A brilliant noir farce, a dystopian vision of Britain, a family history and the story of an obsession. Michael is a lonely, rather pathetic writer,...
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Feb 04, 2012
Blair
rated it: 
Black comedy at its finest and a perfect introduction to Jonathan Coe's style. Genuinely harrowing in places (I don't think I will EVER forget the chapter focused on Dorothy) but this is an excellent, effectively told, gripping and funny story - and I loved Michael.
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Aug 25, 2011
Susan
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What a Carve Up! is so much more than a political novel, though it is certainly that. The Winshaw peeps represent all that was wrong with the greed decade (1980s) in Britain (when people I cared for couldn’t get a job or proper medical treatment on the national health). In spite of my disgust with those times, I’m delighted by Coe’s absolutely horrid, unabashedly over-the-top ‘baddies’ who represent what can go wrong when creeps rule. Also a plus is the ever-shifting narrative from first person
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Jul 12, 2010
Jasmine
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Normally if I don't enjoy a book that someone recommends me I assume that I must be missing something, they like it there must be something great about it.
I don't feel that way about this book. Even though nick hornby says coe is the greatest modern writer and Karen said this was his best book. I am not saying this book is bad, it isn't. It just didn't strike me as horribly amazing. What was great were both endings in the novel. Coe really starts to figure out what people like me wa More...
I don't feel that way about this book. Even though nick hornby says coe is the greatest modern writer and Karen said this was his best book. I am not saying this book is bad, it isn't. It just didn't strike me as horribly amazing. What was great were both endings in the novel. Coe really starts to figure out what people like me wa More...
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Feb 09, 2011
Zeruhur
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Questo romanzo di Coe può risultare affascinante e pedante allo stesso tempo. E' sicuramente rivolto al pubblico britannico e soprattutto a coloro che hanno vissuto direttamente l'epoca tatcheriana e pertanto per il lettore italiano, anche a conoscienza della cronaca internazionale, può risultare di difficile comprensione, trattanto certi archetipi della società inglese degli anni '80 che sono difficilmente rammentabili per chi ha vissuto altrove.
Coe presenta una famiglia di arrivisti e speculat More...
Coe presenta una famiglia di arrivisti e speculat More...
Nov 16, 2010
Valetta
rated it:
In partenza questo romanzo mi aveva enormemente entusiasmata e già gli avevo assegnato mentalmente 4 stellette. Col proseguire della lettura l'entusiasmo è andato un po' scemando: il libro continuava a piacermi, l'ironia di Coe mi conquistava sempre più, la sferzante critica della sconsiderata politica thatceriana (si dice così?) si faceva sempre più feroce e coinvolgente, eppure qualcosa mi infastidiva.. Quel "qualcosa" era il personaggio di Michael Owen, lo scrittore incaricato di sc
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Jan 29, 2011
Tancredi
rated it:
"Quando uscimmo dall’auto, il cigolio e lo schianto delle portiere aperte e subito richiuse parvero sbriciolarsi ed essere assorbiti anch’essi dalla pace che avevamo intorno: e mi fecero pensare – chissà perché – a segni di punteggiatura abbandonati sul bianco di un foglio vuoto."
Sia lode a Jonathan Coe! Questo è un romanzo capolavoro, anzi, è il romanzo, il romanzo per eccellenza! Che stile, che arguzia, che brio!
Da dove cominciare? C'è così tanto.
Partiamo dalla st More...
Sia lode a Jonathan Coe! Questo è un romanzo capolavoro, anzi, è il romanzo, il romanzo per eccellenza! Che stile, che arguzia, che brio!
Da dove cominciare? C'è così tanto.
Partiamo dalla st More...
May 29, 2011
Vasha7
rated it:
An angry savaging of the destruction of Britain by a few wealthy individuals, since WWII but especially during the "Thatcher Years"; though written in 1991 (with the Gulf War as recurring theme), a lot of it rings very true for the US in 2010. However serious in intent (and not shying away from depiction of the horrors committed by utterly unscrupulous greed), it is nonetheless written in a cockeyed, at times downright bizarre form, blending the ruined and ruinous personal lives of the
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Jul 28, 2011
Derek
rated it:
Splendid book which cleverly satirises - among other things - the idle selfish English ruling class, inhumanity generally, the meat industry, the "ooer missus" genre of English films, arms dealers, and much much more, not least the haunted house novel. All of this plus a clever character study of an inhibited man and how he - eventually, ultimately - lives out a fantasy that has plagued him all his life.
