komet2020's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I came to reading "MR KEYNES' REVOLUTION" purely by chance.
Almost 40 years ago, as an undergraduate student I majored in Economics, and thus, became aware of John Maynard Keynes, who was arguably the greatest economist of the 20th century. His work in the areas of economic thought and analysis, his keen and facile intellect, and his contributions to the field of economics and public policy (from the 1920s through the early post-World War II era) were considerable. Anyway, I was intrigued to see that there was a novel in which Keynes would be a central character. So, I happily took the plunge.
"MR KEYNES' REVOLUTION" takes the reader from the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, where Keynes served as a financial representative for the British Treasury (but resigned in disgust over the decision of the Allies to impose a punitive reparations plan on Germany, which he felt would worsen economic conditions in Germany, which, in turn, would lead to negative spillover effects across Europe and beyond) through his return to Britain, his return to academia in Cambridge, glimpses into Keynes' public and private lives, and his fateful meeting with a Russian ballerina who would later become his wife in 1925. I also enjoyed being given glimpses into the lives of some of Keynes' household servants, some of the politicians and advisors who loomed large in 1920s Britain (e.g. David Lloyd George, Montagu Norman - who was the Governor of the Bank of England - , and Winston Churchill) as well as some of the Bloomsbury Set (with whom Keynes had close friendships from before World War I).
In this novel, I think E.J. Barnes has struck the right balance. Really, it could have all gone so terribly wrong, trying to capture the spirit of an age and the person who figured prominently in that epoch, and having it come out as an absurd, clumsily crafted melodrama. But "MR KEYNES' REVOLUTION" I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a novel that I'm inclined to read again and again.
Almost 40 years ago, as an undergraduate student I majored in Economics, and thus, became aware of John Maynard Keynes, who was arguably the greatest economist of the 20th century. His work in the areas of economic thought and analysis, his keen and facile intellect, and his contributions to the field of economics and public policy (from the 1920s through the early post-World War II era) were considerable. Anyway, I was intrigued to see that there was a novel in which Keynes would be a central character. So, I happily took the plunge.
"MR KEYNES' REVOLUTION" takes the reader from the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, where Keynes served as a financial representative for the British Treasury (but resigned in disgust over the decision of the Allies to impose a punitive reparations plan on Germany, which he felt would worsen economic conditions in Germany, which, in turn, would lead to negative spillover effects across Europe and beyond) through his return to Britain, his return to academia in Cambridge, glimpses into Keynes' public and private lives, and his fateful meeting with a Russian ballerina who would later become his wife in 1925. I also enjoyed being given glimpses into the lives of some of Keynes' household servants, some of the politicians and advisors who loomed large in 1920s Britain (e.g. David Lloyd George, Montagu Norman - who was the Governor of the Bank of England - , and Winston Churchill) as well as some of the Bloomsbury Set (with whom Keynes had close friendships from before World War I).
In this novel, I think E.J. Barnes has struck the right balance. Really, it could have all gone so terribly wrong, trying to capture the spirit of an age and the person who figured prominently in that epoch, and having it come out as an absurd, clumsily crafted melodrama. But "MR KEYNES' REVOLUTION" I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a novel that I'm inclined to read again and again.
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