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Title:
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Possible Life, A |
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Authors:
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Faulks, Sebastian |
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Genre:
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Fiction |
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Pages:
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294 |
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Year:
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2012 |
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Publisher:
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Random House |
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Language:
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English |
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Description:
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Subtitled a novel in five parts, this book transports the reader to different settings and time periods while encountering diverse characters. Whether it is Geoffrey Talbot in World War Two, Billy Webb in a Victorian workhouse, Elena Duranti, a 2029 neuroscientist, Jeanne a servant from 19th century France, or Anya King, a 1970s singer/songwriter, each story is beautifully rendered and can stand alone.
However the intriguing connections between stories, the most notable being love and loss bring the work to a complete and satisfying whole.
Comments from Groups: Great book which led to a robust discussion. Dunedin 001 Extremely well written, vibrant characters. Enjoyed by most of us, although we did feel it was not up to his usual standard. Rotorua 006 Not so much a novel as five random stories not making a novel. Seemed to have little cohesion or direction. Auckland 174 Very well written. Enjoyed all of it. Characters very well drawn and believable. Wellington 178 Feelings were mixed about this. Everyone thought it was short stories. We felt the author wasn't really successful in connecting things in a meaningful way. Dunedin 033 Some stories were preferred over others and we all agreed the writing was excellent. We didn't regard this book as a great read like, for example, 'Birdsong' by the same author. Characterisation quite well developed but some of us felt the stories were quite detached and emotionally cold. Auckland 037 This is a beautiful book and we all loved it. There was great sadness, love, poverty, hardship - all portrayed in the five stories. The interconnections we found fascinating. Wellington 041
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Categories:
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Fiction, Short story/essay, Grief/loss, Human Rights, Morals/Ethics, Social commentary/perspectives |
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Reviews
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By: OAMAR 004
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2025-05-12 11:20:32 |
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A great read. |
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By: TAUR 015
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2024-03-11 11:58:19 |
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The group really enjoyed the book and it provoked good discussion. We enjoyed the versatility in Sebastian Faulk's writing, amazing research done to pull 5 characters, time periods and lives together. Masterful writing and so engrossing. The notes were very good in providing a synopsis of each story, vignette and identifying themes, which we hadn't considered. |
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By: TEKAP 001
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2021-09-24 13:14:00 |
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The majority of the group was not overly excited. The links were too obscure and there was little room for hope. The last story was generally considered a waste of time. |
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By: RUSS 004
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2021-09-24 13:11:51 |
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Mixed feelings about this book but all agreed it had a depth and complexity that meant it was far more enjoyable on a 2nd reading!! Also a book to be discussed rather than just read, as the connections and links between characters were brought out in round the table talk and personal understandings of the book. |
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By: MTMA 001
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2021-09-24 13:08:41 |
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This book went down very well. We all had some different ideas on the stories, making it a very interesting meeting. |
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By: ASHH 001
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2021-09-24 13:07:37 |
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This book gave rise to different responses. A majority found the stories rather depressing, one said "weird". Others really appreciated Faulk's writing skill and the mood he created. The concept of the stories being a novel was challenging - it required some real wrestling with what the author was trying to achieve. |
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By: WELL 012
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2021-09-24 13:00:58 |
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We had a detailed discussion about what the links between stories might be. |
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By: KAIK 001
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2021-09-17 15:00:10 |
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The majority of us loved it, although had difficulty finding some of the connections - definitely a book that would benefit from reading twice! |
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By: FEILD 002
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2021-09-17 14:58:07 |
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Some thought the stories needed more relief from sadness. Those who liked it, liked it wholeheartedly. |
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By: AUCK 055
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2021-09-17 14:56:59 |
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Worth a second reading. Challenging and thought-provoking. |
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By: CHCH 395
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2021-09-17 14:55:41 |
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We enjoyed the 5 individual stories but failed to find a so called connection between them! A worthwhile choice nevertheless. |
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By: PICT 002
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2021-09-17 14:54:09 |
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Our discussion by email. Book well liked. Interesting thread of love gained and lost through all the stories. |
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By: TAUR 049
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2020-10-30 13:32:52 |
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Interesting use of structure in the formation of this novel! But as always with Faulks, great taut and expressive writing. Much food for thought. |
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By: NELS 023
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2020-10-30 13:30:56 |
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We all appreciated the wonderful writing and the way the author captured the characters in each story. Some members could see links - others just enjoyed the book. |
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