Ramsay is a man twice born, a man who has returned from the hell of the battle-grave at Passchendaele in World War I decorated with the Victoria Cr...
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Feb 10, 2012
Dulac3
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Robertson Davies is one of my literary heroes. At a time in my youth when I had been engulfed with ‘Canadian Literature’ that was, in my humble opinion at the time at least, depressing, uninteresting, and decidedly parochial, here was a man who wrote stories with verve, humour, erudition and a view to the wider world. _Fifth Business_ is the first book of Davies’ Deptford trilogy, a series of books that centre around people from the fictional small town of Deptford, Ontario. Sounds parochial alr
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May 25, 2011
Jeanette
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This story is somewhat bizarre, and yet somehow oddly compelling. I kept telling myself I'd read just a little more, little more.......
The surface story is the autobiography of the narrator, "Dunny" Ramsay. He gets offended by a retirement piece written about him that makes him appear as a dim and dull old boarding school teacher who never had anything interesting happen to him. He writes his own story to set the record straight and tells about his upbringing, service in W More...
The surface story is the autobiography of the narrator, "Dunny" Ramsay. He gets offended by a retirement piece written about him that makes him appear as a dim and dull old boarding school teacher who never had anything interesting happen to him. He writes his own story to set the record straight and tells about his upbringing, service in W More...
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Jul 03, 2007
Eleanor
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Robertson Davies is one of the most well-read writers I've ever read. His knowledge of the classic canon of English lit is unreal. (Having spent a stint at the Old Vic Theatre in London and a while as a journalist, editor of Saturday Night magazine, Master of Massey College at U of T, etc. I'm sure didn't hurt.) So, part of the thrill of reading his books is picking up little tidbits of knowledge that he absorbed along the way. For example, in the Psalms somewhere there is a line about how "
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Apr 06, 2011
Akshita
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I honestly didn't understand this book.....and neither did my classmates. Although this book may have many archatypes....I think a different bookight have been better as this book didn't seem to grasp anyone's attention in our class. I feel this book can be better understood by people who are more mature and should be read when you are older....not grade 11....because you cannot relate to the characters or anything the book is talking about at that age.......!!!
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Feb 27, 2009
Carrie
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Because I loved, loved this book, I feel I must steal some precious seconds to write about it, before my memory of fades too much. Not that it could ever escape completely, because (as I said) I loved this book. I didn't know much about Davies, only that he was a famous Canadian author, and I bought this book used thinking that I should be exploring my Canadian heritage.* And I was totally wowed by the book. It is the story of Dunston Ramsey, or rather, a story told by Dunston Ramsey. Dunston c
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Feb 12, 2011
Tyler
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The first (and best) novel in the famed Deptford Trilogy is as rare and wonderful as anything in literature. There are very few novels that manage to be so erudite (the number of classical and mythological references is mind boggling) and tightly-plotted. In fact the story unfolds at such a break-neck pace that Tom Clancy ought to read it to get some pointers on building suspense. And John Irving ought to give one dollar for every book he's ever sold to the estate of Robertson Davies...but that'
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Jan 08, 2011
Jennifer
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"You are still young enough to think that torment of the spirit is a splendid thing, a sign of a superior nature. But you are no longer a young man; you are a youngish middle-aged man, and it is time you found out that these spiritual athletics do not lead to wisdom."
I think the reason this book struck me is because it fleshes out something I've been pondering. Which is the small and mean ways in which we sometimes act; that we can't really excuse or explain. And the men More...
I think the reason this book struck me is because it fleshes out something I've been pondering. Which is the small and mean ways in which we sometimes act; that we can't really excuse or explain. And the men More...
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Aug 26, 2010
David
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"Fifth Business" é a primeira parte da chamada 'Trilogia de Deptford', escrita por Robertson Davies, e que apresenta as personagens que irão ser os protagonistas dos dois títulos seguintes: "The Manticore" e "World of Wonders". O fio narrativo condutor dos três livros é um acidente que envolve uma bola de neve, recheada com uma pedra, que falha em acertar o alvo e que ao atingir uma mulher grávida provoca-lhe um parto prematuro. "Fifth Business" é a histór
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May 29, 2010
Joselito
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Meet Dunny, the "Fifth Business" in his own life story. Because of an accident (during the war) his left leg was damaged and now he limps.
