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427th out of 626 books
—
722 voters
Astonishing Splashes of Colour
Taking its title from a description of Peter Pan's Neverland, Astonishing Splashes of Colour follows the life of Kitty, a woman who, in a sense, has never grown up. As her moods swing dramatically from high to low, they are illuminated by an unusual ability to interpret people and emotions through colour.
Kitty struggles to come to terms with her life, including the loss of...more
Kitty struggles to come to terms with her life, including the loss of...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
December 13th 2005
by Harper Perennial
(first published February 1st 2003)
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Review published in the New Zealand Herald, November 2003
Astonishing Splashes of Colour
Clare Morrall
(Tindal Street Press, $29.95)
Reviewed by Philippa Jamieson
Astonshing Splashes of Colour was shortlisted for this year's Man Booker prize, and is certainly a well-crafted first novel and a good read. The prosaic style belies its subtlety and depth, and the author captures the ephemeral in solid form, translating universal themes of loss and family relationships into a poignant story.
The novel begin...more
Astonishing Splashes of Colour
Clare Morrall
(Tindal Street Press, $29.95)
Reviewed by Philippa Jamieson
Astonshing Splashes of Colour was shortlisted for this year's Man Booker prize, and is certainly a well-crafted first novel and a good read. The prosaic style belies its subtlety and depth, and the author captures the ephemeral in solid form, translating universal themes of loss and family relationships into a poignant story.
The novel begin...more
This is a strange and fascinating novel. Kitty, who narrates the novel, is a woman in her thirties who feels lost in various ways - she knows that when she was a young child, her mother was killed in a car crash and her older sister ran away from home, but she cannot remember either of them. She had a baby of her own who died, and she is haunted by this. She feels lost in a sort of Never-Never Land (the novel's title is a quotation from Peter Pan) and reality and fantasy get merged in her mind,...more
I tried. I really, really tried to finish this book, but I just couldn't. I always feel terrible for not finishing a book, but with this one, I also feel strangely relieved.
What made this book interesting to me was for one the title and then the concept: being raised as the youngest of a number of siblings, almost all brothers, never knowing her mother, Kitty tries to find out about the history of her family and especially her mother.
If the author had spent more time on the supporting character...more
What made this book interesting to me was for one the title and then the concept: being raised as the youngest of a number of siblings, almost all brothers, never knowing her mother, Kitty tries to find out about the history of her family and especially her mother.
If the author had spent more time on the supporting character...more
Jul 19, 2009
Sarah Sammis
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2006,
released
I read the book because of title and I enjoyed the few moments here and there when Clare Morrall played up her book's connection to Peter Pan but for the most part Astonishing Splashes of Colour left me bored. Kitty for a variety of reasons is a thirty-something adult who refuses to grow-up. It's not that she's young at heart or playful, she doesn't want to face the harsh reality that life can sometimes throw at a person.
Of course, there must be reasons for Kitty's withdrawal from the real world...more
Of course, there must be reasons for Kitty's withdrawal from the real world...more
Jujubean lent me this book to read an eternity ago. I was reading it over spring break as well! That's when I started it. So sad that it took me so long to read a book, all because of exams and uni work!
I loved it. It's one of those "day in the life" sorts of books. Not fast-paced, a lot doesn't really go on. It's more about how the story is told. I loved this narrator's voice. It's unreliable--the character is unreliable, she's MEANT to be unreliable. She is coupled with a character who is very...more
I loved it. It's one of those "day in the life" sorts of books. Not fast-paced, a lot doesn't really go on. It's more about how the story is told. I loved this narrator's voice. It's unreliable--the character is unreliable, she's MEANT to be unreliable. She is coupled with a character who is very...more
Short-listed for the 2003 Booker Prize, Astonishing Splashes of Colour received wide praise in Britain. Its title is drawn from J.M. Barre's Peter Pan ("Neverland is always more or less an island, with astonishing splashes of colour here and there") and is an appropriate reference as Kitty herself has regressed as a result of her sadness. "I don't feel grown-up anymore," Kitty says. "_
I finished this book about a week ago. When I began it, I loved it. It seemed to hold a lot of promise and mystery, and it did indeed hold my attention throughout. The main character is a little unbalanced, but not so much so that you can't relate to her and like her. The cause of the loss of balance is gradually revealed, but even more gradually revealed is the underlying cause: deception. I can't say more without having to declare this a spoiler. The book is very well written, but I must say t...more
A beautiful cover...an intriguing
title...an interesting blurb on the back of the book....I've learned
that all of these can promote excessive expectations and lead to a
dire case of book disappointment. Sometimes I think I'd rather know
too little about a book and thus come to expect little.
