Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
17th out of 373 books
—
266 voters
Not Wanted on the Voyage
Not Wanted on the Voyage is the story of the great flood and the first time the world ended, filed with an extraordinary cast of remarkable characters. With pathos and pageantry, desperation and hope, magic and mythology, this acclaimed novel weaves its unforgettable spell.
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
March 14th 1996
by Penguin Canada
(first published 1984)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
fantastic. deliciously anachronistic and playful and yet deadly serious. findley wrote biblical people as PEOPLE, and not as eons-removed, idealised prophet-gods, as they naturally come across in the bible. he wrote angels as having fears and loves and moral scatteredness. he wrote singing sheep and a drunken piano. he wrote protagonists i didn't always like or agree with, and antagonists i could understand. he wrote well and simply.
i'm looking forward to finding more of his books. i thought th...more
i'm looking forward to finding more of his books. i thought th...more
I'm hesitant to call a book like this one of my favourites. I love a tale about a popular story that takes a different point of view or twist, and the narrative itself was constantly enthralling and a joy to read. My main beef with this book is that something violent happens to one of the female characters, possibly the most horrible thing I've ever read happening to someone, and I almost put the book down right there and didn't finish reading. I guess it's a good indication of how much I love t...more
3 likes · like · see review
view 2 comments
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
What a creepy, scary, fascinating and disturbing book. I can't say that I liked it - only that I was compelled to finish it. It is both devastating and thought-provoking. It's like a cross between Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and Crake and Oryx with a little Poisonwood Bible thrown in for good measure. On another level it reminded me somewhat of the Slave Narratives (the true stories on which Lawrence Hill based The Book of Negroes) in that it depicts horrific abuses of power and control whil...more
It's one of my greatest frustrations that Canadian Literature has become almost synonymous with the name "Margaret Atwood." Every reading list that I've ever seen about Canadian Lit has been dominated by Atwood: "The Handmaid's Tale", "Alias Grace", "Oryx and Crake", etc. It's not that there's anything wrong with enjoying Atwood, (although I can't name many people that do), it's just that her work offers a very limited scope on what Canadian literature is all about.
What about Aboriginal authors...more
What about Aboriginal authors...more
"Not Wanted on the Voyage is the story of the great flood and the first time the world ended. It is the story of who went on the ark and who was left behind. It is also the story of a divided family: of Noah, the tyrannical patriarch and God's magician; of his sons and their wives - Japeth and his victimized wife Emma; Shem the Ox and Hannah the survivor; the inventor Ham and Lucy - the enigmatic disturbing woman who is not what she seems. And finally it is the story of Noah's wife, Mrs. Noyes,...more
This book is written by one of Canada’s most beloved writers, Mr. Timothy Findley. In his version of the great flood you’re transported into biblical times, a world where Noah or Mr. Noyes is a misogynistic pig, whom I became to truly loathe, his wife that likes her drink and their offspring, one which is blue, and let us not forget the talking animals .
This story casts a different light on one of the most beloved tales from the bible, not the one young Christians are exposed to and fall in love...more
This story casts a different light on one of the most beloved tales from the bible, not the one young Christians are exposed to and fall in love...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
6 likes · like · see review
One of the trippiest books in CanLit. There are moments where you'll want to pull your hair out with frustration...alternating with moments of gorgeous black humour, and what seems to be a rather interesting inversion of the approach of George Orwell's "Animal Farm". The novel's main problem is that it might have too many targets at which to hurl its ironic torpedoes...
I can't recommend this to my students (be warned) because of some fairly graphic images, but it is so well written and such an interesting idea of Biblical "fiction." Could warp your head, but only if you let it. Oddly similar to Julian Barnes History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters. Only this one came first.
