The Magus - John Fowles

[LynnB]

The Magus

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[Elena]

I ordered this book. It looks very interesting, never heard of it.

[KrisT]

I loved this book. I guess when I read it it was so different and so layered that my group was just swept into it. I have wanted to read more by this author ever since. Guess I better get at it.
I did read The french Lt. Woman by didn't like it nearly as much. I have The Maggot on my pile so maybe that one will be more like this.

[Katy]

Just received my copy today. I've got to get started reading it now.

[LynnB]

I got this book, started reading, but couldn't get into it. Will try again in the future.

[Elena]

I am on page 400 and can't put it down. I am sooo intrigue as to where all this is going....I have no clue. I will let you know if I end up liking it up to the end.

[Elena]

I still don't know if to give 3 or 4 stars to this book. It was hard to put down up the last 100 pages. Beautiful written and egrossing, the story went on too long and it lost me with all the references to Shakespeare plays to explain the meaning of the "godgame", since I have not read shakespeare.

(view spoiler)[ Example. After the trial and judgment, Urfe says: "And then, out of that pain, the sheer physical torture, I began to understand. I was Iago: but I was also crucified....why they had chosen the Othello situation..." I had to look up the summary of the play to try to put some sense to everything that happened, but I came up with a very vague understanding. (hide spoiler)]

I didn't understand the meaning of the Henrik story (the blind guy in the wild). Something having to do with freedom, I am sure.

The book ends with two lines of Latin poetry, and I got the feeling that they were very meaningful the the end and meaning of the book. But, no translation. Maybe another edition has a footnote on it, who knows. I did look it up, and I found this: WARNING, there is a spoiler to the end on it. http://www.fowlesbooks.com/ourjohn.htm
I tend to hope more for the second outcome.

In the end, I think this book will be a hate/love relationship with me.

[Shawn]

A deeply spun, mysterious novel. From near the beginning it has you wondering what could possibly be transpiring. You would think that, as such, it would also be a page-turner but it wasn’t. Strangely, the novel also either completely fools the reader or changes its own mind along the way as to its own genre (from time/location travel to psychology). I loved the inconclusiveness of the ending, it felt right. However, there is one loose end I’d like tied up if someone else caught it: What is the second commandment to which De Seitas alludes? 2/5 (OK)