A review by roosmarleen
The Invention of Dr Cake, by Andrew Motion
3.0
I knew on page 53.
This was a very interesting little book. At times, however, I really had to remind myself that Tabor is not Motion and that the whole story might be a complete fiction. I must say I am still not sure where this book stands in terms of historical accuracy. Regardless, I enjoyed the suspense and Tabor's description of Cake. The awe Tabor obviously feels in witnessing Cake's grand personality added a certain enchantment to his retellings that influenced my reading for the better.
I do not think of this as a book that I will read over and over again, but I am very glad to have read it (not least for the questions it asks of biography and fiction as larger concepts). I recommend this short read to anyone with an interest in biography, the Romantic poets or any interest in language at all.
This was a very interesting little book. At times, however, I really had to remind myself that Tabor is not Motion and that the whole story might be a complete fiction. I must say I am still not sure where this book stands in terms of historical accuracy. Regardless, I enjoyed the suspense and Tabor's description of Cake. The awe Tabor obviously feels in witnessing Cake's grand personality added a certain enchantment to his retellings that influenced my reading for the better.
I do not think of this as a book that I will read over and over again, but I am very glad to have read it (not least for the questions it asks of biography and fiction as larger concepts). I recommend this short read to anyone with an interest in biography, the Romantic poets or any interest in language at all.