It’s an absolute dinger
I bought this in Porto in the self styled most beautiful book shop in the world (it is) Livraria Lello. You have to buy a timed ticket to get in and pay a tenner which you get back against a purchase of a book. So I was determined to buy a book to recoup my tenner.
I had been interested in this book since the early 80s. Belfast punk band, the Outcasts had sung about it, possibly inspired by the Volker Schlondorff scandalous film version rather than the book itself. But I never got around to it. But because the English section in Livearia Lello was limited it became an obvious purchase.
According to many critics it is the greatest novel of the 20th century. Up there with Ulysses. It is not an easy read. The central premise is that the unreliable narrator decides to stop growing at the age of 3 and observes pre Ww2 Danzig as a dwarf. There are numerous other magical realist elements for which you just have to suspend disbelief (a couple of times early on, I thought this is a load of shite, but not having another book immediately at hand I persevered).
There are some amazing scenes, most notably the longshoreman catching eels with a horses head and the defence of the Polish Post Office.
Ultimately I’m glad I got through it. It’s a great read and will give me food for thought in the days ahead.
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Finished Conclave last night. Decent read. I find the plots of the Harris books fairly thin, and some scenes seem a bit of place but they move a long at a nice pace so you wouldn’t get bored of them.
Star of the sea is currently free on audible
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I finished intermezzo by Sally rooney just there. It’s grand. First book of hers I’ve read. Any of her other books particularly worth reading?