fionnanilsson's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Beautifully written, and perhaps this novel falls on its beauty a bit too much. A lot of superfluous descriptions that aren’t necessary, albeit nice to read. Lover of Circe will likely enjoy this, though unlike Circe, The Porpoise gets lost among the stories it tells, and in the end I had a lot more questions than I would like. Still, I enjoyed the history and folklore, and the language was worth all of it.
clmckinney's review against another edition
4.0
The rating for this book is pretty low. Some of the reviews are the same. I found the first bit of the narrative uncomfortable. I was ready to stop reading and find another book. But slowly I stuck with it and it got much better. It is the retelling of the myth of Apollonius. It mixes with a current day storyline. After the first troubling bit, I found the writing was good and the plot was not bad. It reminded me of Game Of Thrones in that the bad guy can prevail and good guy fails. For that I give it kudos. Its good to see a plot that goes against the grain. I would give this one a 3.8/5.
musicalpopcorn's review against another edition
2.0
A modern spin on an old tale - or is it? I was surprised by the turn this book took from modern to historic fantasy, and while I understand the subtext, I just don’t think it landed well. The tale was definitely gripping, but at the end, I was left feeling an overwhelming sense of “meh”. For such a grandiose tale, I doubt that is the feeling Haddon was going for.
wafflepolly's review against another edition
I really do not know what I make of this book, hence my lack of a star rating.
There are two enormous tone shifts early on after what I found to be a gripping opening chapter. There is a sudden change into a dark incestuous abusive paedophilic theme, and then later a fantasy historical shift. The first change made me literally say “oh god, no” out loud and consider giving up on the book within the first couple of chapters. The second just took a while to get used to.
I went into the book not knowing that it was based on the Shakespearean play Pericles of Tyre (based on the Middle Ages novella Apollonius of Tyre), and not knowing anything about that myth in particular (had I known this story previously, the aforementioned tonal shifts would probably not have thrown me so much). Having since read the basis of the story, I'm not sure that I would have wanted to read the book with that knowledge, as it doesn't seem to offer a great deal of new insight.
The book does, however, manage to be unique while paradoxically being completely derivative. It is certainly unlike anything else I've read before.
Despite having the excuse of being based on a story from the Middle Ages, it’s jarring to read a modern book with so much repetitive female misery which largely serves the purpose of being a catalyst for the male protagonist.
From the Author’s Note at the end - “[in all retellings] the daughter of the King of Antioch is rarely more than a device to set Pericles / Appolinus / Apollolonius on the journey where he will have his real adventures”.
Women’s misery being a plot device to spur male adventure is one of the most boring, overused tropes, and one that should have been left behind in the Middle Ages.
That said, it was an engaging read, despite the slightly disjointed writing style. The sentences are short. The tense is present. And yet the latter, usually a pet peeve of mine for third person POVs, somehow works in the uncertain, fantastical world that has been created.
There are two enormous tone shifts early on after what I found to be a gripping opening chapter. There is a sudden change into a dark incestuous abusive paedophilic theme, and then later a fantasy historical shift. The first change made me literally say “oh god, no” out loud and consider giving up on the book within the first couple of chapters. The second just took a while to get used to.
I went into the book not knowing that it was based on the Shakespearean play Pericles of Tyre (based on the Middle Ages novella Apollonius of Tyre), and not knowing anything about that myth in particular (had I known this story previously, the aforementioned tonal shifts would probably not have thrown me so much). Having since read the basis of the story, I'm not sure that I would have wanted to read the book with that knowledge, as it doesn't seem to offer a great deal of new insight.
The book does, however, manage to be unique while paradoxically being completely derivative. It is certainly unlike anything else I've read before.
Despite having the excuse of being based on a story from the Middle Ages, it’s jarring to read a modern book with so much repetitive female misery which largely serves the purpose of being a catalyst for the male protagonist.
From the Author’s Note at the end - “[in all retellings] the daughter of the King of Antioch is rarely more than a device to set Pericles / Appolinus / Apollolonius on the journey where he will have his real adventures”.
Women’s misery being a plot device to spur male adventure is one of the most boring, overused tropes, and one that should have been left behind in the Middle Ages.
That said, it was an engaging read, despite the slightly disjointed writing style. The sentences are short. The tense is present. And yet the latter, usually a pet peeve of mine for third person POVs, somehow works in the uncertain, fantastical world that has been created.
openmypages's review against another edition
4.0
{4.5 stars}
Trying to describe this one will be challenging. In structure it reminds me of Cloud Cuckoo Land, pressing together a modern story and the ancient story of Apollonius. Both follow a father who has an inappropriate relationship with his daughter and the young man who tries to save her. These sections are quite hard to read. How they are weaved together and how the characters act in each era is masterful. The writing is evocative and intense. I did this one on audio and found it added to my enjoyment but that I needed to be sure to finish a section before I came back to be sure I wasn't confusing the characters since their stories mirrored one another. I was absolutely lost in the story every time I listened, I hoped against hope for these characters knowing full well that like all myths a happy ending was not on the horizon.
