Posted by Sterling on 28/6/2009, 14:59:14
98.71.92.155
Has anyone read Banville's The Sea yet? I must say that I really enjoyed it. I thought it was absolutely beautifully written. His prose style is often near poetry. Banville's frequently esoteric vocabulary reminded me of Nabokov at times. (My business partner, a highly literary lady, found the book pretentious, at least partly due to the arcane vocabulary. I was glad that I read it on my kindle with a built-in dictionary. I used it several times.)
Considering the number of people who dislike this novel, I think that it is a kind of literary litmus test, if you will. The characters are not likeable, although I thought several were very well drawn. The flow from present to childhood to courting his wife to her death was handled very well for me. I had no trouble following the story. The novel is not, however, very strong on plot. Consequently, readers who hope to identify with the characters or who hope to be swept away by an involving story may be disappointed. The beauty of Banville's language was striking for me. So striking that it made the book quite a page-turner for me.
I will say though that I was shocked by the outcome of the childhood story.
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