The Sea - language

[Clare]

What a pretentious book - he is showing off his use of unusual words.... It's like wading through treacle. I'm not sure whether I can waste any more minutes of my life reading it... my dad warned me that, despite being a Booker, it was disappointing and he was right - what was the panel thinking of??

[Leslie]

While I did have to read The Sea with a dictionary on hand, I thought that the verbosity of the first-person narrative emerged gracefully from the character of Max Morden. As an art historian, it seems fitting that he would employ descriptive terms that readers find somewhat inaccessible. I enjoyed the challenge of the words and the elegance of their phrasing.

[Margaret]

First, American readers have to remember this is a British novel which was a Booker Prize Winner (a very big deal, the equivalent to our National Book Awards). Whether we like it or not, their cultural standards and educational system produce writers that make American writers sound like vocab-impaired dunderheads. Also his style and "vocab" is in keeping with who/what the character is. Banville is a critically acclaimed writer everywhere, a fav of "literary" readers. It boils down to taste. Either you like these kinds of books or not. Certainly there is more of the oppposite on the market at modest prices and ready to slake the appetites of the less highbrow. IMHO, and I admit I love contemporary British fiction. He is a very big fish in the literary world today and thousands of my ilke (type) agree with me. To each his/her own.

[Mike]

Actually, Banville's writing style - including the vocabulary - is what I liked about the book, although it left me disappointed as a reading experience overall. A writer can certainly lay the vocabulary on thick so that it comes off so contrived and pretentious that it becomes intrusive; however, as Leslie suggests, the language seemed natural the way Banville used it. It's a great pleasure to read an author who demonstrably loves language. My disappointment with the book stems from Morden and his self-absorption. I didn't find him interesting or likeable enough to care very much about his circumstances and existential dilemma.

[Margaret]

Mike,

I agree with you about Morden's self-absorption. It turned me off too. He is awfully cold-blooded, even when he seemingly mourns for his dead wife. Maybe "cerebral" to excess. He intellectualizes everything as if he's afraid of feeling deeply all that had happened to him. I did, though, in spite of this unappealing quality in the character, have a great deal of compassion for him in his isolation and loneliness. He is burdened with a heavy sense that he is near the end of his life and it hasn't really added up to much. It's as if he is at the end of the road and he sees the road has gone nowhere. He has an anxious, desperate need to make sense of it. He gropes, fumbles, tries so hard to figure it all out and to discover meaning in the events and his life. His very name, Morden, is derived from the root word "mort" (dead, death). Certainly he is dead emotionally and he knows (acutely, painfully) he will be physically dead in short order. He is on a quest for redemption, something that will show him all the sundry events of his life, all his efforts, have not been in vain. In many ways I found his circumstances wrenching and and typifying of a passage all human beings who live to advanced age must experience.

Margaret Jean

[Angus]

I think the beauty of The Sea is the prose itself. It feels like poetry. I wasn't really interested in what was going on because the language was just beautiful. I didn't use a dictionary to know all the unknown words I encountered because it would hinder the enjoyment of reading the book.

I first thought that Never Let Me Go should have won. But after reading this, I felt that it truly deserved the Booker.

[Margaret]

Angus,
I could not agree with you more! The sheer beauty of the prose, the lyricism and sensuous imagery, makes the novel one of the best in the last 25 years or so in English. The Sea has the whiff of immortality to it. It will be read and discussed, ultimately, as a classic in coming years.
Margaret Jean

[Frankie]

I had to write an essay about this book for college so I had to study it in some depth. I absolutely loved it for the language, and I think it deserved to winner the Booker for that year. It is probably one of the few books I intend to read for a second time.

[Phillip]

When I pay for a book for my Kindle I try to make sure I am going to like it. I had a hard time with "The Sea." I refused to quit, however, and ended up liking it more than I expected. I didn't like the main character particularly and I didn't care for some of the smell descriptions but they were vivid and certainly well written. Personally, I much preferred "Never Let Me Go."

[Cateline]

I loved it, even the first time I read it. The second and third time the penny finally dropped and I could appreciate all the layers of the story. You can't take it as a simple one or two layer story. It twists and turns. It was my first Banville, and by now I've read most of his books.
The thing that drew me to The Sea to begin with was the blurb on the cover that compared him to Vladimir Nabokov. It is an apt comparison. And to my mind, there isn't a finer compliment to a writer.

[Alan]

My rating: rated it 5 stars

'The Sea' is one of the most intriguing novels I have ever read and was the most worthy winner of the Man Booker prize in 2005. There is a poetic lilt to much of John Banville's haunting prose as the reader is carried through the nostalgic memories of a holiday place,involving a strange family, and the repercussions of such which remain a tantalising mystery until the very end. It is a masterclass of excellent writing and suspense.

