live in denial and wont listen to his interviews.

 

[foo]

hey, that's just my opinion - take no notice of me.

i have a knee-jerk reaction with seemingly precious people. and imo he comes across as very precious and up his own arse.

you might find him ok though.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Don't read this if you haven't read it ...

See, this is why Vixen would be on my Xmas card list, if I wrote Xmas cards.

 

[tastebud]

See, this is why Vixen would be on my Xmas card list, if I wrote Xmas cards.

it really really pisses me off when someone reveals the end. it's happened a few times on here ime.

 

[jbob]

The novel in bourgeois concept shock...

 

[Brockway]

McEwan was good when he was writing pervy short stories but when he decided to write grown up books he started writing middle-class fodder. Not his fault really, as he is after all middle-class.

John Banville is another novelist who writes beautifully but says very little.

 

[ICB]

Ian McKewan irritates me after a couple of sentences, to the point where I won't read any of his stuff, last thing I bothered with was the Cement Garden. Precious is a good word, as is smug. He tries too hard to be literary just as Will Self tries too hard to be clever. If I want to read something about unpleasant people with money and posessions I much prefer Ballard.

andy2002 - for the record I took this thread as being about "upper middle class novels" (whatever they are) with Saturday being used a case in point.

Perhaps I was wrong and this post is thereby invalidated.

 

[ICB]

The novel in bourgeois concept shock...

The working class in illiteracy shock?

 

[jbob]

Not what I meant and I think you know it. The novel is a bourgeois concept, most authors are and have generally always been middle class/upper middle class/upper class. Working class authors writing about working class life is a relatively recent phenomena. A thread about upper middle class novels is an oxymoron.

 

[phildwyer]

A thread about upper middle class novels is an oxymoron.

You mean a tautology.