kitty_kitty Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones Synopsis 'You cannot pretend to read a book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper is in flames.' Bougainville. 1991. A small village on a lush tropical island in the South Pacific. Eighty-six days have passed since Matilda's last day of school as, quietly, war is encroaching from the other end of the island. When the villagers' safe, predictable lives come to a halt, Bougainville's children are surprised to find the island's only white man, a recluse, re-opening the school. Pop Eye, aka Mr Watts, explains he will introduce the children to Mr Dickens. Matilda and the others think a foreigner is coming to the island and prepare a list of much needed items. They are shocked to discover their acquaintance with Mr Dickens will be through Mr Watts' inspiring reading of Great Expectations. But on an island at war, the power of fiction has dangerous consequences. Imagination and beliefs are challenged by guns.Mister Pip is an unforgettable tale of survival by story; a dazzling piece of writing that lives long in the mind after the last page is finished. I loved this book in fact i would have read it in one sitting but there was torchwood to watch. I really enjoyed this but although i found some bits disturbing such as Such as brning of Mr Watts possesions and the murder of Mr Watts and the rape and murder of Matildas mother What do other people think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I've not read it yet, but I bought it just last weekend and hope to get to it fairly soon (ie within the next couple of months - LOL!). It just really grabbed my attention and I think that reading this might even make reading the Dickens (which I intend to do at some point) a little easier and more fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I really enjoyed it, great read and easy too! Made me feel sad too, reminded me of Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn and can't think why! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones I really enjoyed this but although i found some bits disturbing such as Such as brning of Mr Watts possesions and the murder of Mr Watts and the rape and murder of Matildas mother What do other people think? I enjoyed the book but was shocked by the same bits - I really didn't see them coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 It Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 I agree with all of that (except the amount of time it took me to read the book), Janet. [i don't know how much of this needs spoiler tags, but just in case...] As I mentioned in my bloggy thing, I tend to find books about books to be awkward, forced, and generally a lack of imagination on the part of the author; and desperately self-referential. This doesn't have that failing in the slightest. I was wondering about the marshes, too, by the way, because I've cycled along past Erith along the Thames, and they definitely seemed to be there; as are the marshlands further out on the Isle of Grain and around Cliffe. The way the book accelerates in time towards the end reminds me of something I've found frustrating in other books (particularly Captain Correlli), but again it works here because of the way the book ends. I love the multiple levels of Pip, too. Not that I've ever read Great Expectations, but that seems to not be a problem. The Mr Watts as Pip, and then Matilda as Pip, as well as Pip as Pip, all work. They're all kind of family-free; all have a sort of benefactor; you don't really know how much of each story is true and how much is exaggerated for effect (as Matilda describes Dickens doing to all his characters). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Oh, and 2 more things, not in my Spoilered post: (1) What a great book. Well worth reading. Interestingly different yet easy to read. I quite often think people will struggle with some books I like, and advise them away. I don't think there's anyone who should be afraid of this (2) The other Lloyd Jones book I read, Biografi, was also great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy981 Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Fantastic book and well worth reading but likewise, certain parts did shock me! Has anyone read any of Lloyd Jones' other books? I'm interested to know if they're as good etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooncat Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Loved this book , it will stay with me:jump: I read it in 2 days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwood Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Yes, a wonderful book, so easy to read, funny and shocking at times. I had a hard time placing the setting within the last twenty years, partly because it seemed so colonial, but also because I had no memory of the events described (bless Wikipedia for a quick history lesson of Papua New Guinea for the woefully ignorant like me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 I've just started this book and so far am enjoying it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 This was a one day read for me. I had a day off, so went for a day trip, and with a 90 minute train ride, plus a few coffee shops, I was nearing the end as I had lunch in a cafe. I was so shocked by the events everyone above has mentioned (see the spoilers!), as they were unexpected and brutal, that I ate my lunch with tears running down my face. I loved the book completely, and some of the highlights were the villagers coming into the school house to tell stories to the children, and the joy of the children remembering words, lines and scenes from the book. A very enjoyable read, and I absolutely loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I had not heard of either this book, or the author. Avoiding the spoilers, it looks as those this has really caught everyone's attention. Oh darn, Amazon here I come....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget Gem Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I finished reading this a couple of weeks ago. It was very easy to read and as many of you have already mentioned - certain parts shocked me. I also had trouble placing the events and like Ravenwood I researched the island to find out the exact details. The additional research aided my enjoyment of the book. The author captures the prejudices of the time and also the horrors of war extremely well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookBee8 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I read this sometime last year and to be honest, I don't really remember much about it. However, some parts do stick out and I think that's because - like everyone else has said - some bits were quite shocking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I've had this one hanging around for ages. I really must make an effort to read it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrainFreeze Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Bizarre! I came across this today on The Book People site and added it to my To Get list. Not heard of it before. Will definitely get it now. Btw, for anyone who's interested in getting it, not sure how much it is elsewhere but it's only Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmlanebooks Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I enjoyed this book too. If anyone hasn't read it yet, then I recommend reading 'Great Expectations' on which this book is based first (if you haven't already!) as it adds to the reading experience a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooncat Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I loved this book - it's one that will stay on my bookshelf for ever:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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