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31st out of 100 books
—
31 voters
The Undertow
by
Jo Baker
The American debut of an enthralling new voice: a vivid, indelibly told work of fiction that follows four generations of a family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century—a novel about inheritance, about fate and passion, and about what it means to truly break free of the past.
This is the story of the Hastings family—their secrets, their loves and losses, dreams and he...more
This is the story of the Hastings family—their secrets, their loves and losses, dreams and he...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
May 15th 2012
by Knopf
(first published 2011)
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Was looking for a book to borrow from the library for my new Kindle and happened upon this, knowing absolutely nothing about it, not really expecting too much. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a haunting novel that spans four generations of of a British family, starting with William Hastings as he marches off to World War I, leaving his pregnant new bride who spends her days longing for the postcards he sends from the "exotic" places he was posted to. The novel is broken into rather short sec...more
"Don't look beyond the next ten yards," is the advice Mr. Rudd gives Billy Hasting, a cyclist and the second generation Hastings protagonist in this multi-generational novel. The advice echoes forward across the years to the final Hastings, Billie, who has learned from her family history to take her joy when and where she can find it. In juxtaposition to this perhaps hopeful advice is the looming shadow of the evil Mr. Sully and his bitten-off earlobe, saved by Billy's mother and accidentally pa...more
It feels terribly clichéd to talk about words painting pictures but, although I have tried to find other words, I can really think of no better way to express my feelings about this book.
The author allows her reader to observe lives, visiting and watching. And it works beautifully, because she understands the maxim show don’t tell.
She writes in the first person present tense, something I don’t usually like. But after the first page I didn’t think about it. I was caught up.
The story opens in The...more
The author allows her reader to observe lives, visiting and watching. And it works beautifully, because she understands the maxim show don’t tell.
She writes in the first person present tense, something I don’t usually like. But after the first page I didn’t think about it. I was caught up.
The story opens in The...more
It took me a little time to get used to Baker's quickly changing time frame, but not long at all to decide this book was truly going to be one to think about long after finishing. The Undertow takes a family through four generations in England starting with the First World War and going to 2005. What I found most interesting was the old recurring theme (Jane Eyre is a good example) of how people are molded by their pasts and their parents' pasts. "... her little girl, who inherits Madeline's pen...more
Jo Baker's American debut of a novel is an enthralling, moving story of one family crossing four generations of time. The chapters move from one couple to the next, including their children and the process of growing up along the way. Each generation encounters their own unique hardships, including different wars, and Baker illustrates these challenges eloquently, allowing the reader to easily connect with the characters.
William is the first man discussed, and goes into the Navy in 1914. His so...more
William is the first man discussed, and goes into the Navy in 1914. His so...more
I won this novel as a giveaway on Goodreads.
This is a generational novel that follows four generations of the Hastings family from William in WWI, his son Billy, a champion cyclist who ends up in WWII, his son Will who becomes an Oxford professor, and his daughter Billie, who is an artist in present day. This book was originally published in the UK with the title The Picture Book. The former title refers both to a book of postcards the original William sent back from WWI, but also describes the...more
This is a generational novel that follows four generations of the Hastings family from William in WWI, his son Billy, a champion cyclist who ends up in WWII, his son Will who becomes an Oxford professor, and his daughter Billie, who is an artist in present day. This book was originally published in the UK with the title The Picture Book. The former title refers both to a book of postcards the original William sent back from WWI, but also describes the...more
Sep 06, 2012
MountainShelby
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-reviews
Jo Baker's fourth novel is a tale of four generations of the Hastings family, beginning with William in 1914 and extending finally to Billie more than 90 years later. We begin the novel deep inside World War I, then follow through a series of marriages, childbirths, entanglements, struggles with poverty and place--all against the background of London before, during, and after World War I, II, and beyond. That's a dizzying pace, but Baker manages to let the tale flow smoothly and easily, never ja...more
The Undertow, by Jo Baker, Narrated by Anna Bentinck, Produced by Audiogo, downloaded from audible.com.