Looking for a novel written in the style of Magical Realism, this title by Timothy Findley came up often. So I finally searched it out at the library; it was my first read of his work and it won't be my last. I enjoyed his style of writing and his imagination twisted the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark into a fascinating, dark, tale the of chaos that can truly ensue when you're trying to fit two of everything into a confined space, and control it there for months. Definitely thought-provoking...more
Perhaps I'm not sufficiently intellectual to appreciate the subtlities in this book ... frankly, I found it unsatisfying. I picked it up because the premise of reading a fantastical story of what might have happened on Noah's ark was intriguing to me. I found the intial development of the characters interesting and I waited patiently for the plot to develop. However, once the storyline got to the point of boarding, I had to push myself to complete the book. I couldn't reconcile the cruelty and s...more
Best of my BBRLM for June 08 was Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findlay (8). I discovered this Canadian writer in the English language bookshop in Paris on my first trip and have enjoyed everything he’s written so far. NWONTV is a fictionalised (and somewhat blasphemous) account of the Ark (as in Noah’s), showing all the problems and jealousies and discomforts and downright unChristian values that underpin the story. Yahweh is a cantankerous old fool, selfish, demanding and disagreeable. He...more
Biblical mythology meets post-modern realism replete with a colorful list of characters.
Dr. Noyes (Noah) has a Mengelian like penchant for experimentation.
Japeth, his oldest son, takes on a blue tinge after narrowly escaping becoming the main course
to a band of ruffians. Mrs. Noyes, a proto-eco-feminist, gin craving, Dr. Doolittle who can talk to the animals.
And a rebellious LGBT angel by the name of Luci are just some of the Flavoured characterizations you will
Find in Findlay's flood-tale.
Somew...more
Dr. Noyes (Noah) has a Mengelian like penchant for experimentation.
Japeth, his oldest son, takes on a blue tinge after narrowly escaping becoming the main course
to a band of ruffians. Mrs. Noyes, a proto-eco-feminist, gin craving, Dr. Doolittle who can talk to the animals.
And a rebellious LGBT angel by the name of Luci are just some of the Flavoured characterizations you will
Find in Findlay's flood-tale.
Somew...more
Four stars only because I sobbed my eyes out reading this wonderful, but gut-wrenchingly sad book. Cat lovers especially be warned.
1 like · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
My favourite Findley.
A bizarre and frightening retelling of Noah's Ark-- this is not the typical sanitized nursery tale version. After all-- to paraphrase-- it's the end of the world. Animals are as well-rounded as any of the human characters, and often far more humane and dignified. Moments I will always remember: Yaweh's visit to Noah, his entrancement with a magic trick involving a coin and a bottle of water... and the sound of a crown of flies gathering within His carriage as He departs. His...more
A bizarre and frightening retelling of Noah's Ark-- this is not the typical sanitized nursery tale version. After all-- to paraphrase-- it's the end of the world. Animals are as well-rounded as any of the human characters, and often far more humane and dignified. Moments I will always remember: Yaweh's visit to Noah, his entrancement with a magic trick involving a coin and a bottle of water... and the sound of a crown of flies gathering within His carriage as He departs. His...more
This book is what got me hooked on Timothy Findley. It is beautifully written with such a satirical twist. I read it twice in a row. As I always find with Findley's books, there is always so much going on in them that you need to read them twice in order to fully appreciate it. This is one of my classics and one that I go back to when I am not sure what I want to read. Some people I have talked to claim it is anti-religion but I disagree. It is perhaps anti-organized religion but I think more th...more
I found Not Wanted ... hard to get into, it being partially from the perspective of a cat, after all. But I stuck with it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing is top notch, and the little details simply stick in your gullet as you're reading. There's some scenes I will never forget.
I've had a couple discussions about the book as I was reading, and it seems that different people come away with very different interpretations of the book. But by the end I think I had a pretty good handle on it...more
This was fantastic. The story telling was dark, funny, and very clever. Mythological and biblical, but somehow original. Blasphemous and endearing. The book condemns cruelty, authoritarianism and dogma as much as anything. Rich with allegory, although at times the existence of the allegory is more obvious than the meaning. Truly enjoyable and ready for discussion. The storytelling really was the strength and brilliance of the piece -- I'd contrast this to Charles Dickens who writes brilliant sen...more
In my opinion the book started off great. I was fully interested in the story, in his point of view. But somewhere in the middle I started getting disinterested. There were times where I found it disturbing and others very touching. But I think the disturbing ones won out and really creeped me out. I felt for the women in this book, and my favorite character was a cat. Yep, a cat. I have a soft spot for cats, especially the black ones.
