Reviews

Brother of the More Famous Jack: rejacketed by Barbara Trapido

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wanderaven's review against another edition

2.0

When Bloomsbury offered Brother of the More Famous Jack for early review of the reprint of this classic British novel, I was intrigued by the odd title and the lovely cover.

When I read the blurb by Elizabeth Gilbert, whom I like very much, and that Trapido is a a well known and celebrated author in Britain, and this is novel is a witty observation on manners, relationships, and a female bildungsroman, my brain became all inflated with anticipation.

But then I started this story about a narcissistic, flighty, and impressionable young woman and it all sort of deflated.

As others have said, yes, there are elements of heartbreak here to which the reader is supposed to relate, but I find it difficult to relate to a character who has eyes for an older man whom she discovers in very short order is gay and so is thus heartbroken (she's known him for such a very short amount of time, and everyone around her immediately told her he was gay, that to claim herself in love him him was ludicrous), and so instantly, instantly turns around falls in love with the next handsome boy in line of sight, with absolutely no reason for doing so. Difficult to feel sorry for or relate to a heartbroken character who couldn't possibly be feeling any semblance of actual love or even strong affection.

And so... yeah, I abandoned the book.

I wonder, and even strongly suspect, that I could be making a mistake here. The novel is highly rated on Goodreads, and I did laugh at much of what I read. The writing is witty and smart:

"He wears his shirt unbuttoned and reveals to me, thereby, that the hair grows like a blanket to his navel. I assume this to be a minor deformity which he bears with fortitude. "

But also sort of distracting and confusing. The truth is, I do actually believe I might try this book or another of Trapido's funny looking novels in the future. But today, this week, this season, it all felt a bit flat and dated and weary to me, and I just didn't feel any desire to keep going with it right now.

But just a heads up that I may very well eat my own words at some later date....

bjlinard's review against another edition

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challenging funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

kindledspiritsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

Brother of the More Famous Jack is one of those books where if you were asked to describe the plot it would sound incredibly dull. A young girl is introduced to an eccentric, intellectual family and becomes utterly infatuated with them à la Laurie in Little Women. She begins to date the eldest son of the family and when they break up she becomes estranged from the whole lot of them. After time spent living abroad and significant trauma, she reconnects with the family and falls in love with the younger son. However, this sparse summary captures none of the magic of the characters of this book. Everyone is so fully, beautifully realised and the writing is so sensual and funny and earthy and real that if by the end you haven’t also fallen madly in love with the Goldman family then I’m not sure that we can be friends. Just trust me and give it a read, it’s a short book so you have nothing to lose!

clementine__'s review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

blanham's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Brother of the More Famous Jack was a delightful but moving visit to the lives of a slightly bohemian family in the 70s and 80s (?). Our narrator, Katherine, an intelligent 18yr old, on the brink of starting university, is disenchanted with London suburbia and becomes quickly wrapped up in the lives of the Goldman’s in the Sussex countryside. Jacob and Jane Goldman quickly become substitute parent figures for her, and she begins a burgeoning romance with their eldest son. I found Katherine’s narrative voice compelling, comedic and reflective, and certainly a product of the growing women’s liberation movement in the late 20th century. However, I struggled with her submissiveness and wanted more for her character and the other female characters around her. I found the writers perspective difficult to unpick as the book ultimately felt quite hopeless for women at the end. I loved the Goldman family and wanted to spend more time with them all, but did sometimes find the scene of dialogue erratic and confusing. I did not enjoy the portrayal of the predatory relationship between Katherine and John Millet at the start of the novel, but again, the novel may be considered product of its time in this respect. All in all, well deserving of four stars and a recommended read for all.

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