This family carries us through four generations of the Hastings family. Young Will Hastings goes off to WWI and sends his wife postcards from every place he is sent. He doesn’t return from war. His son, Billy, grows up with bicycle racing and then goes off to WWII. He survives the war but is a damaged man. He takes his anger out on his own son, Will, who has to overcome a crippling condition, a...more
This family carries us through four generations of the Hastings family. Young Will Hastings goes off to WWI and sends his wife postcards from every place he is sent. He doesn’t return from war. His son, Billy, grows up with bicycle racing and then goes off to WWII. He survives the war but is a damaged man. He takes his anger out on his own son, Will, who has to overcome a crippling condition, a...more
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way, and Jo Baker does a fine job of presenting that desperation.
The novel follows four generations of a British family, from the onset of WW I through modern times. Each generation struggles with poverty in a manner befitting the setting, and each generation is possessed of a certain hope that things will get better so they hang on.
The author uses present tense to lend a sense of immediacy, drawing in the reader. The characters are so thoroughly Br...more
The novel follows four generations of a British family, from the onset of WW I through modern times. Each generation struggles with poverty in a manner befitting the setting, and each generation is possessed of a certain hope that things will get better so they hang on.
The author uses present tense to lend a sense of immediacy, drawing in the reader. The characters are so thoroughly Br...more
I received this book via a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I know I gave this book two stars, but it's not because it was such a terrible book, I was just really disappointed. I guess I set myself up with high expectations because it seems like I should have liked this one.
My first issue was that I never really connected with any of the characters. Beyond the fact that none of them were all that likeable, it was a little annoying that everyone in the family was some variant of William. Towards th...more
I know I gave this book two stars, but it's not because it was such a terrible book, I was just really disappointed. I guess I set myself up with high expectations because it seems like I should have liked this one.
My first issue was that I never really connected with any of the characters. Beyond the fact that none of them were all that likeable, it was a little annoying that everyone in the family was some variant of William. Towards th...more
I was pulled into "The Undertow" right away. It's a novel that follows the lives of one British family from the death of a father and husband during World War I through present day. I'm always fascinated by stories that span multiple generations because they show us how forgotten events percolate down through time and shape our lives. Baker crafts her prose carefully as she moves between different perspectives--a novel like this is a challenge because of the span of time it covers, but she is ab...more
Eh. Interesting premise, but under 350 pages to tell your story of four generations is not enough. No character is fleshed out, what is put on paper is highly unlikeable. These are really not people I want to read about. Except Billie, who's ok. But she's too little, too late. We don't spend much time with her either. Baker keeps lighting down on our protagonists during not particularly interesting times. Major events in their lives have either happened in the past or is yet to happen. This is a...more
If you like stories that deeply explore a concentrated slice of life, The Undertow will provide you with a very satisfying read. Personally, I like that type of writing and believe it is accomplished very effectively by British writers. Jo Baker reminds me of writers like Helen Dunsmore, Mona Simpson, Margo Livesey - writers who give us a worldview where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. By exploring several generations of the same family, focusing on how people react to circumstances...more
I hate to admit this, but I almost gave up on this book during the first 35 pages or so. It was something I just picked up at the library (I loved the beautiful cover) on a whim, so I didn't feel particularly compelled to finish it.
Then, I decided to give it one more chapter. And when I looked up, one hour and 150 pages later, I was in love.
The book really is just a series of moments covering the course of a century in the Hastings family, but what beautiful and heartbreaking moments they are....more
Then, I decided to give it one more chapter. And when I looked up, one hour and 150 pages later, I was in love.
The book really is just a series of moments covering the course of a century in the Hastings family, but what beautiful and heartbreaking moments they are....more
Multi-generational, English, what's not to like? Actually, this is just my kind of book, strong on story telling. The four main characters each bump into war with more or less lethal consequences, but the stories are personal and not dominated by current events. So this is not a historical novel but an exploration of individual lives and their relationships. The author skips across time, moving in and out. Sometimes you get glimpses of what is happening and other times you get detail. Very succe...more
"A multi-generational" read that flies through the years through family. Family connections are shown in this tale the Undertow. I'll keep this review short and sweet! Um let me say this is not my favorite genre. So this book is basically a scrapbook to me and is written in the third person. This book was written and published in the UK. I liked the novel more than I thought I would. The book is written in that contemporary classic way which I would stick on the same shelf as The Paris Wife, Whi...more
I won a copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway.
