Time's Arrow (Vintage International): Amazon.ca: Martin Amis: Books

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40 Reviews

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Jun 22 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Time's Arrow (Vintage International) (Paperback)

Technically brilliant, fiercely poetic, and morally profound. One of the most impressive novels of the late 20th century!

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Creepy And Thought-Provoking Book., May 31 2002

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Robyn Lee Markow "webcat1" (Northridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Time's Arrow (Vintage International) (Paperback)

I got this book out of the library having virtually no idea what it was about. I'm glad I didn't know cause then I might have put it back on the shelf. The Holocaust is not an easy subject to read or write about,to put it mildly. This book turns the tragedy on it's ear by telling it in reverse,which was not clear to me at first. When it did,it was quite a chilling,ironic story. Not an easy book,but it raises many questions that would make it an interesting "book club" selection.

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2.0 out of 5 stars The Arrow that Backfired, Dec 13 2001

By

SUBIR GHOSH - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time's Arrow (Vintage International) (Paperback)

An intense session of lovemaking followed by foreplay. A "drool bar", where you get paid by the waiter to drool up beer into glasses. A letter written by you that you receive and erase out word by word until you are left with crisp white paper. If you find these ideas brilliant, praise Martin Amis. If you find them callow, blame Martin Amis.

An act of good turns into evil if one runs it backwards in time. And vice versa. A healer becomes a sadist; a killer becomes a healer. Amis chooses this ploy to depict some of the atrocities of the Nazi era. Predictably, savagery turns into philanthropy, if that's any solace.

Fiction writers have been facing this challenge of depicting the Holocaust without making documentaries out of their novels. Gunter Grass (in Tin Drum) succeeded brilliantly by using the perspective of a mentally-retarded midget who refused to grow up after the age of three. I'm afraid I can't say the same of Martin Amis. Though the literary device is spectacular, it's not something that can stand repeated application. The author almost realizes this and restricts the novel to 170 odd pages. That's a relief.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars clever trick turned into tedious novel
When I told him that I was writing about nuclear weapons, he said, with a lilt, 'Ah. I suppose you're
. . . ''against them,'' are you? Read more

Published on Oct 2 2001 by Orrin C. Judd

5.0 out of 5 stars Turning your world upside down
Martin Amis has written a masterpiece. The idea is relatively straightforward: describe the life of the main character backwards in time. Read more

Published on Aug 1 2001 by Linda Oskam