Bournville by Jonathan Coe - Book Group June 2024 discussion thread
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8 watchers
15 Jul
2:42pm, 15 Jul 2024
46,016 posts
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Night-owl
Well finished the other day Had to check on Good Reads What a carve up and I gave that a 3 which meant it was OK though I can't remember a thing about it This one was OK too Enough to read some of his other books I did struggle with who was who and thought what was missing was a family tree. I liked Mary she seemed a good sort I'll give it a 6 |
29 Jul
3:35pm, 29 Jul 2024
69,049 posts
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LindsD
Sorry @Diogenes, I really didn't like this. It was an easy read and I read it quickly, but it felt to me like 'Janet and John do racism'. It was so simplistically written, all the characters were 2D, and predictable, and their dialogue was incredibly clunky. I also really didn't enjoy reading about the pandemic - too soon, it seems. Didn't enjoy the long signposting of Boris, either. Possibly also too soon. When I read the epilogue and found out that the part about his mother dying was based on real life, I went back and re-read it and it was moving with that knowledge, but it couldn't redeem the rest of the book. I gave it a 5 and I'm not sure I'll do any more J Coe. |
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29 Jul
3:40pm, 29 Jul 2024
69,051 posts
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LindsD
Seems it's just me 
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29 Jul
4:09pm, 29 Jul 2024
87,292 posts
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Diogenes
We can't all like the same thing. I was well-disposed to it from the start, I guess, and was in the market for an easy read.
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29 Jul
5:21pm, 29 Jul 2024
69,053 posts
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LindsD
True
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16 Sep
5:56pm, 16 Sep 2024
22,135 posts
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Chrisull
Just finished Bournville, and well @LindsD nails it for me. I did spot the section describing how his mother died , and it was like "this feels real, the detail here is just too exact", as I was reading it. But it increased the clunkiness, as it felt inserted in. It was a lovely, sad piece of writing, out of character with the rest of the book, barring some of the remembrances of Mary. I do like quite a few Coe books - trying to remember which ones (Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim? Which he sadly wrecks with the awful authorial interjection at the end, I liked the one he disowned Dwarves of Death too) and have not liked some of his best loved (What a Carve up - really didn't get on with, struggled with the last one - Middle England too). Wondering if I reread the earlier ones if I'd still like them, have I grown old and cynical??? Anyway the main problem was the clunkiness, didn't like the big occasions framing device of the dates, kept on confusing the brothers the characterisation was poor, half the characters felt like caricatures, and the ones that didn't (like Mary) seemed like they were based on real people, the main sex scene was pretty grim - maybe I just have an aversion to them. It just didn't convince. There was some occasionally interesting bits, but there was no continuity. I mean the Llyn Celyn stuff is interesting (I know about) but when Sioned throws a massive strop, it's like - hang on - surely if she felt that strongly, she wouldn't even be hanging out with the boys? It felt icky and contrived throughout, I really don't like novels explaining what covid is, what is was like - yeah we lived it. It adds nothing. I had a problem with Ali Smith doing the same thing in one of her recent ones - Companion piece was it? Or was it summer? Fortunately Ali Smith knows where to leave her strands hanging and unresolved - as in Summer - and just about gets away with it (although in Companion piece I don't think she did, and it suffers from similar issues), whereas Coe was too busy wrapping them up too neatly. Also it seems obligatory, the BS Johnson allusion in every book (yes "Like a Fiery Elephant" is STILL Coe's best book), and also the attempt at something slightly avant garde, which never really works out. Given I have family who met and married at Cadburys, I was expecting a little more insight other than allusions to the chocolate. Coe can and has written way better than this. Maybe because it was too close to home, it's hamstrung the rest of the novel... |
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16 Sep
5:59pm, 16 Sep 2024
22,136 posts
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Chrisull
(It's a 5 for me aswell)
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16 Sep
6:05pm, 16 Sep 2024
11,658 posts
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Fields
Not got to Bournville yet. From his other books Coe is always very readable but get the feeling he’s always trying to show off just how clever he is plus his liberal sensibilities. The house of sleep is one of my favourites, I quite liked Mr Wilder and Me but it ran out of steam at the end (think this is a common trait). I think I liked Expo 58 but can’t quite remember, it was a fairly opaque read. Reminds me of the film Alphaville for some reason. |
16 Sep
9:06pm, 16 Sep 2024
15,435 posts
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Little Nemo
Interesting review, Chrisull. The only thing I disagree with you about is the point about writing about COVID. Sometimes it's important if an author can describe something close to when it actually happened. It might prove to be invaluable to future readers rather than a later telling which tends to get filtered through other views. Depends on how well done it is though.
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16 Sep
10:19pm, 16 Sep 2024
69,788 posts
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LindsD
Totally agree @Chrisull
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