A review by spiderfelt
Mrs Osmond by John Banville
4.0
Tasked with reading The Portrait of a Lady for my bookclub, I struggled to find any enthusiasm for the tome. By the time I reached the midpoint, I was tempted to put it aside. Instead, I borrowed audiobook of Mrs Osmond from my library and began to enjoy the two in tandem, reading the classic on my lunch hour while listening to the audiobook during my commute. Coincidentally, I finished them at the same time, enjoying both more than I had expected.
This style of writing is a departure from much contemporary writing, focusing on the life of the mind and the subtle interactions of characters instead a complex action-packed narrative. There is so little action, and so little dialogue, the reader is required to slow way down. It took several hundred pages before I was able to adjust my own attention and truly appreciate the work.
Banville does a masterful job of echoing the style and phrasing of Henry James. He reminds the reader of phrases and comments from the earlier novel throughout the text, merging the two harmoniously as if they were written by the same author.
This style of writing is a departure from much contemporary writing, focusing on the life of the mind and the subtle interactions of characters instead a complex action-packed narrative. There is so little action, and so little dialogue, the reader is required to slow way down. It took several hundred pages before I was able to adjust my own attention and truly appreciate the work.
Banville does a masterful job of echoing the style and phrasing of Henry James. He reminds the reader of phrases and comments from the earlier novel throughout the text, merging the two harmoniously as if they were written by the same author.