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97th out of 101 books
—
6 voters
Memoirs of a Midget
Miss M., the narrator of these fictional memoirs, is a diminutive young woman (though just how diminutive, the author never says) with a "passion for shells, fossils, flints, butterflies, and stuffed animals." Miss M. tells of her early life as a dreamy orphan and, in particular, of her tempestuous twentieth year -- in which she falls in love with a beautiful and ambitious...more
Paperback, 379 pages
Published
January 1st 2004
by Paul Dry Books
(first published 1922)
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"When one speaks of de la Mare one must go heavy on the cream..."
I miss this book. But I don’t miss it like I missed Don Quixote or The Book of Ebenezer Le Page when I finished them. Those two books for me were the embodiments of two people; two people I dearly missed as soon as I finished reading the final page. I missed their presence as people in my life. I still miss them! even though they’re ever within arm’s reach right there on my shelf… The way I miss Memoirs of a Midget is different....more
Not what I anticipated when I picked it up, but very good nonetheless. I had expected it to be much more based on the physical circumstances of being of very small stature in Victorian times - and to some degree it was - but the focus was really more psychological/social, exploring the inward struggles of an individual who is cut off from nearly all of humanity because of its perception of her as somehow less, and therefore not to be taken seriously. de la Mare creates a beautifully complex char...more
I love the writing style; it somehow reminds me of intricate pretty old-fashioned things. It's very introspective and the book's real strength is that it's one of those that really get across an individual's experience; the particular way they think and interpret the world. The descriptions felt very vivid to me. There's a heavily hinted romantic fascination with another woman, and that's quite good if you like beautiful, enigmatic, existentially angsty and spiteful characters. What I didn't lik...more
On the bottom shelf of the back room in the cluttered East Village bookstore I stumbled on Miss M. Tattered, in hardcover, in the dark, and with the kind of title that begs to be examined. I read three pages and was enamored, and bought the book without question. Looking back, I now realize this was unusual behavior. I only buy books I've been meaning to read, and have read about, or did read, and have been meaning to find. So Miss M. became very dear to me because I discovered her for myself, w...more
Apr 01, 2011
Shannon
marked it as to-read
WHY: Nancy Pearl posted on Facebook, "No one seems to read Walter de la Mare anymore." As I haven't *ever* read him, I took this as a personal challenge. He wrote lots of poetry (which may be a reason no one reads him: to be both largely out of print AND a poet is really the death knell these days!) but I found that he also wrote novels and this one intrigued me. One reviewer said, "This beautiful, sad, twisted novel resonated with me to a frightening degree. Miss M. speaks for young women findi...more
Feb 03, 2009
Alexandra
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
creative people
Shelves:
uk,
lovelovelove
Probably the strangest novel I've read - and I mean that as a compliment. It's weird without even trying. To compare it to another book narrated by a dwarf I've read recently, unlike Geek Love, there's nothing extreme, no grotesque characters, never a sense of the author trying a little too hard. Reading Miss M's thoughts on the world, one gets the impression that Walter de la Mare had a similarly idiosyncratic way of thinking, and was blissfully unaware of it. Consequently, reading Memoirs of a...more
Someone recommended de la Mare and when I saw the title Memoirs of a Midget, I just couldn't pass it up. The idea is intriguing. The memoirs of a little person before technology could overcome most of their obstacles and further, written by a man! How intriguing!
I finished this book and the first words out of my mouth, "this is stupid". Is it really stupid? No, of course not. First off, de la Mare showed some amazing insight when imagining Miss M's world and he perfectly captured the torturous t...more
I finished this book and the first words out of my mouth, "this is stupid". Is it really stupid? No, of course not. First off, de la Mare showed some amazing insight when imagining Miss M's world and he perfectly captured the torturous t...more
Oct 29, 2011
Bettie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Wandaful, Brazilliant, AM-Hayesing
Recommended to Bettie by:
Overbylass and Esther
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I have to say I didn't *get* this book. From all the positive reviews, I was expecting to be lured into an existence not quite real and regaled with visions of a slightly altered world. I suppose I thought it would be like watching Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, but for me, this book was so vague I had a hard time following exactly what was happening. It didn't help that the most crucial exchanges all seemed to be written in French, a language of which I am completely ignorant. I felt this novel...more
1 like · like · see review
It's the kind of book I love-- classically constructed, beautiful sentences, highly imaginative. But the metaphor becomes very tired-- the protagonist is a midget who, like all of us, feel overwhelmed by the world. And the protagonist is not herself very engaging, or anyway I didn't find her so.
A perfectly uncanny novel. Subtle, too, as evidenced by the sheer number of complete misreadings it's accumulated over the years (see, for instance, the laughably crap review in Rain Taxi from a couple years back).
the enchanting story of a short woman: her perspective lovingly caught by De La Mare's detailed prose, particularly her isolation.
Like almost every long book I love and rate 5 stars... Weak ending but so, so close to perfect.
On the suggested summer reading list for students.
English lit...1890s? England...solitude and society from Miss M pov. More like 2.5 stars - heavy on the ruminations, short on activity.
The 4 star title lured me in, but the story disappointed. And the writing style is often confusing...or maybe I just didn't care enough to give it my full attention.
Jul 02, 2007
sara dempsey
marked it as to-read
an eighteenth century midget in LONDON no less. yeah, probably won't get around to this anytime soon.
OMG Walter, you're a poet. *swoons* (Might do a real review sometime, but for now...)
Aug 04, 2009
April
marked it as didn-t-finish
i should probably try this one again someday. johanna, i think you should try it soon!
Very strange and exquisite. A story that stays with you for a long time.
phenomenally well written. an instant favorite. more to come...
PR6007.E3 M40
May 24, 2013
Mark Schoonover
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Carmen Wilson
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Priya
is currently reading it
May 05, 2013
Emma Rhys
marked it as to-read
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Walter John de la Mare was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and The Listeners. He was descended from a family of French Huguenots, and was educated at St Paul's School. His first book, Songs of Childhood, was published under the name Walter Ramal. He worked in the statistics department of the London office of Standard Oil for eig...more
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Sep 06, 2012 12:51pm
Sep 06, 2012 01:46pm