[Colette]

Cateline wrote: "I loved it, even the first time I read it. The second and third time the penny finally dropped and I could appreciate all the layers of the story. You can't take it as a simple one or two layer s..."

Alan wrote: "My rating: rated it 5 stars

'The Sea' is one of the most intriguing novels I have ever read and was the most worthy winner of the Man Booker prize in 2005. There is a poetic lilt to much of J..."

Leslie wrote: "While I did have to read The Sea with a dictionary on hand, I thought that the verbosity of the first-person narrative emerged gracefully from the character of Max Morden. As an art historian, it s..."

Margaret wrote: "First, American readers have to remember this is a British novel which was a Booker Prize Winner (a very big deal, the equivalent to our National Book Awards). Whether we like it or not, their cul..."

[Colette]

People, hello. I'm new to this end of things, so it's only now I'm enjoying the comments about some of the boks I have read. It's great! Margaret wrote about Banville's British connections, in fact, he was born in Wexford, Ireland and at one time had a home in my part of Ireland, a lovely fishing town on the East coast. Sure, he uses big words, he's known for that but I found my beloved Ireland in there and the sea I grew up with. And most importantly, the people were real. I loved it.

[Alan]

Beautifully put - Colette ! Yes, the Ireland I remember (as a 'hitchhiking' student in the 60's) is definitely there and, as I tried to indicate before - I loved it too !

It is a pity that those who did not enjoy 'The Sea' probably never had our experiences of your wonderful country !

[Colette]

Alan, I read your earlier comments and you are no stranger to writing, are you?Yours were beautifully stated and intelligent. Have you followed any of my stories? I have a blog on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/program You can also find me on Armida Publications.com In the 60s I was enjoying exploring London,a marvellous place. But then, the pleasure of books is that they can take you to other people's lands. I hope you are well. Are you a writer?

[Chris]

I just thought it was dull. Nothing much happened and the ending was not particularly interesting. No surprise it was a Booker Prize winner ...

[[deleted user]]

Margaret ("Peggy") wrote: "First, American readers have to remember this is a British novel which was a Booker Prize Winner (a very big deal, the equivalent to our National Book Awards). Whether we like it or not, their cul..."

Sorry to be pedantic, but it's Irish, not British. Banville is from the Republic of Ireland not Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. The only reason why I would mention this is because Irish people are generally very specific about their origin and do not like to be confused with the British or the Scottish.

[Denis]

True. Let's get the Irish part straight. John is Irish. Born in Wexford. The Sea is a masterpiece of language. It was awarded the Book Prize for a reason.

Remember Ireland is NOT part of Britain or the UK.

[Paul]

I think the language is delicious, but ultimately the storyline behind is less than thin. Books need content. BUT – his writing did make me want to read another Banville.

[Cateline]

I think it may appear thin on first reading/skimming. However, and that is a huge however, The Sea has many layers to the story. The in and out of the time lines combine to make it fabulously intricate. IMO :)

[Konstantin]

Angus wrote: "I think the beauty of The Sea is the prose itself. It feels like poetry. I wasn't really interested in what was going on because the language was just beautiful. I didn't use a dictionary to know a..."

Frankly, though The Sea was well written, it uses too many superfluous words. kazoo Ishiguro brings it down to earth and writes to the audience of a less erudite nature. But I can certainly respect that you like John Banville

[Joseph]

After I read this book, I agreed with one of the blurbs on the back that said Banville can write sentences that make you immediately want to read them over again. He definitely had several of those, and they were great.

But a lot of the other sentences did strike me as kind of pretentious. What's weird is I've read(from potentially dubious Internet sources)that he is brutal about his own work and generally thinks it is garbage. I remember reading this and thinking how the tone of his book fits with that contemptuous approach. Just a thought.

[Margot]

Flowery use of language! And quite depressing! Too heavy going for me to even finish

[Joseph]

What's good about this book is that I continually think about it. I don't know why, but I find myself comparing other books to The Sea. As I read it I felt depressed, and at times turned off by the formal language, but I have to say it leaves a mark on the reader.

[Juilene]

This is a book that I teach and love, because it is more a tone poem than a novel. (Even the main character's name is a metaphor - Morden - death). If you want to try a delightful exercise, take a passage from this book and cross lineate it as a poem, paying attention to your line breaks. Poem after poem. Interestingly, Banville also writes mysteries under the pseudonym Benjamin Black and they are stylistically totally different from The Sea. Fascinating writer!