A haunting, dazzling novel of obsession and addiction, loyalty and betrayals life, Bordeaux is a haunting story of obsession and addiction, loyalty...
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May 15, 2011
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Mar 22, 2009
Stephanie
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British novelist Paul Torday's bestselling debut novel, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, was a snarky but ultimately feel-good comedy, involving a protagonist who breaks out of quotidian drudgery thanks to a new passion (in that case, fishing).
In his second , there is again a protagonist who raises his nose from the grindstone one day to unexpectedly discover a hitherto unfelt passion (in this case, wine), the new obsession changing his life forever.
Unfortunately, what life has in store More...
In his second , there is again a protagonist who raises his nose from the grindstone one day to unexpectedly discover a hitherto unfelt passion (in this case, wine), the new obsession changing his life forever.
Unfortunately, what life has in store More...
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Mar 26, 2010
Maria
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Nov 16, 2008
Nigel
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A much more bleak and sombre second novel from Paul Torday who debuted with the entertaining Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The main character here becomes increasingly dislikeable as his wrong-footed life choices come home to roost. Wilberforce makes for a thoroughly unreliable narrator as he seeks to justify his alcoholism and betrayal of his friends. He's a man who ventures out of his depth and sinks rather than swims. The reverse timeline structure makes the story all the more poignant and at
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Jan 19, 2011
Laurie
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Wilberforce (he's never called anything else in the novel) is a driven but talented software developer, a child of unknown parentage adopted at birth by a well-meaning but wool-gathering woman and her academic but thwarted husband. He sees himself growing up largely loveless, though one of the things I feel is missing from the novel is more about his relationship with his adoptive mother. (His adoptive father either ignores him or disparages him.) He and a buddy find success in software developm
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Jan 06, 2011
Bronwyn
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Even though this book is quite a different genre to what I usually read I found it compulsive listening.
This story is told in four sections, each describing a different year, starting in 2006 and finishing in 2002.
The book begins with Wilberforce as a befuddled drunk, staggering around Mayfair, drinking 250 units of alcohol every week. He spends six grand on two bottles of 1982 Petrus in a restaurant and drinks them alone at a table.
Wilberforce had been a computer g More...
This story is told in four sections, each describing a different year, starting in 2006 and finishing in 2002.
The book begins with Wilberforce as a befuddled drunk, staggering around Mayfair, drinking 250 units of alcohol every week. He spends six grand on two bottles of 1982 Petrus in a restaurant and drinks them alone at a table.
Wilberforce had been a computer g More...
Aug 05, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
Paul Torday’s debut novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic writing. It was serialised on radio, and appeared on many UK lists of summer reads, including the coveted Richard and Judy endorsement.
Readers expecting more light comic relief will be disappointed with his second novel. I was delighted. Wilberforce is a 37-year-old IT engineer, who sells his business to drink. This isn’t as odd as it sounds. He did, after all, buy a house with an un More...
Readers expecting more light comic relief will be disappointed with his second novel. I was delighted. Wilberforce is a 37-year-old IT engineer, who sells his business to drink. This isn’t as odd as it sounds. He did, after all, buy a house with an un More...
Dec 27, 2011
Robin
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Had this been the first Paul Torday novel I had read, it would likely have been the last! No doubt a newish author wants to prove himself but this is just an exercise in trying to be different or show off, I think.
The whole book is a flashback starting at the end and working back to a vague beginning. Except it neither begins nor ends so the reader is left wondering what happened [if indeed, he is that engaged with the story or character].
This may be an interesting concept More...
The whole book is a flashback starting at the end and working back to a vague beginning. Except it neither begins nor ends so the reader is left wondering what happened [if indeed, he is that engaged with the story or character].
This may be an interesting concept More...
Jul 30, 2011
Tracy
rated it:
Sadly, this was not the book to read whilst exploring vineyards in France, though I can hardly blame the author for my poor timing!
A very sad read indeed, certainly not as uplifting or as funny as Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The depressing tale of Wilberforce's descent into alcoholism is told over four vinatges, and the novel starts with the final year and works backwards. I had hoped to feel more concern for Wilberforce as the author revealed more about how his obsession with wine had begun. More...
A very sad read indeed, certainly not as uplifting or as funny as Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The depressing tale of Wilberforce's descent into alcoholism is told over four vinatges, and the novel starts with the final year and works backwards. I had hoped to feel more concern for Wilberforce as the author revealed more about how his obsession with wine had begun. More...
Mar 07, 2010
T-J
rated it:
Having read The Girl on the Landing, I found Wilberforce in my bookshelf. Was intrigued to read it as enjoyed Girl.
Was interested in how the story was told backwards and how I kept hoping I would feel sorry for Wilberforce. I found him selfish, oblivious to others, misguided, self-absorbed....feelings which didn't really change as I read more (the way he became what he was). What came through was how the 'disease' of drink took hold of him, and altered his entire perspective on re More...
