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Chargement... The Man on the Bridge (original 1981; édition 1981)par Stephen Benatar (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreThe Man on the Bridge par Stephen Benatar (1981)
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. This book was first recommended to me by the author, when I met him in London in 1989. He was, at that time, working at an umbrella shop in New Oxford Street. When I returned home, I was unable to find the book; I wrote to Mr. Benatar care of the umbrella shop, and he kindly sent me a copy. The novel is, after a fashion, a very moral book. The main character, a young man on the make, has much to learn, and a realization of his responsibility in the world is long in coming. But--it does come eventually, on the heels of a tragedy for which he might be partially responsible. It has been nearly 20 years since I was given this book. It has not grown old.
A love story between men--without being, basically, a novel about gay issues; more about appreciating what you have while you have it, and ultimately learning what matters to you in life. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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In the long denouement we see Wilmot being denied, and denying himself of, the assurance of a life funded lavishly by others. Gradually, though, he appropriates ever larger bits of Cambourne's past, and the book's ending leaves him with the chance to work his way back into the good graces of yet another benefactor. That's a cynical reading; the author of the introduction to the novel sees Wilmot redeeming himself in this part of the book, and so might you.
This sort of ambiguity is one of the things I particularly like about the novel. So are some very well-drawn characters; the understated way in which Wilmot lays claim to first Cambourne's trinkets, then his actions, and then more still; and, similarly, the slow revelation of another major character's true nature and motives. In fact, the story in general is told with a refreshing subtlety;I can easily imagine other writers playing up the drama in it and in the process making the story itself feel implausible. A few minor drawbacks caught my notice: There's very occasionally a slight awkwardness, mostly in diction but once or twice in phrasing, that suggest that the novel might have benefitted from one final polishing, and though Wilmot does seem as blithely oblivious as ever of others' feelings till very late in the book, his sacrifice and his reactions near the end make it seem almost as if Benatar couldn't make up his own mind about whether he had in the end reformed or simply regrouped. I'm glad of there being no clear-cut explanation, but there's a sense of to-and-fro'ing rather than a consistently smooth presentation of Wilmot's behaviour in the last part of the story. Having said that, this is like all Benatar's novels a good book.