1. How did you experience the book?

[John]

1. How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to "get into it"? How did you feel reading it—amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored...?

[Fonch]

I read this book in two ocassion the first i felttouched or conmoved for the ending. In the secnd ocasions a few days i realised that i was reading an awesome novel. With a very interesting topics. The french critic Andre Maurois (Baring was very good considered in France particularly by Maurois, and the catholic writer François Mauriac) compared to Maurice Baring with Madame Lafayette. Generally the Baring`s novels are in Good hall, with characters of high, and middle class, there are a lot of conversations, who say a lot about the characters. The characters must take difficult choices, and sometimes these are not the suitable choices. The people suffers, because they married with a wrong person, i thought in C, with the evil Leila Bucknell, or i thought i Cat`s cradle where Lacy is not ready to marry with Blanche the princess of Rocapalumba. In other deends the marriage i think in "Daphne Adeane", perhaps is one of the best novel about the marriage. Sometimes the lovers has to wait a log time to marry i thought in the case of Joan and Darby. The maurice Barings happened in several decades. Some characters made cameos in other novels i thought in Godfrey Mellor (my friend Alfonseca knows very well, because he read "Passing by"), Guy Cunnigham, Walter Troumestre, Caryl Bradshaw, the brothers Lacy, Blanche the princess of Rocapalumba. This style is copied by François Mauriac. I think that the pioneer of this field is Honore Balzac.

[John]

Fonch wrote: "I read this book in two ocassion the first i felttouched or conmoved for the ending. In the secnd ocasions a few days i realised that i was reading an awesome novel. With a very interesting topics...."

I am trying to finish Wallace's Infinite Jest which is bizarrely compelling and has consumed most of the month of June. I have only a few hundred pages left.

But I have started The Coat Without Seam and am trying to read at least a chapter a day before returning to Wallace. It is hard to put down - Baring was an extraordinary writer who makes one care about his characters.

[John]

Okay, I peaked at some of the other questions and discussion and regret it - I will return to dive into the discussion when I finish, hopefully within a few days.

[Manuel]

John wrote: "Okay, I peaked at some of the other questions and discussion and regret it - I will return to dive into the discussion when I finish, hopefully within a few days."

I'm sorry, John, I should have written "spoiler alert" at the top of my comments. The problem is, I'm leaving for a long vacation in a few days and won't be able to participate in the discussion, so I wanted to do it earlier.

[Fonch]

Manuel wrote: "John wrote: "Okay, I peaked at some of the other questions and discussion and regret it - I will return to dive into the discussion when I finish, hopefully within a few days."

I'm sorry, John, I ..."

So do i. I apoogize for the posible spoilers that i had been able to commit it :-(. Do not worry John, when you are ready we will continue the discussion of the book. I wish more people cheer up to comment with us, because this book is worth to be comented.

[John]

Not at all blaming either of you. The questions are written in a way that require that kind of response. Which is why I normally ignore the questions until I've read the book, but because I've been trying to finish another book and this has been taking me longer than usual, your discussion enticed me to peek. But I've finished the other book now and should finish Coat without Seam by the end of the evening, so I will be back soon.

[Fonch]

John wrote: "Not at all blaming either of you. The questions are written in a way that require that kind of response. Which is why I normally ignore the questions until I've read the book, but because I've been..."

Do not worry John. Take your time.

[Mariangel]

I started the book this past week and read it in two days. Maybe because it was such a short time, it seemed repetitive: specially when Christopher visits people in different cities. Though current events in each city are cited, like the Armenian genocide or the 1905 revolts in Russia, sometimes it seems that all the towns (Rome or Paris or the English ones) could basically be the same, and the fact that Christopher did not really want to attend those visits and meet the people becomes tiresome.

I like how the coat becomes the unifying thread of the story and marks important events in Christopher's life. I also liked the discussion about this with Madame D'Alberg.

I have enjoyed the rest of the comments in the discussion and agree with most of you.

[Fonch]

Mariangel wrote: "I started the book this past week and read it in two days. Maybe because it was such a short time, it seemed repetitive: specially when Christopher visits people in different cities. Though current..."

Well i must confess that in the topic of the cities i agree. I have to admit the weakness of the novel.