The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

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valbooker
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The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

Post by valbooker »

I read this book then went straight back and read it again. First time ever.Why is this book so close to perfect ? I annotate this book.I have never done that before. I put markers in so that I can quickly find the paragraph I want . I have to know where it is so that I can refer to it at any time..Anyone else similarly obsessed ?
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan »

That novel is an absolute triumph for Ford. It's so beautifully crafted that it makes me want to eat the entire book with chips. I wrote an essay for university on this in which I did a psychoanalytical reading of the novel. It's so complex and interesting that it just sucks you in immediately and refuses to spit you out :)
"Reason is intelligence taking exercise. Imagination is intelligence with an erection" -- Victor Hugo.
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valbooker
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Post by valbooker »

I picked the book up a couple of times in the local library and put it back on the shelf thinking ,' Two wealthy couples and their self-indulgent life styles who lived one hundred years ago. Nothing there for me.' Then one day, wanting a short novel for a train journey, I decided to give it another go. It's a cliché, I know, but I was blown away. I read it ,then read it again immediately. Then I started making notes on the sequencing .Then I read it again. It is a constant companion. It seems to be about all of us .I am not sure how Ford managed to get it so right. . It is complex and laugh out loud and grittily accurate about the horrors of being human.

-- 11 Oct 2014, 02:19 --

I picked the book up a couple of times in the local library and put it back on the shelf thinking ,' Two wealthy couples and their self-indulgent life styles who lived one hundred years ago. Nothing there for me.' Then one day, wanting a short novel for a train journey, I decided to give it another go. It's a cliché, I know, but I was blown away. I read it ,then read it again immediately. Then I started making notes on the sequencing .Then I read it again. It is a constant companion. It seems to be about all of us .I am not sure how Ford managed to get it so right. . It is complex and laugh out loud and grittily accurate about the horrors of being human.
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Redlegs
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Post by Redlegs »

I was super impressed with this book and captivated right from the opening sentence.

"This is the saddest story I have ever heard." What a fascinating opening. Truly the saddest? You have experienced nothing sadder than this? Why did you say it's a story you heard? You are the narrator and you were part of the story - you didn't just hear it!

The story unfolds from there and, yes, it's sad, but mainly it's a story of dysfunctional relationships and the abuse of power.

Ford has done a marvelous job with this and I have Parade's End sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. If only it is nearly as good!
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
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valbooker
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Post by valbooker »

Do you read Patrick White? I wept when he died because there wouldn't be anymore books by him. I particularly like Voss and Vivisector.And A Fringe of Leaves. And Solid Mandala. Do Australians like Patrick White ?

Am reading travel books at the moment. Do you know Ryszard Kapuscinski ? Just finished The Last Train to Zona Verde (Paul Theroux.)
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