I had high expectations for this book. If you go into reading it
without expecting "astonishing splashes of colour", if you begin
reading, thinking, perhaps, "nice and interesting splashes", I think
you might rate...more
title...an interesting blurb on the back of the book....I've learned
that all of these can promote excessive expectations and lead to a
dire case of book disappointment. Sometimes I think I'd rather know
too little about a book and thus come to expect little.
I had high expectations for this book. If you go into reading it
without expecting "astonishing splashes of colour", if you begin
reading, thinking, perhaps, "nice and interesting splashes", I think
you might rate...more
I really enjoyed this book, just I didn’t like the end. It changed too fast from deeply and colorfully portrayed psychological world to high-speed action book. While Kitty sucked me like a black hole into her Peter Pan childish and confused perspective while trying to figure out why she was seeing everything in colours and discovering about her silent brothers and too distracted father, non existing mother and sister, and then slowly evolving into her own husband and child story – I thought, yes...more
This book was interesting. I don't think I would recommend it. The plot followed a strange, uneven trajectory. It started slow and a bit boring. A little more than halfway through there was a lengthy scene containing a plot twist that could have been carried out in half a page, but instead the same phrases were repeated over and over, making the scene far too drawn out. It was strange, because in this section of the book, the writing was really very poor, yet the remainder of the book was well-w...more
Dec 30, 2012
Melissa Lee-tammeus
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
on-my-shelf-at-home
This was a heart wrenching tale of a young quirky woman who is motherless and childless and wants to be neither. The only female in a houseful of men, she longs to know more of her dead mother while also mourning the loss of her own child. She slowly loses her bearings and her innocence and grief moved me in ways I did not expect. Even as she was doing things I could barely comprehend, such as stealing a child from a hospital, or seeking solace in her doctor's words, I could sympathize with her...more
One of those books you can't put down. The narrator (and main character) wins our sympathy immediately but the probability of leading a normal adult life is compromised by her increasingly devasting past. It provides interesting insight into the mind of someone who can no longer function normally. I didn't, however, think the "splashes of colour" aspect was explained properly. I also had a problem with her age - I couldn't come to grips with the fact that she was in her 30s, because she often so...more
I do not know where I got this book - it was in my to-be-read bag and had been there for some time! I thougnt perhaps taht I might have started it before and put it down, so I wasn't expecting much. I was therefore, very surprised at the intensity and depth of this book. It describes from a first person perspective the emotional/mental breakdown of a young woman who loses her baby in childbirth. I found myself completely caught up in her story and emotions - found the descriptions poignant and t...more
Clare Morrall. Astonishing Splashes of Colour.
« - Мы должны с этим смириться – устроить жизнь без детей, делать то, что хотим.
Мне трудно говорить. Смотрю на потолок и вижу крошечного паучка, устремляющегося к какой-то призрачной цели. А знает ли он, куда идет? Или откуда пришел?
- Да, - говорю я »
Звучит ли «да» согласием на предложение подчинить жизнь обстоятельствам, или же это ответ на собственный вопрос о том, откуда и куда движется представитель членистоногих на потолке, нам так и не сужд...more
« - Мы должны с этим смириться – устроить жизнь без детей, делать то, что хотим.
Мне трудно говорить. Смотрю на потолок и вижу крошечного паучка, устремляющегося к какой-то призрачной цели. А знает ли он, куда идет? Или откуда пришел?
- Да, - говорю я »
Звучит ли «да» согласием на предложение подчинить жизнь обстоятельствам, или же это ответ на собственный вопрос о том, откуда и куда движется представитель членистоногих на потолке, нам так и не сужд...more
Feb 12, 2012
Athena Kennedy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
booker-prize-nominated
This is the story of Kitty, a woman with a peculiar family history who has suffered a personal tragedy resulting in the loss of her unborn child - and the loss of her ability to have children. This experience has knocked Kitty a little off her rocker, and we follow her through a series of interactions that cause her to unravel further.
I really wanted to like this novel because of its title. As the first few pages indicate, "Astonishing splashes of colour" is a quote from Peter Pan, which evokes...more
I really wanted to like this novel because of its title. As the first few pages indicate, "Astonishing splashes of colour" is a quote from Peter Pan, which evokes...more
Splashy, yes. Astonishing? No.
I imagine a lot of people figured out early on in this book what the surprises would be. I'd like to think the plot was constructed as a stage for synaethesia, but even that seems hardly fleshed out.
Unfortunately my sympathy for the character, Kitty, didn't go very far, despite what are admittedly some pretty big troubles. Aside from her, the other characters seemed underdeveloped. They came with labels: the husband is "sanity in a can," the oldest brother "the su...more
I imagine a lot of people figured out early on in this book what the surprises would be. I'd like to think the plot was constructed as a stage for synaethesia, but even that seems hardly fleshed out.
