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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Charles Arrowby, leading light of England's theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated home by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor, both professionally and personally, and amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “I didn't quite finished it. It's dull and repetitious. The character's a narcissist. I don't like it.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“An amaizing book, an amaizing writer. Excellent!”
Luana C wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“the best iris murdoch's book”
PAKUNDA wrote this review Tuesday, September 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I didn't quite finished it. It's dull and repetitious. The character's a narcissist. I don't like it. ”
Amanda G wrote this review Sunday, August 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Obsession, Loneliness, Grief - the makings of a great heartbreaking novel. A sort of fictional diary-turned-novel, our self-conscious narrator guides us through a labrynth of emotion and oddball characters.”
Michele P wrote this review Monday, June 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Marvelously written, but what an ass of a protagonist...”
Leen wrote this review Tuesday, June 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Descriptive language is fantastic and an interesting story but a long, long, long book.”
Celia P wrote this review Friday, May 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Concerning the life of a man retired from the hustle and noise of the Theatre to a small, isolated house next to the sea to build a simple life on his own. After an encounter with a woman outside his understood world, he begins to question his situation. It is a book that intoxicates and charms you, lasting in your mind for a long time.”
wilde_hewlett wrote this review Friday, May 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I'm unsure of what to think about this book, the main character Charles Arrowby is almost uncomfortable to read about, his oversized ego almost seems to jump from the page and end up in the very room you sit in. I am unsure whether I like it or not, but it is a good read, at times I just wanted to slap Charles right out of his ego to show him clearly what he was doing to other peoples lives. He is the serpent twisting people to get his own way, he is the sea with its hidden whirlpools. He is a villian, but I couldn't put the book down.”
Hannah B wrote this review Tuesday, December 2 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This book was a big disappointment -- tedious and filled with histrionics. The story started out well enough with the premise of the famous writer/actor/director retired to a remote seaside village. Interesting and eerie events begin to take place. Then, suddenly, his tiresome real-life friends from London begin to pop up in continuous Whack-A-Mole fashion, and the main character nastily treats them as such. The obsession to connect with his long-lost first love originally caught my imagination. When she finally crosses his path, they both descend into a long, meaningless and embarrassing mire of bad dialogue. This happens not just once, but over and over again. It all ends up as annoying, not interesting neurosis. I decided I needed to shorten my visit to The Sea, The Sea about halfway through and skimmed to the end. Glad I did. How did this novel win The Booker Prize?”
Carol N wrote this review Saturday, November 22 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Charles Arrowby, leading light of England's theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated home by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor, both professionally and personally, and amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has strung along for many years. None of his plans work out, and his memoir evolves into a riveting chronicle of the strange events and unexpected visitors-some real, some spectral-that disrupt his world and shake his oversized ego to its very core. ”
catalina wrote this review Thursday, October 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
