<![CDATA[The Untouchable (Vintage International)]]>

false <![CDATA[The Untouchable (Vintage International)]]>

163

A brilliant, engaging, and highly literate espionage-cum-existential novel, John Banville's <i>The Untouchable</i> concerns the suddenly-exposed double agent Victor Maskell, a character based on the real Cambridge intellectual elites who famously spied on the United Kingdom in the middle of the 20th century. But Maskell--scholar, adventurer, soldier, art curator, and more--respected and still living in England well past his retirement from espionage, looked like he was going to get away with it when suddenly, in his 70s and sick with cancer, he is unmasked. The question of why, and by whom is not as important for Maskell as the larger question of who finally he himself really is, why he spied in the first place, and whether his many-faceted existence adds up to an authentic life.

1196354

1997

The Untouchable (Vintage International)

total:272|5:88|4:113|3:45|2:19|1:7|

272

1072

538

4 1 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 13:03:30 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 12:42:15 -0700 2009 Roman a clef...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Apr 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 11:52:14 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 21:50:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Feb 29 17:00:24 -0800 2008 Sun Sep 16 12:50:57 -0700 2007 Fri Feb 29 16:59:56 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Mon Nov 10 11:17:07 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 11:17:07 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 22:24:20 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 07 21:43:42 -0700 2008
Update: What a treat! I finished this a couple nights ago, and right now this is a really strong candidate for my b...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 09 08:25:24 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 19:29:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 30 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Mar 05 16:24:49 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 15 04:49:35 -0800 2009 2 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Dec 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 13 17:02:29 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 23 07:00:00 -0800 2008
Granted, if Banville were to seriously d...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Sep 16 16:35:23 -0700 2007 Wed Mar 05 08:11:25 -0800 2008
I picked it up again la...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 1998 Sat Jan 17 19:58:29 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 21:55:57 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 15 09:36:20 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 16:04:38 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Oct 06 17:47:47 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 06 17:47:47 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Jul 28 07:12:03 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 07:17:42 -0700 2007
But as I read further, the pull of the story is gentle but undeniable. Set in London and alte...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon May 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 29 16:41:45 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 11:20:06 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 17:40:12 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 17:42:41 -0700 2009 2 0 true false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Nov 07 16:13:08 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 06:44:26 -0800 2008
.......

I've given up. I liked the first 3rd of it very much. I liked it much...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 29 12:39:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 29 13:00:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Aug 01 14:12:52 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 08:02:56 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 09:31:29 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 27 07:43:43 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sun Mar 01 03:39:42 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 03:40:44 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=163