I know this is a short review for a book I loved but any more detail will spoil it. Go in blind and be prepared to be a little overwhelmed by the time shiftings in the beginning but like Cloud Cuckoo Land by the end you will want to go back and listen a second time right away.
Trying to describe this one will be challenging. In structure it reminds me of Cloud Cuckoo Land, pressing together a modern story and the ancient story of Apollonius. Both follow a father who has an inappropriate relationship with his daughter and the young man who tries to save her. These sections are quite hard to read. How they are weaved together and how the characters act in each era is masterful. The writing is evocative and intense. I did this one on audio and found it added to my enjoyment but that I needed to be sure to finish a section before I came back to be sure I wasn't confusing the characters since their stories mirrored one another. I was absolutely lost in the story every time I listened, I hoped against hope for these characters knowing full well that like all myths a happy ending was not on the horizon.
I know this is a short review for a book I loved but any more detail will spoil it. Go in blind and be prepared to be a little overwhelmed by the time shiftings in the beginning but like Cloud Cuckoo Land by the end you will want to go back and listen a second time right away.
raenovels's review against another edition
2.0
Check out this review and others on my blog: https://thriftybibliophile.com
The Porpoise by Mark Haddon is about a man who loses his wife and raises his daughter as a single father. While this storyline plays out, a parallel storyline set in the past is woven in.
Philippe, a man of great means, wasn’t expecting to lose his pregnant wife in an unfortunate accident, but that’s exactly what happens. Philippe is then left with his newborn daughter, Angelica, to raise. Out of his element, he showers his daughter with gifts and hires a houseful of nurses and maids to take care of her every need.
But Philippe is far from a caring, doting father. As his beautiful daughter grows into a teenager, his affection towards her becomes less than fatherly.
Angelica is a trapped bird, longing to be free from her father’s clutches. The longer she’s trapped, the more desperate she becomes.
While Philippe and Angelica are living their lives, a separate but similar storyline plays out in The Porpoise with Pericles, Chloë, and Marina. Marina, like Angelica, is also a caged bird living in a dangerous world. Once she escapes, her journey leads her to meet two people she never thought she’d meet.
I wanted to love The Porpoise by Mark Haddon, but unfortunately I was left disappointed. I loved Mark Haddon’s A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, so I was hoping for a similarly engaging storyline.
While the writing was beautiful, jumping back and forth between two storylines was confusing and seemed unnecessary. I felt like I was reading two different books, one chapter at a time. This was such a let down, because Philippe and Angelica’s story hooked me! However, once the stories started jumping, I couldn’t get myself reengaged in the book.
The characters, thankfully, were a redeeming quality of The Porpoise. I thought the characters were unique and interesting.
I pushed myself to finish reading this book, though it’s one that I could have easily set aside halfway through. If you’re a fan of Mark Haddon, you might enjoy this book. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but it might be yours.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Porpoise by Mark Haddon is about a man who loses his wife and raises his daughter as a single father. While this storyline plays out, a parallel storyline set in the past is woven in.
Philippe, a man of great means, wasn’t expecting to lose his pregnant wife in an unfortunate accident, but that’s exactly what happens. Philippe is then left with his newborn daughter, Angelica, to raise. Out of his element, he showers his daughter with gifts and hires a houseful of nurses and maids to take care of her every need.
But Philippe is far from a caring, doting father. As his beautiful daughter grows into a teenager, his affection towards her becomes less than fatherly.
Angelica is a trapped bird, longing to be free from her father’s clutches. The longer she’s trapped, the more desperate she becomes.
While Philippe and Angelica are living their lives, a separate but similar storyline plays out in The Porpoise with Pericles, Chloë, and Marina. Marina, like Angelica, is also a caged bird living in a dangerous world. Once she escapes, her journey leads her to meet two people she never thought she’d meet.
I wanted to love The Porpoise by Mark Haddon, but unfortunately I was left disappointed. I loved Mark Haddon’s A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, so I was hoping for a similarly engaging storyline.
While the writing was beautiful, jumping back and forth between two storylines was confusing and seemed unnecessary. I felt like I was reading two different books, one chapter at a time. This was such a let down, because Philippe and Angelica’s story hooked me! However, once the stories started jumping, I couldn’t get myself reengaged in the book.
The characters, thankfully, were a redeeming quality of The Porpoise. I thought the characters were unique and interesting.
I pushed myself to finish reading this book, though it’s one that I could have easily set aside halfway through. If you’re a fan of Mark Haddon, you might enjoy this book. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but it might be yours.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
iainbertram's review against another edition
Triggered beyond reading more... book in bin
Rich pedophile.
Rich pedophile.