The Undertow is the story of four generations of the Hastings family, spanning from World War I to the present day. The narrative starts with William, who is in the navy during World War I. His son Billy becomes a famous cyclist and eventually participates in the D-Day landings. Billy’s son Will must fight a daily battle to overcome a disability. And Will’s daughter Billie is an artist in present-day London struggling to achieve her dreams. Eac...more
The Undertow is the story of four generations of the Hastings family, spanning from World War I to the present day. The narrative starts with William, who is in the navy during World War I. His son Billy becomes a famous cyclist and eventually participates in the D-Day landings. Billy’s son Will must fight a daily battle to overcome a disability. And Will’s daughter Billie is an artist in present-day London struggling to achieve her dreams. Eac...more
Starting just before WW1 this is the story of 4 generations, each one with their own talents. The final focus on the gt grand daughter neatly pulls together the story. In the final two pages the story links to the future and events which the reader will be familiar with. Although I didn't like all the main characters by an means it was an enjoyable read. There were some open ends which kept the tension going. There was no sense of the author giving her opinion - the characters talked for themsel...more
This book was beautifully written with rich, deep characters and a compelling storyline. The story spans four generations with a feel of short stories about each yet neatly intertwined so that the book has a nice overall flow. This story was hard to put down, which is surprising for me since I am usually impatient with short stories as they often leave me wanting more. Instead, this book gave enough detail to make me love and enjoy the characters, yet kept moving at a rapid pace.
Reader received...more
Reader received...more
This is a pretty great read....multi-generational family story, but with an interesting format skipping lots of time between chapters. Characters face crucial moments in their lives, and that may be all we see of them - but it is enough, and we are on to the next generation, and it all makes sense and hangs together. Really good writer. (that sounds so lame....but she is a really good writer. Really.)
One of the most boring books I've ever struggled through. There was little character development and the only tension was provided by the character of Sully, who threatened, but never seriously, three generations of the Hastings family. When he showed up yet again in Oxford, I began to wonder just how long Sully was going to live! Don't waste your time or your money,
The story started out promising, but somewhere in the telling of the 2nd generation's tale, I lost interest. I was expecting more of the antagonist, Sulley, to appear throughout the book, but he just disappeared half way through. I barely was able to finish - in fact, I only skimmed through the story of the 4th generation of this family.
About how life changes us, unexpectedly, and how different people deal with that, how those changes affect others close to us. The book follows four generations of an ordinary British family beginning in WW1 era. It was different, but I enjoyed it. I was annoyed by the periodic popping-up of the character Sully, and even had to quit reading the book for a bit because of it. But otherwise, it was touching. I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway.
I picked this up because I liked Fleur's review of it. If you're in the mood for a family tale that takes you from 1914 to, I forget exactly, 2000 and a bit, but isn't exactly a family saga then this is the thing to read. Short portraits of the lives of four generations that make a great story when they are put together. Quite delightful.
Intriguing family drama with each generation offering a 'William' (or Bill or Billy.) Each character is both a product of kinship and relationship and of his or her own particular era and each comes very much alive under the author's subtle but precise hand. Strongly affecting and ultimately satisfying.
Generations of the Hastings family searching in vain for happiness in life; William dies in WWI, Billy is a failed cyclist, Will cannot be the athlete or fit in for his father-until finally his daughter, Billie, finds true love and contentment and purpose in life while also savoring the history of her family. Disappointing style, but I did feel compelled to finish it and Billie's story was the best part.
Family saga featuring the Hastings family--William, who goes to war in 1914, his son Billy, who goes to the next war, his son, Will, and his daughter Billie. This story captures generations of love, fear, secrets, weaknesses and other foibles of human life. Good story all the way to the end!
A very beautiful story all around. Not so much the characters but their lives are what is most interesting to me. This author has great storytelling skills that will make you keep the book in your hand till your done reading! Thanks for a speedy delivery.
Xoxo
Goodreads winner
Xoxo
Goodreads winner
This was a very strong novel with just one flaw, and that would be the inclusion of the character Sully. He was such an insignificant man, with one little secret, and yet he would appear into the story every decade or so and cause major upheavals to the lives of the main characters. It just didn't ring true, and it was when he Finally completely disappeared from the story that the novel really began to shine. Loved the ending !
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Jo Baker was born in Lancashire. She was educated at Oxford and at Queen's University, Belfast, where she completed a PhD on the work of the Anglo-Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen. Her first novel, Offcomer, was published by William Heinemann in 2001. Her second book, The Mermaid's Child, is was published in August 2004. Jo Baker has also written for BBC Radio 4, and her short stories have been includ...more
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31 lug. 11:37