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fionnualalirsdottir's review against another edition
There's a great French expression for when you forget things: you say you have un trou de mémoire, a hole in your memory. I always imagine it as a black hole through which things fall, unimportant things mostly, but sometimes important things too. I peer into the black hole with all my concentration but the lost memory doesn't re-emerge very often, and especially not when I'm peering into the black hole very intently. However, it sometimes reappears when I'm not looking for it — like the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus.
One of the characters in this book walks through the Mandelbaum Gate in East Jerusalem from the Jordan side one day in 1961 and has a trou de mémoire there and then. The last three days of his life slide through the black hole and he very nearly sinks into the hole himself. Only slowly, and much later, does he and his memory re-emerge, and then there's a complete resurrection in his case, not to mention a transfiguration.
For me, the Mandelbaum Gate in this story came to symbolise a black hole in itself. Some people pass through it and emerge on the other side, diplomats and people on religious pilgrimages mostly. But for others, there might not be any resurrection should they attempt to pass through the Mandelbaum Gate.
This is my tenth Spark in a row and unlike several of the others, the memory of it is unlikely to disappear down the black hole. I enjoyed the characterization very much, as well as the various twists and turns of the unusually long narrative (most of her books are short). It's an unusual setting for Spark too, only one of the other nine books I've read has been set outside England, and that one, [b:Territorial Rights|425392|Territorial Rights|Muriel Spark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1401665427s/425392.jpg|2728077]...disappeared down the black hole almost instantly.
This one was written around the time of [b:The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie|517188|The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie|Muriel Spark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1379598918s/517188.jpg|6132856] which I like to think of as Spark's finest period. There were moments when I felt I was reading the alternative adventures of Jean Brodie, the real Prime as it were, since the main character here is a 'spinster' school teacher on a summer vacation in the Middle East. Her vacation soon veers from religious pilgrimage — the holy sepulcher and the tomb of Lazarus being highlights — to the intrigues of double and triple espionage. And, as you've probably guessed, she also disappears into a black hole soon after passing through the Mandelbaum Gate. You'll have to read the book yourself to find out on which side she re-emerges and how transfigured she is by her resurrection.
A book of many and various miracles.
One of the characters in this book walks through the Mandelbaum Gate in East Jerusalem from the Jordan side one day in 1961 and has a trou de mémoire there and then. The last three days of his life slide through the black hole and he very nearly sinks into the hole himself. Only slowly, and much later, does he and his memory re-emerge, and then there's a complete resurrection in his case, not to mention a transfiguration.
For me, the Mandelbaum Gate in this story came to symbolise a black hole in itself. Some people pass through it and emerge on the other side, diplomats and people on religious pilgrimages mostly. But for others, there might not be any resurrection should they attempt to pass through the Mandelbaum Gate.
This is my tenth Spark in a row and unlike several of the others, the memory of it is unlikely to disappear down the black hole. I enjoyed the characterization very much, as well as the various twists and turns of the unusually long narrative (most of her books are short). It's an unusual setting for Spark too, only one of the other nine books I've read has been set outside England, and that one, [b:Territorial Rights|425392|Territorial Rights|Muriel Spark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1401665427s/425392.jpg|2728077]...disappeared down the black hole almost instantly.
This one was written around the time of [b:The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie|517188|The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie|Muriel Spark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1379598918s/517188.jpg|6132856] which I like to think of as Spark's finest period. There were moments when I felt I was reading the alternative adventures of Jean Brodie, the real Prime as it were, since the main character here is a 'spinster' school teacher on a summer vacation in the Middle East. Her vacation soon veers from religious pilgrimage — the holy sepulcher and the tomb of Lazarus being highlights — to the intrigues of double and triple espionage. And, as you've probably guessed, she also disappears into a black hole soon after passing through the Mandelbaum Gate. You'll have to read the book yourself to find out on which side she re-emerges and how transfigured she is by her resurrection.
A book of many and various miracles.
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
I don't know, Muriel, I get the feeling that this book didn't age well and that you are working with some stereotypes here, which makes me feel uncomfortable.
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
2.0
To be honest, I felt that this book was always shooting itself in the foot with its narrative style. Any tension and interest that developed from glimpses of the future or seeing strange events unfold was always immediately undercut by the narration telling the reader the secret long before it would have been time for it chronologically. One example: Freddy's belief that there will be bloodshed. This could apply to any number of characters who are in danger in crossing the border between Israel and Jordan. But, about halfway through, the reader is told that the bloodshed does not happen in Jerusalem, but back in England. Immediately, any concern I felt for the characters in Jerusalem evaporated, and the characters in England were too flat to provoke any concern whatsoever. This same thing happened with multiple other mysteries or even interesting scenes I would have liked to read played out. This constant exercise in frustration left me wanting not to finish this book at all, but sadly I had to.
michael5000's review against another edition
4.0
Not really what I expected from Muriel Spark -- a touch of the international thriller here, kind of what you might get from Graham Greene if Graham Greene was entirely equal to his reputation.
melaniekelly's review against another edition
Slow boring writing. Story not going anywhere.
carlat22's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
eemanbeck's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75