Unfortunately my sympathy for the character, Kitty, didn't go very far, despite what are admittedly some pretty big troubles. Aside from her, the other characters seemed underdeveloped. They came with labels: the husband is "sanity in a can," the oldest brother "the su...more
Just about a 4 (although only just - partly because i'm going soft but more that i have too many 3 books). This started off very well. The characters were well defined and quirky, i liked them a lot. The story was interesting, exploring various family dilemma's very well (and it did cover quite a lot of different family situations all mashed up together - quite a lot for one family). I did think it lost it's way a little bit half way through but it picked up at the end. The twists were good. I w...more
I had a very hard time getting through this book. I wanted to like it, I really did. And there were some beautifully written parts, and some events really provoked a strong response in me. But overall, I found this book slow and winding and a bit dull. I was disappointed, since I was intrigued by the premise, and by the idea of Kitty having synaesthesia. I think this whole concept could have been taken much further, and used much more effectively, than it was.
It's so good! It's the kind of book in which I get fully engaged with the character that I miss her when the book is finished. I love the way the author makes the character lovable. I don't know really how to explain it. With Good in Bed, I had many times where I disliked the main character for her character flaws and weaknesses. I judged her. In Colour, I never ever felt that way. I wanted to help the other characters understand the protaganist and not judge her. The novel swallows you into its...more
Oct 03, 2009
Debbie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
local-author,
library-reading-group
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The cover of this book uses terms like 'solid', 'unassuming', 'not showy', and I worried it might plod. In fact it moves pleasingly quickly, with a series of events that will both shock and fascinate. There is a fair amount of humour, and anyone who has struggled with (or even without) children will sympathise with the main character Kitty. I guessed the main 'surprise' in the book before it came up, and I don't often do that. Nevertheless, it's still a 4 star for me.
Kitty Wellington ist die jüngste von sechs Geschwistern. Und vielleicht ist sie auch nie richtig erwachsen geworden. Kitty schreibt Gutachten für einen Kinderbuchverlag, und schon deswegen spielt sich ein Teil ihres Lebens stets im Reich der Phantasie ab. In der Realität ist sie 32 Jahre alt, verheiratet mit ihrem Nachbarn, und zutiefst traumatisiert durch eine Fehlgeburt, die dazu führte, dass sie nie Kinder haben wird. Der Versuch, diesen Verlust zu verarbeiten, führt sie zurück in die eigene...more
For me this story began slow, but I kept at it, because I loved Morrall's book, Natural Flights of the Human Mind. It is told in first person and there were many times throughout the book that I wanted to be out of the main character's head and be far away from her. The word "Astonishing" in the title is appropriate to the story as there are some astonishing turns of events that surprised me and kept me reading to the end.
This is my second book that I have read from this author. It is amazingly free from profanity and sexuality and yet she is a strong writer. It is her writing that carries the story along. It does not have a happy ending, but I could feel the healing in Kitty and even though she would probably experience some consequences for her actions, I could tell that she'd be okay.
This book is a lovely gem. I felt as if Kitty was a friend whom I could not wait to visit. The plot takes many surprising twists and turns, and I could not stop thinking about it, while reading. A wonderful book of self-discovery, and also about the impact that ones earliest experiences have on one. Also, a great study of the process of grieving.
I really want to give this 3.75 because it isn't quite a four (I have been giving too many 4 and 5 star) reviews. I read this last year and I can still remember what it was about which is a plus. It has a gentle emotional intelligence with a brooding sense of mental instability and loss. It kept me interested I was intrigued enough to stay with it.
I was surprised by this book. I wasn't anticipating how much I would grow to care about the characters. Kitty's behaviour frequently made me cringe but in the end I could understand her pain. This also seems like a good wake-up call for people suffering from depression. The story was depressing but it was told in a very interesting way and Kitty's colourful view of the world was unique.
Finalist The Man Booker Prize. A woman who feels so much emotional pain and becomes unbalanced by it. The book is about her relationship with her husband, brother and father. She is a very likeable character who makes very poor choices at times. Very well written but somewhat depressing to read.
Enjoyed this book - had a few good twists and turns, but i felt that there wasn't enough of the book given to these - the last 50 pages of the book could have been given more space and more questions answered which would have given more closure to the book. All in all, enjoyable
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“We sit together in silence for a while. This is what I have always liked about James. We can make a good silence together. There's something between us that doesn't need words or actions. It settles around us and I can feel it now, hovering gently, ready to wrap me in its nebulous folds, like a delicate lace shawl. I want it to be like this always, something inside us meeting and holding hands, something calm and soothing and healing.”
—
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Feb 27, 2009 10:36am
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