A short definition of "Fifth Business" is given just before the table of contents of the book, but I like the one given by one character on page 227 thereof--
"'You do not know what that (Fifth Business) is? Well, in opera in a permanent company of the kind we keep up in Europe you must have a prima donna--always More...
A short definition of "Fifth Business" is given just before the table of contents of the book, but I like the one given by one character on page 227 thereof--
"'You do not know what that (Fifth Business) is? Well, in opera in a permanent company of the kind we keep up in Europe you must have a prima donna--always More...
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Apr 15, 2010
Timothy
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Robertson Davies, Professor and man of letters: I enjoyed this book thoroughly, both when I read it several decades ago, and last year. His characters and storytelling are elegant and unforgettable. "Fifth Business" is a theater term that means, on stage, a character whose function is to bring about the key action. Dustan Ramsey, the fictional teller of the story, is "fifth business." He knows all about a stone in a snowball that hits a woman (who may be a saint) and causes h
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Mar 10, 2010
My lifelong involvement with the Fifth Business began at 5:58 o’clock pm on 1 March 2010. I still remember the strong feelings and expressions on my face as I eagerly scanned your letter, and I must say Mr Dunstan, your letter was beyond crafty and colourful – it was ingenious. It revealed the truths, the lies, and those burning thoughts you held within your mind for all these years. You took me through a truly marvellous journey.
You had me confused at first when you talked about the Mrs More...
You had me confused at first when you talked about the Mrs More...
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Dec 04, 2009
Corinne
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In Fifth Business, we meet Dunstable Ramsay when he's already an old man. His long years as a schoolmaster and historian have prepared him well to write his own story, to record his own truth. A good portion of this story takes place in the tiny Canadian town of Deptford. Here, everyone has their religion - and piousness is a virtue. For the 10 year old Ramsay, a split second decision (coupled with a stringent guilt complex), creates a situation that changes not only the the course of his life,
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May 22, 2009
James
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Fifth Business is the first installment of the Deptford Trilogy by Davies and it is the story of the life of the narrator, Dunstan Ramsay. The entire story is told in the form of a letter written by Ramsay on his retirement from teaching at Colborne College, addressed to the school Headmaster. The book's title was explained by the author as a theatrical term, a character essential to the action but not a principal actor. This is made explicit in the focus of much the action on others, including
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Apr 26, 2009
Shireen
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This book is required reading at Robinson HS in 12th Grade, and rightly so. Written by the most famous of Canadian authors, in prose so beautifully crafted and infused with Davies inimitable wit, it tells the story of two boyhood friends, one wealthy, handsome, a boy who has everything, and his envious friend, the less affluent narrator. The narrator witnesses his friend, at the age of eight, throw a snow ball at a pregnant woman whose life is changed for the worse thereafter. The narrator fe
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Jun 16, 2011
Sharyl
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This is the story of Dunstable Ramsey's life, written out in first person and addressed to the headmaster of the school where Ramsey had spent about forty years of his professional life. After all these years, Ramsey leaves behind this testament with the simple desire that someone understand what he had lived for.
His story gets off to a dismal start, as he is raised in a very rigid fashion in Deptford, a small village in Canada. Ramsey starts his memoir with the story that informed t More...
His story gets off to a dismal start, as he is raised in a very rigid fashion in Deptford, a small village in Canada. Ramsey starts his memoir with the story that informed t More...
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Aug 17, 2010
dan
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Imagine this: an old man, obsessed with hagiology (it's the study of saints), tells the story of his life, which involves obsessing over an insane woman, travelling the world with a prosthetic leg, and hanging out with polyglot magicians. There's also a murder mystery, but it only happens in the last 35 pages.
By all accounts, this story sounds like a dud. But thanks to Robertson Davies' clear, precise writing, this quirky narrative is fun to read and still somehow challenging. Robert More...