Was interested in how the story was told backwards and how I kept hoping I would feel sorry for Wilberforce. I found him selfish, oblivious to others, misguided, self-absorbed....feelings which didn't really change as I read more (the way he became what he was). What came through was how the 'disease' of drink took hold of him, and altered his entire perspective on re More...
Sep 19, 2011
Rob
rated it:
Much as I have enjoyed the previous two books of Torday's that I have read, this one failed to live up to those standards. The book is purposely back to front, running back over the life of the main character Wilberforce, providing the detail of how he is in the situation in which we first find him. The problem with this is that we expect some startling revelations to emerge. For me they didn't. In both Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and The Hopeless Life of Charlie Summers the message of the stor
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Mar 01, 2009
Amy
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A cautionary tale, about addiction in general and alcoholism in particular, organized by a clever construct. I admired the author's careful craftsmanship throughout. Although the book is about wine, you don't have to be a wine connoisseur to enjoy the book. It is definitely a page-turner. I picked it up in a Berlin bookstore, where the selection of English language books was understandably limited, won over by the "Richard and Judy book club selection" denomination on the cover.
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Oct 07, 2010
Veronica
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This story is brilliantly told. I truly enjoyed the fact that it was told backwards. It was mysterious and thought-provoking.
You may think that the main character's obsession and lust for wine is ridiculous until you realize that there are many who do suffer this addiction and do not even know that it is a serious and deadly condition.
Whether Paul Torday intended it or not, this book holds a very valuable lesson in stewardship and self-control. When you finish reading the la More...
You may think that the main character's obsession and lust for wine is ridiculous until you realize that there are many who do suffer this addiction and do not even know that it is a serious and deadly condition.
Whether Paul Torday intended it or not, this book holds a very valuable lesson in stewardship and self-control. When you finish reading the la More...
Mar 29, 2011
Kathy
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Reviewed at : Mama Kucing Books : The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce By Paul Torday
It is interesting how this book is written. The beginning of this book is the ending of this book. Confused? Well, you just have to read it to understand it.
It was tantalising how the author decided to reveal bit by bit of the story.
To me the story itself is nothing much. But the way it was written, makes it interesting. More...
It is interesting how this book is written. The beginning of this book is the ending of this book. Confused? Well, you just have to read it to understand it.
It was tantalising how the author decided to reveal bit by bit of the story.
To me the story itself is nothing much. But the way it was written, makes it interesting. More...
Dec 06, 2011
Jakob
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Ich wurde bei diesem Buch ja schon etwas vorgewarnt um was es gehen würde, aber ich war dann doch überrascht, wie schnell es in die Geschichte hinein ging. Da alles in vier Akten rückwärts erzählt wird, durchläuft der Hauptdarsteller in meiner eigenen Vorstellungen unterschiedliche Sympathiewerte. Am Anfang sehen wir Ihn ja kurz vor seinem Ende und lernen Ihn als recht wohlhabenden Weinliebhaber kennen, der für einen guten Tropfen jeden Preis bezahlt, auch sein eigenes Leben. Er scheint uns ein
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Feb 19, 2010
Sheila
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Started this very late last night and couldn't put it down till I'd finished the first chapter - hilarious intro to Wilberforce and his encounter with no less than 2 bottles of petreus 1982 - now which Alexander McCall Smith volume was that wine also in? Yes, one of the early Scotland Street ones which had Bruce's escurrsions into the wine trade as part of its storyline.
Now finished it the following day! Loved it! I read his Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and remember laughing all the w More...
Now finished it the following day! Loved it! I read his Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and remember laughing all the w More...
Feb 17, 2009
Steven
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 10, 2010
Karen
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Very well written, very sad story of a man who is drinking himself to death. The book goes backwards in time, a technique I don't usually like, but is very effective in this story. The readers starts out with an understanding of the main character--a man who goes by his last name only--Wilberforce--and then learns how he got to that point as you read backwards. This book was totally different from the other book I just finished by Torday--Salmon Fishing in the Yemen--but I look forward to re
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Mar 26, 2010
Kim
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I don't like this book. The writing is stuffy, the main character is unlikeable, and yes, it's about wine so I get that we need a certain amount of detail about wine, but ENOUGH already.
I hung on past my "3 chapter rule" (If it doesn't grab me in 3 chapters, don't finish it because there are too many good books in the world to torture one's self with the bad ones.) because the book jacket indicates that it's a novel concept of a story told in reverse, kind of like Mement More...
I hung on past my "3 chapter rule" (If it doesn't grab me in 3 chapters, don't finish it because there are too many good books in the world to torture one's self with the bad ones.) because the book jacket indicates that it's a novel concept of a story told in reverse, kind of like Mement More...
