A review by athravan
La guitarra azul by John Banville
4.0
The Blue Guitar is a look into the life of Oliver Orme, who by his own testament is a "painster", an angst filled frustrated artist. He comes across as a wind-bag, a whiner, a coward and a thief, yet despite his many negative qualities, does evoke sympathy. He lost his three year old daughter to illness and it's clear that he has been crashing downwards since then, a demonstration of the profound nature of grief, disappointment and desperation.
The first half of the book was a struggle for me to read. I don't read lofty literary fiction often; although mostly enjoy it when I do, but I found that the narrative was a little too static, a little too meandering and dare I suggest, even redundant, for me to connect to. There were times early on when I felt that the brilliant prose was there purely to show off the authors linguistic skill - which is tremendous.
As we moved on I became more involved with the book, more understanding of Oliver's character and his motivations. He is obsessed with the an objects "essence", something emotional, intangible and unobtainable. He no longer paints because of his frustrations over being unable to adequately portray that essence, so instead, has taken to stealing. The act of stealing, he believes, reactivates the object's essence and is more about the emotional loss that the previous owner feels, than any physical value the object has. His biggest theft to date is perhaps the most meaningful one - his friend's wife.
The writing is entirely reflective, leaping from storytelling to aimless meandering, from the upbeat to the melancholy. The subject and theme jumps around but the spirit of Oliver Orme is captured completely. Thinking about Oliver Orme made me consider and reflect upon my own life, my own disappointments and frustrations. I struggled to write this review, because ultimately I do not have the skill to put into words the musings that I took from this read, so all I can do is recommend it.
There is no doubt in my mind that John Banville is a master at his craft, obtaining what Oliver desperately sought, the ability to bring art to life.
I appreciate the opportunity given to me with an ARC of this book - my thanks go to Penguin and NetGalley.
The first half of the book was a struggle for me to read. I don't read lofty literary fiction often; although mostly enjoy it when I do, but I found that the narrative was a little too static, a little too meandering and dare I suggest, even redundant, for me to connect to. There were times early on when I felt that the brilliant prose was there purely to show off the authors linguistic skill - which is tremendous.
As we moved on I became more involved with the book, more understanding of Oliver's character and his motivations. He is obsessed with the an objects "essence", something emotional, intangible and unobtainable. He no longer paints because of his frustrations over being unable to adequately portray that essence, so instead, has taken to stealing. The act of stealing, he believes, reactivates the object's essence and is more about the emotional loss that the previous owner feels, than any physical value the object has. His biggest theft to date is perhaps the most meaningful one - his friend's wife.
The writing is entirely reflective, leaping from storytelling to aimless meandering, from the upbeat to the melancholy. The subject and theme jumps around but the spirit of Oliver Orme is captured completely. Thinking about Oliver Orme made me consider and reflect upon my own life, my own disappointments and frustrations. I struggled to write this review, because ultimately I do not have the skill to put into words the musings that I took from this read, so all I can do is recommend it.
There is no doubt in my mind that John Banville is a master at his craft, obtaining what Oliver desperately sought, the ability to bring art to life.
I appreciate the opportunity given to me with an ARC of this book - my thanks go to Penguin and NetGalley.