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The Sea
 
 
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The Sea (Hardcover)

by John Banville (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk Review

Incandescent prose. Beautifully textured characterisation. Transparent narratives. The adjectives to describe the writing of John Banville are all affirmative, and The Sea is a ringing affirmation of all his best qualities. His publishers are claiming that this novel by the Booker-shortlisted author is his finest yet, and while that claim may have an element of hyperbole, there is no denying that this perfectly balanced book is among the writer’s most accomplished work.

Max Morden has reached a crossroads in his life, and is trying hard to deal with several disturbing things. A recent loss is still taking its toll on him, and a trauma in his past is similarly proving hard to deal with. He decides that he will return to a town on the coast at which he spent a memorable holiday when a boy. His memory of that time devolves on the charismatic Grace family, particularly the seductive twins Myles and Chloe. In a very short time, Max found himself drawn into a strange relationship with them, and pursuant events left their mark on him for the rest of his life. But will he be able to exorcise those memories of the past?

The fashion in which John Banville draws the reader into this hypnotic and disturbing world is non pareil, and the very complex relationships between his brilliantly delineated cast of characters are orchestrated with a master’s skill. As in such books as Shroud and The Book of Evidence, the author eschews the obvious at all times, and the narrative is delivered with subtlety and understatement. The genuine moments of drama, when they do occur, are commensurately more powerful. --Barry Forshaw

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars love and language, Aug 24 2006
By Ross Hart "all lower case" (boston, ma usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Sea (Paperback)
This is a tale of two love stories one of men and women the other of language. It is not often that I've found words crafted into such thought provoking sentences and they, in turn, into paragraphs pregnant with the emotions of memory. The structure of the work, for me, is akin to the folds of the brain. Bannville moving through time and character without preference seemingly as they unfold to mind without apparent bias for the loose ends before tying them neatly together in the end. What an unbelievably tour de force the finish is...
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5.0 out of 5 stars Lasting book to relish, Aug 13 2006
This review is from: The Sea (Hardcover)
THE SEA is an absolutely fantastic book, a tragic but beautiful short novel.Written in a rich but clear language, it takes the reader through a breath-taking journey that climaxes to a satisfying and surprising conclusion.Like all true great books, THE SEA is a novel you enjoy all the more as you read it again and again a couple of times.As gripping as NIGHT, far-reaching as USURPER AND OTHER STORIES,sobering as KITE RUNNER and deaspairingly hopeful as THE UNION MOUJIK, the story of THE SEA will stick in your mind long after you read it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Drifting among Dimensions of Reality and Thought,, Jul 15 2006
This review is from: The Sea (Hardcover)
The Sea will either delight or aggravate you. Some may experience both reactions.

The delight will come from finding a surprising word choice or unexpected detail on almost every page, the unusual development of the plot and the rapid shifts between thought, memory, perception, desire, musing and reflection. For some, the fresh descriptions of male sexual awakening will also be sweet.

The aggravation will come from realizing that the story could have been told more directly. You will also feel yourself being manipulated quite often. The word choices could have been more direct. The surprises on each page become almost mechanical after awhile. Deal with the aggravation is my advice. Otherwise, you'll miss the chance to see how often you jump to unwarranted conclusions. Reading this novel is like holding up a mirror to see your mind's perceptions and prejudices.

You won't realize much of the book's power until you're done. If you are like me, you'll immediately want to read it again.

The story takes place while Max Morden recovers emotionally from his wife's untimely death from a wasting illness. Uncharacteristically, Morden avoids family and friends to be quite alone most of the day while staying in a run-down rooming house where he experienced many delights as a youngster. Being there brings up many memories of the Grace family . . . surely a metaphor for inspiration in this lover of Bonnard. You'll find yourself drawn into those long-ago memories as well as Morden's unhappy reaction to his wife's loss. But you'll also know that there's an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Gradually, all will become clear through the mental peregrinations of Morden.

I don't remember stream of consciousness done in sentences in quite as interesting a way as Mr. Banville achieves. All aspiring novelists must read this book!

Here's an example of Mr. Banville's power to evoke irony:

"There are other things I can do. . . . Or I might retire into a monastery to pass my days in quiet contemplation of the infinite, or write a great treatise there, a vulgate of the dead. I can see myself in my cell, long-bearded, with quill-pen and hat and docile lion, through a window beside me minuscule peasants in the distance making hay, and hovering above my brow the dove refulgent. Oh yes, life is pregnant with possibilities."

Enjoy this original and provocative work.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars one for the ages
The Sea is the only (as yet) book by Banville that I've read. Can't even remember where I picked up the recommendation, but this is a tremendous book. Read more
Published on May 30 2006 by Mr. PG

5.0 out of 5 stars Lasting book to relish
THE SEA is an absolutely fantastic book, a tragic but beautiful short novel.Written in a rich but clear language, it takes the reader through a breath-taking journey that climaxes... Read more
Published on Mar 17 2006 by Sancho Mahle

1.0 out of 5 stars The Sea
I am also a reader from Nova Scotia who read the book for a book club, although I would have read it on my own. However, I was very disappointed in the book. Read more
Published on Mar 16 2006

4.0 out of 5 stars Complicated beauty
I just read this book for my book club and I was one of the only ones who enjoyed this book! Most of the people in my club found the book too difficult to understand with its... Read more
Published on Mar 12 2006

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