nferre's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first Ondaatje book and it certainly won't be my last. The writing was extraordinary and very readable. Ondaatje is from Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka. He comes from the typical all Ceylonese family - much like the typical family the world over -- highly disfuctional! Full of secrets and misunderstandings and family feuds, it was quite entertaining. Did I come out of the book with a full understanding of who he is and where he came from? No. The book is short and I think most of what you get from the book is inferred.
Having said that, I related to many of the thoughts he had regarding his father. In that respect, I found it very enlightening.
"The island seduced all of Europe. The Portuguese. The Dutch. The English. And so its name changed, as well as its shape—Serendip, Ratnapida (“island of gems”), Taprobane, Zeloan, Zeilan, Seyllan, Ceilon, and Ceylon—the wife of many marriages, courted by invaders who stepped ashore and claimed everything with the power of their sword or bible or language."
"No story is ever told just once. Whether a memory or funny hideous scandal, we will return to it an hour later and retell the story with additions and this time a few judgements thrown in. In this way history is organized."
Having said that, I related to many of the thoughts he had regarding his father. In that respect, I found it very enlightening.
"The island seduced all of Europe. The Portuguese. The Dutch. The English. And so its name changed, as well as its shape—Serendip, Ratnapida (“island of gems”), Taprobane, Zeloan, Zeilan, Seyllan, Ceilon, and Ceylon—the wife of many marriages, courted by invaders who stepped ashore and claimed everything with the power of their sword or bible or language."
"No story is ever told just once. Whether a memory or funny hideous scandal, we will return to it an hour later and retell the story with additions and this time a few judgements thrown in. In this way history is organized."
aprisky's review against another edition
3.0
His writing is often lyrical, often challenging, not a lazy phrase in the book. What disappointed me is that I wanted to experience the uniqueness of Ceylon and its culture, and got little of that from the book. His mission was to compile and recount the memories of his family, especially his alcoholic father. Add more about Ceylon and fit it into place historically, and I'd have been less anxious to finish this book and move on.
stephanielam27's review against another edition
3.0
Powerful, chaotic, beautiful. Note to self: need to return to this.
ericawrites's review against another edition
5.0
Like a true family story or perhaps the musing of a poet, this was not a cohesive narrative or even a "true" story. Ondaatje attempted to uncover the history of his family -- particularly his maternal grandma and his father -- who he'd not been around since he was 11 when his parents divorced and he moved with his mother from Sri Lanka to England. Family legends ran amok with larger-than-life characters who, as much as Ondaatje desired to view them with adult eyes, still have wide mysteries of a child watching adults. At times, Ondaatje leaned into analogies, metaphors, and straight-up tall tales for the story and legend over facts. However, he balanced it by showing the flaws of these characters, such as his grandma being poorly suited to motherhood and his father's alcoholism and depressive benders.
I felt a kind of empathy that one can only have when going through their family history. I've been assisting my grandma in writing and editing her memoir. It's hard to view a legend with a critical lens, even if those legends are no longer alive.
I felt a kind of empathy that one can only have when going through their family history. I've been assisting my grandma in writing and editing her memoir. It's hard to view a legend with a critical lens, even if those legends are no longer alive.
haygurlhay's review against another edition
4.0
i've come to deeply love the lyricism of Michael Ondaatje's work, and it solidified with Running in the Family. a mix of travelog, memoir, poetry and essay-esque analysis of the histories we both have/inherit and have to fill in the blanks for, especially when your history is tied to a landscape that is home but not quite home.
kcohen5's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I am not a fan of this book. I think after reflecting and analyzing I could really like the message but the book itself lost me at so many points. I Amy typically a fan of this type of storytelling but this book did not draw me in. I did however enjoy when the grandmother was focused on.
kimbobo's review against another edition
2.0
I read the opening line -- What began it all was the bright bone of a dream I could hardly hold onto. -- and I thought that I was going to adore this book, but most of it has slid past me without making any impression whatsoever. Not poorly told, but just not for me.