Aug 27, 2011
Karen
rated it:
Incredibly sad. Being told how it ends right at the start, and then working backwards through the events that led to this was an interesting idea. I hoped there would be more presented by explanation, but even the 'underlying reason' was little more than hinted at. Probably a very realistic tale of just how depressing alcoholism is, and I felt the author was writing the story of someone he knew. The storytelling became a little banal and repetitive at times, but then I think that was part of th
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Apr 22, 2009
Hope
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I loved Salmon Fishing in Yemen and enjoy Paul Today's style of writing. I found this one easy to read and interesting to think about. However, I was totally depressed by the end. What a sad life for Wilberforce. It is a clear message to beware of being consumed by wine tasting and how alcoholism can be disguised even in an expensive bottle of wine. I guess like a bottle of wine, I can honestly say I was looking forward to reading this but didn't expect what I got.
Jan 09, 2012
Mary Lou
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The story of a lonely self made man who meets some friends, thinks his like has taken a turn for the better, but ends up a lonely alcoholic with all his money spent.
There are 4 sections and the story is told from the end back to the begining. I enjoyed that start and even sympathised with Wilberforce trapped by his addictions. But as the book progressed the tedium and depression became too much. It could have been SO good, but it was nt and the ending was one of the most disappointin
There are 4 sections and the story is told from the end back to the begining. I enjoyed that start and even sympathised with Wilberforce trapped by his addictions. But as the book progressed the tedium and depression became too much. It could have been SO good, but it was nt and the ending was one of the most disappointin
Apr 04, 2011
Jen
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So tedious and irritating - the alcoholic rantings of an uninteresting and unsympathetic main character. Nothing amusing, nothing thought provoking, nothing interesting, in fact nothing at all to redeem this utterly annoying, self indulgent tripe. If you want to see how it's done, being an alcoholic and ranting - try any of Augusten Burroughs and leave this sad and boring character to drown in a vat of malmsey
Jan 19, 2009
Mark
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Once I realized that the timeline of this book was not linear, I kept reading it, and then I began to see it as a minor masterpiece. I saw traces of Thomas Hardy in it, as well as Italo Calvino and other authors. No spoilers here, but if they were allowed I would right quite a bit about this book. I highly recommend it for anybody interested in literature that is being written right now.
Dec 30, 2011
Martin
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An Herz und Nieren gehendes Buch über den Untergang eines Weinliebhabers. Erzählt die Geschichte in 4 Lebensabschnitten rückwärts, sodass man immer das Ende der Geschichte kennt und der Weg ins Elend beschrieben wird! Ein Buch, das einen nicht so schnell loslässt, weil es wirklich deprimierend ist und man trotzdem immer weiter lesen muss!
Jul 22, 2011
Kate
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After hearing the synopsis to this book, I was worried that it would be a tedious read. The story is very dark, and yet the book itself is funny and despite knowing how it ends, you want to carry on reading as it goes further back in time.
I really enjoyed reading about the trials of Wilberforce, from his trips through the underworld of Bogota, to the regular trips to the undercroft hidden in the hillside above his office. The way he "isn't an alcoholic because he only drinks wine" More...
I really enjoyed reading about the trials of Wilberforce, from his trips through the underworld of Bogota, to the regular trips to the undercroft hidden in the hillside above his office. The way he "isn't an alcoholic because he only drinks wine" More...
Sep 17, 2011
Nigel
rated it:
interesting approach telling the story of wilberforce's life backwards, like years in the life of a wine the tale went back from 2006 when his life imploded (ie when the wine was drunk) to 2002 when it started going wrong (ie when the wine was bottled. Although I did find my interest waning towards the end. It was also an insight into addictive personalities as wilberforce was addicted to so many things, alcohol just became one of them
May 30, 2010
Slávek
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To be honest, I'm utterly disappointed by this book. According to many reviews I read before I started to read this book, I had been expecting great novel about wine, about passion, about degustation and about love (well, in some way). In fact, you get extremely ordinary story about a bloke who felt for his newly found desire - wine. But there is almost no description of the process of degustation and about growing of vine. It's not a book for wine lovers.
What's more, the story is no More...
What's more, the story is no More...
Mar 17, 2009
Sasha
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Wilberforce is an ordinary guy. He starts out with chain store chinese food and 'red' wine and moves onto exotic wines and cheeses. If this transition isn't enough, the book offers a dark satire that made me identify with the lead characters. A very touching story, but not for the easily saddened.
Aug 26, 2011
David
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not an analysis of the legacy of the great social reformer, but a second novel by the author of "Fly Fishing in the Yemen", about the origins of a man's descent into alcoholism... Well written, but sadly unengaging, which is disappointing given how much I loved his first book.