Very well written and cleverly constructed, with a well-controlled anger at injusti More...
Very well written and cleverly constructed, with a well-controlled anger at injusti More...
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Jul 29, 2011
Jayne
rated it:
Even someone as blind to allegory as me can spot that this is an attack on the self-obsessed Eighties in Britain under Margaret Thatcher. It's highly original if nothing else, and changes gear and focus so fast it can leave you highly disorientated. Oh, and it's all wrapped around a real film (the What A Carve Up of the title), which I have seen bits of since reading the book. Clever it certainly is.
Looking back at the book (it's a while since I read it), it's the small details that s More...
Looking back at the book (it's a while since I read it), it's the small details that s More...
Nov 04, 2010
Nikki
rated it:
This book was strangely readable. I did find it a bit too factual at points and the varying perspectives were sometimes tough when the character was not so interesting. The main character, Mark was actually quite intriguing and I wanted to spend more time with him. There was also a lot of political content here which is interesting for someone who doesn't follow politics religiously, and particularly in light of hindsight - it looks even more hilarious and tragic from today's perspective! The vi
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Nov 08, 2009
Becky
rated it:
This book is absolutely wonderful. I'd read it before a few years ago, and was itching to get my hands on it again. I'm not sure exactly why it's so great - fantastic characterisation, a hugely twisting and turning plot, hilariously funny, consistently surprising...it has it all.
Micheal Owen is an out of luck writer who was commissioned to write a history of the Winshaw Family, a hugely rich and hugely powerful family who between them manage to carve up pretty much every influentia More...
Micheal Owen is an out of luck writer who was commissioned to write a history of the Winshaw Family, a hugely rich and hugely powerful family who between them manage to carve up pretty much every influentia More...
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May 05, 2011
Karen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Nov 17, 2010
Morwen
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Ho letto questo libro su consiglio di un'amica, che è una grande fan di Coe. Per tutta la prima metà del libro sono rimasta favorevolmente impressionata dalla varietà di stili narrativi e dal fatto che le vicende dei membri della famiglia Winshaw si alternassero con quella del protagonista, autore di una biografia della famiglia stessa. Mi è piaciuta l'ironia con cui sono descritti i vari mali della società inglese sotto la Tatcher (ma non solo), ma non ho apprezzato fino in fondo alcune uscit
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Feb 20, 2011
Jessie
rated it:
Normally I find that books full of unlikeable characters make for unlikeable books. Here, though, the characters represent so many true to life political concepts that the book remained interesting. The main character, Michael Owen, also made the book redeemable. Owen is comissioned to write a history of a despicable family that controls all the major social forces: politics, communication, food, weapons and trade, and sees his obsessions and a family secret undermining his ability to functio
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Jun 30, 2010
Anna
rated it:
Hilarious and completely bizarre and I absolutely loved it. Jonathan Coe is so funny especially when he is being a bit political and throwing barbs at Thatcherism. There's an element of Dickens to this one with all the various characters and stories interweaving into a single whole. The Winshaws are a hugely important family in 1980s Britain involved in all types of industry - banking, politics, arms dealing, factory farming, art and media. Another one is killed in WWII and another is crazy.
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Jan 01, 2008
Sharktrager
rated it:
This book, in my opinion, is a masterpiece.
I think it's distinctly English and might not appeal to non Brits but it shouldn't matter.
Hilarious, satirical, heartbreaking, twists you never saw coming, loose ends tied up that you didn't notice were loose.
I think it's distinctly English and might not appeal to non Brits but it shouldn't matter.
Hilarious, satirical, heartbreaking, twists you never saw coming, loose ends tied up that you didn't notice were loose.
