Sign in with FacebookIan Graye's Reviews > Black Swan Green
Black Swan Green
by David Mitchell
by David Mitchell
Ian Graye's review
bookshelves: reviews, read-2011, reviews-5-stars, mitchell
Dec 29, 11
bookshelves: reviews, read-2011, reviews-5-stars, mitchell
Read in February, 2011
A Spelling Test
I kept this book on the shelf for a few years, before thinking I was ready to read it.
I didn't want to break the spell of the first two David Mitchell books that I had read (I didn't really like Cloud Atlas) and I was a bit apprehensive about the subject matter of a young teenage boy.
Ultimately, it was very much a book of two halves for me.
Teenage Mates Land
The first half captured male teenagerdom in the period in the 60's and 70's (when I grew up) and the 80's (when Jason grew up) perfectly.
It was the tail end of a period of Empire, Britannia Rules the Waves, Scouting for Boys, Biggles books and playing British Bulldog.
It had nearly died by the time of Punk Rock for me, but it had one last inglorious revival when Maggie Thatcher invaded the Falklands, before deflating altogether, so much so that Tony Blair couldn't even revive it.
Teenage Wasteland
The trouble and the troubles set in in the second half.
Things start to challenge the relative security of Jason's adolescent world view.
Girls, gangs, crime, conflict, insecurity, parental estrangement, divorce.
Teenage Resolution
The problem is that the two halves are juxtaposed, but not sewn together in a narrative that resolves them in any way.
It's like a photo album with two photos of the one boy at different ages.
In one, he's fresh-faced and enthusiastic, in the next he's pimply and troubled.
The reader might know or guess what comes next, but David Mitchell stops short of telling us.
I can't help thinking that, if Jason was important enough to care about, David Mitchell could have finished off the story.
I kept this book on the shelf for a few years, before thinking I was ready to read it.
I didn't want to break the spell of the first two David Mitchell books that I had read (I didn't really like Cloud Atlas) and I was a bit apprehensive about the subject matter of a young teenage boy.
Ultimately, it was very much a book of two halves for me.
Teenage Mates Land
The first half captured male teenagerdom in the period in the 60's and 70's (when I grew up) and the 80's (when Jason grew up) perfectly.
It was the tail end of a period of Empire, Britannia Rules the Waves, Scouting for Boys, Biggles books and playing British Bulldog.
It had nearly died by the time of Punk Rock for me, but it had one last inglorious revival when Maggie Thatcher invaded the Falklands, before deflating altogether, so much so that Tony Blair couldn't even revive it.
Teenage Wasteland
The trouble and the troubles set in in the second half.
Things start to challenge the relative security of Jason's adolescent world view.
Girls, gangs, crime, conflict, insecurity, parental estrangement, divorce.
Teenage Resolution
The problem is that the two halves are juxtaposed, but not sewn together in a narrative that resolves them in any way.
It's like a photo album with two photos of the one boy at different ages.
In one, he's fresh-faced and enthusiastic, in the next he's pimply and troubled.
The reader might know or guess what comes next, but David Mitchell stops short of telling us.
I can't help thinking that, if Jason was important enough to care about, David Mitchell could have finished off the story.
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I think this may be the next Mitchell I read. But then again that changes every day. I bought this and Ghostwritten used the other day, i may have to flip a coin. Although I'm not opposed to spending more and getting Number 9 dream or something and hitting that first.
If you do "Ghostwritten" first, you'll be at the same stage as me, and then I'll do "Number 9 Dream".The two are a good pair.
The diversity kicks in after that, so I think it's good to have the first two under your belt.
Yeah I was thinking that - get his early works out of the way to see where he grew from there. Plus I hear Cavendish makes an appearence and I would like to revisit that character.
It has been sitting on my shelf forever too, and for much the same reason as yours, Ian, though I did like Cloud Atlas. Your review will make sure it stays on the shelf a while longer.
Defer by all means, but don't discard. I have a sneaking suspicion we will see more of this photo album in the future.
This was the fourth DM I read, and I confess I was disappointed by it, though considering it again via the lens of your review, I'm wondering if I was a little harsh. Then again, I'm intrigued that you give it 5*, yet appear frustrated that DM didn't bother to finish the story.
Hi, Cecily, I think I rated it some time before my review and decided to leave the rating in place because it was more immediate and spontaneous.Ultimately, I have to give DM full credit for his stylistic choices. He knows what his options are and he chooses between them consciously.
The best analogy I can think of is photography or film where we want to know what happened either side of the photo or before or after the events described in the film, hence the possbility of a prequel or a sequel.
I will probably have something to say about juxtaposition in my next review.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/6...