By all accounts, this story sounds like a dud. But thanks to Robertson Davies' clear, precise writing, this quirky narrative is fun to read and still somehow challenging. Robert More...
Dec 27, 2011
Lynne-marie
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The fascinating first volume in the Deptford Trllogy, Fifth Business speaks in the voice of the schoolmaster Ramsey, who may be the historian of the whole chronicle and who definitely believes in saints in general, although he is a dyed-in-the-wool Puritan, and one saint in particular, though he has had the grace to finally fall out of love with her. This is our introduction to most of the important characters in the Trilogy, though some emerge latterly. As the crucible for a story of great ar
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Jan 11, 2012
Chance
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While I didn't quite "like" the book, I do respect it and its author. Robertson Davies writes well. Personally, I didn't find the book compelling. Although I have enjoyed many books with unlikeable characters, my enjoyment and appreciation comes from the fact that I find them compelling. I found very characters in Fifth Business compelling, least being the narrator.
My book club discussion illuminated many aspects of the book, increasing my appreciation for it to three stars. More...
My book club discussion illuminated many aspects of the book, increasing my appreciation for it to three stars. More...
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Feb 06, 2010
Dennison
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Are you responsible for how your life turns out or is it decided before you’re born? That’s the intriguing, and ancient, question Canadian author Robertson Davies asks in his famous novel Fifth Business. A boy puts a stone inside a snowball and hurls it at his friend. He ducks and the lethal snowball hits a pregnant passer-by who gives birth to a premature baby boy. Of the three boys, one becomes a wealthy businessman, another a priest and university teacher, and the third a Houdini-type escape
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Dec 24, 2010
Andrea
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I'm a little more than halfway through this book. I read it more than 20 years ago and completely forgot the story, and now I'm desperate to read everything Robertson Davies has ever written. I am totally absorbed in this novel.
Most contemporary fiction I read cannot approach Robertson Davies' writing in the areas of skill, story line, depth of psychological questioning, and any other area I could think of. The narrator Dunstable has a fascinating introspective quality that allows him More...
Most contemporary fiction I read cannot approach Robertson Davies' writing in the areas of skill, story line, depth of psychological questioning, and any other area I could think of. The narrator Dunstable has a fascinating introspective quality that allows him More...
Mar 09, 2011
Garlan
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This is my first Robertson Davies book, book one in his Deptford Trilogy titled Fifth Business. It starts out rather slowly, and it took me quite a while to get into the characters in the book. Davies tells the story of Dunstan Ramsey, a retired Head Master of a boys' prep school as he recounts his life. Dunstan's life is closely intertwined with two other main characters (who are the focus of the following two stories in the trilogy), and although they occupy widely divergent roles in so
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Aug 10, 2009
Becky
rated it:
Recommended to me by a very nice librarian with a wild mustache when I said I was looking for something sort of like Margaret Atwood. He also compared it to John Irving, which I think is incredibly apt.
Very very good, with an incredibly disturbing and wonderful ending (that echoes the beginning). The characters are fascinating but also have weight and don't just feel merely quirky or symbolic - it succeeds at the important double job of being artistically complex and being a good sto More...
Very very good, with an incredibly disturbing and wonderful ending (that echoes the beginning). The characters are fascinating but also have weight and don't just feel merely quirky or symbolic - it succeeds at the important double job of being artistically complex and being a good sto More...
Jan 14, 2012
Mars
rated it: 
Review is for books #1 and 2 in the series ("Fifth Business" and "The Manticore" respectively) - #3 is reviewed separately and was actually really good.
I expected something similar to the Cornish stuff, but I was somewhat disappointed. In fact, I was bored stiff through the first 80% of the first book (although the last 20% were pretty awesome), and many parts of the second.
Reflecting upon this, I discovered that what I really don't like is Davies talking More...
I expected something similar to the Cornish stuff, but I was somewhat disappointed. In fact, I was bored stiff through the first 80% of the first book (although the last 20% were pretty awesome), and many parts of the second.
Reflecting upon this, I discovered that what I really don't like is Davies talking More...
