The Mighty and Their Fall
by Ivy Compton-Burnett
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Description
An expose of intense family relationships which reveals the wounds beneath the surface of family life. The author has written 20 books, most of which reflect her own personal tragedy and her emotional experiences of World War I.Tags
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Member Reviews
About the best thing I can say for this book is that I finished it. I haven't read anything remotely like it, and I'm glad. The book concerns the Middleton family: mother Selina, her widowed son Ninian, his children Egbert, Lavinia, Agnes, Leah, and Hengist, and Ninian's adopted brother Hugo. A new wife for Ninian and a long-lost brother along with a governess, a cook, a butler, and a footman round out the cast of characters.
I felt pretty much like a bird watching an impending train wreck from too far away to have much concern for the alien creatures involved. The book is written almost completely in dialogue, but it's dialogue that real humans don't use. The plot follows a pattern of greed, incest (psychic if not physical), deception, show more greed, possible homicide or manslaughter, greed, deception, death, cowardice, greed.
I wish that a person who appreciates Ivy Compton-Burnett would write a review to correct my prejudices. show less
I felt pretty much like a bird watching an impending train wreck from too far away to have much concern for the alien creatures involved. The book is written almost completely in dialogue, but it's dialogue that real humans don't use. The plot follows a pattern of greed, incest (psychic if not physical), deception, show more greed, possible homicide or manslaughter, greed, deception, death, cowardice, greed.
I wish that a person who appreciates Ivy Compton-Burnett would write a review to correct my prejudices. show less
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Published Reviews
Ivy was nearing her eightieth year when she wrote The Mighty & Their Fall, putting herself perhaps more fully and freely into it than any of her earlier novels.
added by KayCliff
Lists
Anthony Burgess 99 Post War Novels
99 works; 7 members
Author Information
23 Works 2,618 Members
Ivy Compton-Burnett was born in Pinner, Middlesex, England on June 5, 1884. She studied classics at Royal Holloway College, London University, where she graduated in 1906. After publishing her first novel, Dolores, in 1911 she went on to become a prolific writer. Her other works include Pastors and Masters, Brothers and Sisters, Men and Wives, The show more Mighty and Their Fall, More Women Than Men, A House and Its Head, Manservant and Maidservant, and Two Worlds and Their Ways. In 1956, she won the James-Tait Black Memorial Award for Fiction for Mother and Son. In 1967, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She died on August 27, 1969. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Notable Lists
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Virago Modern Classics (355)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Mighty and Their Fall
- Original publication date
- 1961
- First words
- 'Agnes first, Hengist second, Leah third!" said Lavinia Middleton, as her sisters and brother contested the access to the cloakroom in the hall.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 91
- Popularity
- 351,035
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.42)
- Languages
- English, French, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 4