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Dec 04, 2011
Wileyacez
rated it:
Okay--this book was so much more than expected. It's an homage to a certain type of movie (and even an actual movie, "What a Carve Up!"), but it's also like Coe decided to use as many writing styles as possible to create the book. He even manages to have a section that is purportedly written in childhood--it's a cornucopia of fictional writing techniques. On top of it all, Coe seems to be having a grand time of it. The plot made me think of Snakes & Ladders--characters popped up her
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Sep 15, 2011
ilaria
rated it:
Ero indecisa per le 4 stelline, ma qualcosa non mi ha convinto fino in fondo. Comunque, un libro ben costruito, ben studiato e scorrevole. Mi sono arenata solo un pochino sulle parti più politiche, ma mi rendo conto della loro importanza nell'economia del romanzo.
Prima e seconda parte sono scritte con toni ben diversi: il protagonista, Michael, un personaggio inizialmente apatico e con poco spessore, assume via via toni più alti fino ad arrivare a essere estremamente attivo nella parte finale. P More...
Prima e seconda parte sono scritte con toni ben diversi: il protagonista, Michael, un personaggio inizialmente apatico e con poco spessore, assume via via toni più alti fino ad arrivare a essere estremamente attivo nella parte finale. P More...
Oct 03, 2011
Laura
rated it:
Jonathan Coe certainly does not lack the neccessary brio what his protagonist holds in such a high esteem. A novel, which started as an alloy of a historical panorama of the 80's and a family chronicle takes some dramatic turns just to end in a bloody suspense. Or a parody of a suspense, as the whole book is flavored with a considerable amount of sarcasm and irony. Some parts are very informative, I myself found the desriptions about animal breeding especially dreadful. Coe moves his character
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May 02, 2011
Coe scrisse La famiglia Winshaw in reazione agli sconvolgimenti sociali derivanti dalla sfrenata politica liberista attuata da Margaret Thatcher negli anni 80 in Inghilterra. L'opinione di Coe in merito non è delle più entusiaste, e si sente. Il libro è feroce nel mostrare l'impatto che certe scelte, particolarmente nel campo della salute pubblica e dell'agricoltura, hanno avuto sul benessere del singolo cittadino, che rimane annichilito di fronte ad una una serie repentina di cambiamenti ...
http://ghettodeilettori.blogspot.com/200... More...
http://ghettodeilettori.blogspot.com/200... More...
Jan 10, 2012
LC
rated it:
Jonathan Coe's novel starts and stops and flows in spurts that are not nearly long enough (especially those about Michael). To coin his own adjective, Jonathan Coe writes w/ "brio." For sure, I missed inside jokes and jests as a non-Brit and as someone unschooled in current affairs. Oh well, enough irony, wit, and "humour" abound for even an apolitical person to understand. All in all, a biting commentary on what the Western Powers have wrought globally since WW II. Now
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Jan 12, 2010
Rachel
rated it:
I loved this, and can say it's the first book I've really loved in ages. It's, I guess, a comic novel, which normally are not for me - but this totally got me.
It tells the story of the Winshaws, a sprawling and grotesque family full of greedy horrors, and is partly unfolded by our narrator Michael who is writing a history of the family and has plenty of his own problems.
It unfolds so brilliantly and there are so many great characters, it is rewarding from beginning to end More...
It tells the story of the Winshaws, a sprawling and grotesque family full of greedy horrors, and is partly unfolded by our narrator Michael who is writing a history of the family and has plenty of his own problems.
It unfolds so brilliantly and there are so many great characters, it is rewarding from beginning to end More...
Sep 28, 2010
Simon
rated it:
Satire aimed at all the right targets (Tories, stockbrokers, the landed gentry, big media etc) but, I don't know, just wasn't either funny enough or nasty enough to be properly satisfying. Seems to me that the comedy is all in the situation rather than the language and I found it all a bit stodgy and a bit lame, to be honest. (Jesus, what a tosser I sound. From this point forward I'm going to finish every review with this disclaimer: 'Still, this book is a trillion light years ahead of anythi
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Feb 10, 2012
bup
rated it: 
It was a carve-up.