Jun 23, 2009
Starfish
rated it:
I choose this book from EPIC on a whim and the fact that the cover was genial, and the author is name-checked in a Moxy Furious song ("Who needs a shave? It's Robertson Davies!"). Also, it was falling apart and for a book to get itself into that state, it's got to be interesting.
I loved it, for what I suspect might be all the wrong reasons. Ramsey, the narrator, has lived a life that would be narrow and deprived if it wasn't for the fact that he invests it with a mythic qua More...
I loved it, for what I suspect might be all the wrong reasons. Ramsey, the narrator, has lived a life that would be narrow and deprived if it wasn't for the fact that he invests it with a mythic qua More...
Mar 09, 2011
Artistlace
rated it:
Fifth Business is the first novel in The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. The trilogy is centered around several common themes, including the town of Deptford, the residents of this town and their offspring. After reading Fifth Business, I immediately started reading The Manticore, the second book in the trilogy.
Dunstable Ramsey, the protagonist of Fifth Business, is an extremely likable character. You feel a little like an outsider while reading this novel, because Dunstable seem More...
Dunstable Ramsey, the protagonist of Fifth Business, is an extremely likable character. You feel a little like an outsider while reading this novel, because Dunstable seem More...
Dec 05, 2010
My Opinion of Fifth Business
Neil McKenzie-Sutter
I’ve got mixed feelings about Fifth Business. There were some parts of the book that I thought were pretty hilarious, and others that I could barely stand to read all the way through. I found myself groaning inwardly whenever certain characters were mentioned because after they had appeared once or twice, you would know whether you were in for a tooth pulling session or not. Milo Papple was one of those characters. Milo Papple’s d More...
Neil McKenzie-Sutter
I’ve got mixed feelings about Fifth Business. There were some parts of the book that I thought were pretty hilarious, and others that I could barely stand to read all the way through. I found myself groaning inwardly whenever certain characters were mentioned because after they had appeared once or twice, you would know whether you were in for a tooth pulling session or not. Milo Papple was one of those characters. Milo Papple’s d More...
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Nov 22, 2010
Marfita
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An ordinary man's life cannot really fit into a paragraph - and Ramsay sets himself to fleshing out a tossed-off tribute in honor of his retirement that offended him by its lack of depth and revelation. He writes his life history to the headmaster of the school for boys where he taught all his adult life. Ramsay is what Davies refers to as "the fifth business": not the lead or antagonist, but a character in dramatic works who carries an essential piece of the plot.
In essence More...
In essence More...
Mar 13, 2011
Kim
rated it:
The Deptford trilogy by Robertson Davies is among my friend Bette's favorite books, and she bought me a very cool vintage mass market of each volume for Christmas so that we could read them together and talk about them. And talk about them. And talk about them. Because there is SO much to talk about. I devoured Fifth Business! Even though the book is written in first person, there is breadth to it. Many "I" novels these days seem to me to be narrow at heart (and in style), but Davies h
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Jan 17, 2009
Paul
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There's so much to reflect on in this relatively short book. The main character is 'fifth business', apparently a stock role in opera, a role for one who is characterized as knowing 'the secret of the hero's birth.' But it's hard to figure out who's the hero and who's the villain. Things aren't so clear, especially in a book where the devil is given a constructive, sympathetic role. The book is full of interesting suggestions about religion and myth. Finally, this book gives new meaning to the t
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Jun 01, 2011
Cogito_ergo_sum
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I rated it as such, because it wasn't my type of book -it was still good though.
Review in progress
Current points:
1. depth to the characters. Very realistic. You can say you love or hate the characters. In my case I dislike most of the characters, but that's only because they are that well developed.
2.protagonist's constant development throughout the story.
3.Good plot. Events give you something to think about.
4. well written. author effectively communicates ideas
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Review in progress
Current points:
1. depth to the characters. Very realistic. You can say you love or hate the characters. In my case I dislike most of the characters, but that's only because they are that well developed.
2.protagonist's constant development throughout the story.
3.Good plot. Events give you something to think about.
4. well written. author effectively communicates ideas
More...
