Susan Sontag
Paperback | Pages: 432 pages Rating: 3.59 | 2070 Users | 198 Reviews
Present About Books The Volcano Lover
| Title | : | The Volcano Lover |
| Author | : | Susan Sontag |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 432 pages |
| Published | : | August 1st 2004 by Picador (first published 1992) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Cultural. Italy. Novels. Literature |
Interpretation As Books The Volcano Lover
Set in 18th century Naples, based on the lives of Sir William Hamilton, his celebrated wife Emma, and Lord Nelson, and peopled with many of the great figures of the day, this unconventional, bestselling historical romance from the National Book Award-winning author of In America touches on themes of sex and revolution, the fate of nature, art and the collector's obsessions, and, above all, love.Define Books Concering The Volcano Lover
| Original Title: | The Volcano Lover ISBN13 9780312420072 |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | William Hamilton, Emma, Lady Hamilton, Horatio Nelson |
| Setting: | Naples(Italy) |
Rating About Books The Volcano Lover
Ratings: 3.59 From 2070 Users | 198 ReviewsWeigh Up About Books The Volcano Lover
Who knew a volcano could give birth to such a wealth of conflicting symbolism? In Sontags gripping piece of historical fiction, it appears as a metaphor for destruction and preservation, the artistic and the scientific, the penis and the vagina and a whole lot more.I personally love historical fiction and The Volcano Lover is an enjoyable and thought-provoking example of the genre. It takes as its basis a very famous, real-life love affair from the Napoleonic Wars, but avoids directly namingIn this novel, Sontag's insights are deft, her prose luxurious, and her characters vivid. While I might have preferred a faster pace at certain points, I enjoyed the book because of how easy it was to feel transported. Great escapist literature, and an interesting story.
This is a DNF for me. Everything about it feels distant, pretentious, and I'm bored with it after just a few chapters. Moving onto something else...
Critic Lettie Ransley of The Guardian calls Susan Sontags self-proclaimed romance The Volcano Lover A novel of ideas. According to the blurbs on the back of the Picador paperback, the New York Times critic does the same. Seems like the literary establishment wanted to praise Sontags historical fiction of Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador to the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples, his remarkable wife Emma, and Emmas scandalous affair with English war hero admiral Nelson, but they were puzzled
I wasn't able to finish this. It wasn't that she's bad at this -- her prose flows nicely, and the flourishes and characters move in three dimensions -- but man, is she in love with her own ability to string phrases and words together.The remembrance-as-recollection plot device only works if you're crystal clear about how many layers deep into the onion of memory you've currently burrowed. That was a problem in this book, and while it might be forgivable for those who read scholarly texts and
Annie Liebovitz has called this Susan Sontag's best book, and she should know, and I agree. It's a book wearing many disguises. A roman à clef disguised as a gorgeous, lyrical novel of ideas... disguised as an 18th century romance... about a love triangle... between the British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples, the concubine he marries and the Naval hero she worships. This book has it all: pretty girls, virile noblemen, erupting volcanoes, priceless paintings, science and seduction, sex and
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson: war hero and butcher, the toast of London and the scourge of Naples. Lady Emma Hamilton: model and muse and wife and mistress, the toast of Naples and the scandal of London. Lord William Hamilton: English ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples, collector of vases, lover of volcanoes, husband to Emma and friend to Horatio, a power in Naples and a joke in London. A famous love triangle: brave, tragic hero falls in love with the young, enchantingly beautiful wife of an
0 Comments:
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.