Maybe I approached this book wrong. Not knowing much about it, except it was British and somewhat in the mystery realm, maybe it's my fault that because the first couple of hundred pages it was somewhat realistic, I thought the whole thing was supposed to be.
Yes, many characters were ruthless and without conscience from the get-go, but not unbelievably so. There were also plenty of real elements in the book - it is decidedly and concretely set, with Brit More...
Maybe I approached this book wrong. Not knowing much about it, except it was British and somewhat in the mystery realm, maybe it's my fault that because the first couple of hundred pages it was somewhat realistic, I thought the whole thing was supposed to be.
Yes, many characters were ruthless and without conscience from the get-go, but not unbelievably so. There were also plenty of real elements in the book - it is decidedly and concretely set, with Brit More...
May 10, 2011
Sonia
rated it:
Non sapevo che il titolo fosse diverso in inglese, ero proprio convinta che fosse lo stesso che in Italia e il titolo italiano mi aveva sviato, credevo si trattasse di una sorta di saga familiare...</p>
Non è così.
Sono due storie che si raccontano: quella di Micheal Owen e quella del libro che gli viene commissionato, una biografia sulla famiglia Winshaw. I capitoli si alternano e s'intersecano secondo lo stile di Coe, si passa dal racconto di una storia all'altra, dalla narrazione in prim
May 07, 2008
Gemma
rated it:
This is a very good and funny satirical novel which concerns a struggling writer mysteriously hired to write the history of the Winshaws, the most horrible family imaginable. The family is made up of a merchant banker, an arms dealer, a big agribusiness farmer, a sleazy art dealer and a daily mail type columnist as well as a government minister with responsibility for health, which gives Coe lots of scope for attacks on the worst excesses of these dishonourable callings. Set in the eighties and
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Mar 18, 2008
Madame Charlotte
rated it:
Je suis devenue accro à Jonathan Coe ! Testament à l’anglaise est un régal. Une famille d’aristocrates anglais complètement pourris symbolise à elle seule les pires tares de l’humanité : l’arrivisme forcené, la passion du pouvoir, de l’argent, l’écrasement de son prochain pour mieux arriver à ses fins…tout y est ! La première partie du livre nous dévoile chaque personnage dans ses activités lucratives. Politique, agro-alimentaire, média, chacun exerce avec talent sa rapacité et sa recherche de p
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Mar 09, 2011
Vito
rated it:
Il libro è avvincente come tutti i buoni romanzi, ma purtroppo non ho apprezzato molto l'eccessiva penna satirica di Coe che, secondo me, ha penalizzato la maggior parte dei personaggi (esclusi quelli che ruotano attorno alla vita personale di Owen), che infatti ne escono come macchiette tagliate con l'accetta.
Di contro, però, proprio questa vena satirica e di denuncia politica e sociale è ciò che impreziosisce il libro e lo fa emergere dalla grigia media.
Di contro, però, proprio questa vena satirica e di denuncia politica e sociale è ciò che impreziosisce il libro e lo fa emergere dalla grigia media.
May 09, 2010
Vi
rated it:
To many this is Coe's most popular and most influential book. Perhaps it's because I'm not British and the nuances of British life unde Thatcher was perhaps nto as meaningful as it may have been to a British, but Carve Up did not touch me as Coe's other books have. I think the difference was that Carve Up, unlike House of Sleep or ROtter's Club, was more plot driven whereas the former two was more character orientated which I suppose appealed to me more.
Jun 20, 2009
Denise
rated it:
My lips are sealed until after our book group discussion.....
OK, we've had our meeting. So now I can say that I was very disappointed. I really wanted to like it but for me it just didn't hang together.
The characters reminded me of those from Tom Sharpe's novels - caricatures without any redeeming features, but there were too many Winshaws causing me great irritation in having to continually refer to the family tree.
I liked the passages about Yuri Gagarin, and thought that Find More...
OK, we've had our meeting. So now I can say that I was very disappointed. I really wanted to like it but for me it just didn't hang together.
The characters reminded me of those from Tom Sharpe's novels - caricatures without any redeeming features, but there were too many Winshaws causing me great irritation in having to continually refer to the family tree.
I liked the passages about Yuri Gagarin, and thought that Find More...
