The Game

Once you’re aware of it it’s impossible to approach this book without assuming that it’s autobiographical, at least in part. Of course there’s a smattering of autobiography in most fiction but when Byatt’s sister read the book she was less than forgiving:She may not have known what she had done unti......more

Hm. I was hopeful about this book, but ultimately it felt muddled. Not as clear and confidently executed as Possession (the only other book of hers I’ve read). The amount of effort put into The existing characterization was disproportionate to the actual events and excitement of the plot. I was expe......more

This is the first book I've read by A.S. Byatt, and I can't wait to read more. I love her inter-textuality and the magical way she combines metaphors and associations to convey her characters' experiences of the world. I found a lot of 'truthful dialogue' in this book; words that really struck at me......more

Good, but meh. Byatt's characters routinely quoting Coleridge and falling passionately over abstract thought made more sense when it was delivered by literary scholars in Possession. True, this book focuses on a medieval scholar and a contemporary author, but it's still far-fetched and was hard to f......more

the girls who get it get it pienso......more