Overall I'm glad that I read this book. I loved the imagery,...more
Overall I'm glad that I read this book. I loved the imagery,...more
Revelled in its' exquisite nastiness. Laughed at the seemingly vindictive treatment of so many iconic biblical and mythological archetypes and characters. Yet there is a point to it all and it made me think a little more critically about nature, the role of myth and the human condition. This version of the ARK story frankly rings more true in its characters behaviours and motivations than the original. You may be grossed out in parts but if you can embrace its irreverance, you will be rewarded i...more
Not Wanted on the Voyage took a while to gain steam, but once I was drawn into it, it was difficult to put down. There were issues raised that I will be thinking about for a long time to come.
Noah, a faithful yet thoroughly unpleasant and repulsive man, and his family are visited by Yahweh, who has been harassed and abused in His journey throughout the world. Yahweh is old and frail, and disgusted with what has happened to His creation. In the course of trying to cheer his guest up, Noah gives...more
Noah, a faithful yet thoroughly unpleasant and repulsive man, and his family are visited by Yahweh, who has been harassed and abused in His journey throughout the world. Yahweh is old and frail, and disgusted with what has happened to His creation. In the course of trying to cheer his guest up, Noah gives...more
When reading a book I tend to prefer the first 3/4 of the book over the climax and denouement. The bulk of the book before the crisis builds the characters. It tends to set a rhythm and establish grooves that the characters fit into. To bring the book to a close these balances are disturbed.
Its general premise is taken from Genesis and the story of the flood but little other than the water, animals and names are parallel with the Bible. I was almost turned away at the beginning by the fantasy-li...more
Its general premise is taken from Genesis and the story of the flood but little other than the water, animals and names are parallel with the Bible. I was almost turned away at the beginning by the fantasy-li...more
a rather whimsical and unorthodox version of Noah's voyage and the great flood. it exposes the flaws of male hierachy and the vengeful wrath of the biblical version of God.It was interesting and exposed humanity with its greed and ego.Noah was portrayed as a very limited individual with far too much power and no capacity too use it in a humane way.His wife and sons were just minions to achieve his objectives. the remainder of the world was nameless and therefore did not really exist. i found thi...more
I think this is my second favourite Findley novel. I really didn't enjoy it so much as I was engrossed in it. I didn't "enjoy" it because no character in it is enjoyable. The situation of the flood is not enjoyable. But really, would Noah's life with the family on board the Ark for so long with no-where to go be enjoyable? A trip with a family in a car for a length of time can get quite testy... Still, this is a must-read for any fan of Findley's work, or of the modern work of literature.
Having read (and disliked) The Telling of Lies , oh, I don't know, in that year known as Y2K that seems so long ago, I anticipated a rough relationship with this book, another choice for Canada Reads 2008. I was so so so wrong. Like the computer glitch that was said to be capable of ending the world, the distaste never arrived. The lovely feline on the cover was the initial reason I carried this book everywhere I went, but soon I was so engrossed in the story that I was reading it in every spar...more
I read this book an age ago, so if you read it something is--off--as far as language or situations, it's because I've forgotten those bits and only remember how funny this book was. The idea of a...well, I won't tell you...on board the ark is, in itself, a hilarious idea. Why not? And so Noah is portrayed as a bit of a boozer. According to the bible, he DID have a bit of a tendency toward the bottle. If you want to know what really happened to the unicorns? Open this book.
Nov 17, 2010
Garlan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010-reads,
what-i-call-literature
This epic retelling of the Flood and Noah's Ark defies any easy description. It is at times humorous, dark, and tragic; filled with both despair and hope. Findley is not kind in his depiction of Noah as a zealot and despot and he also paints blind adherence to religion as a greater evil to mankind (and animals) than some of the characters we have come to associate with evil. The story grows from an idyllic setting where Noah and his family live somewhat peacefully to their life aboard the Ark wh...more
This book was hard to start, once I realized how completely different it was from books I usually read. But, it being assigned reading for school, I decided to just get it over with. I quickly found that it was hard to put down. Soon, I was reading it more out of genuine interest than obligation. This book has a sort of dry humour that makes you think and characters that make you really feel - deep sympathy for some, actual hatred for others. Findley has done an amazing job giving an old story a...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Timothy Irving Frederick Findley was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.
More about Timothy Findley...
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“Complaints about reality are immature.”
—
6 people liked it
“They waited.
The door did not open.
The rain did not stop.
The darkness made a tent and covered them completely.”
—
5 people liked it
More quotes…
The door did not open.
The rain did not stop.
The darkness made a tent and covered them completely.”
