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Loading... A short history of Richard Klineby Amanda Lohrey
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I had high hopes for this, but was disappointed - the main character starts out as a deeply unsympathetic character, which makes it a struggle to get into the book. This is intentional though, because the story is how this prickly, difficult man comes to terms with the emptiness in his life that eats away at him. Unfortunately, the spiritual struggle and transformation that comes towards the end of the book felt unbelieavable and a bit didactic to me - this is probably as much about my lack of sympathy for the vaguely mystical underpinnings of the whole transition. The struggle that the main character feels between his own cynicism and his inability to resist the lure of something deeper could be interesting, but I didn't care enough about him or his journey to really enjoy it. ( )
This is at once a quiet, searching novel, and yet bold and daring. [Lohrey] takes us sensitively and tenderly through Richard’s searching and yearning for authenticity and meaning. Such a focused, deep and searching examination of the inner life is not an easy subject for a novel, but I found it fascinating. Awards
'I woke with a gasp. And lay in the dark, open - mouthed, holding my breath. That feeling . . . that feeling was indescribable. For a moment I had felt as if I were falling . . . falling into bliss.'' All his life, Richard Kline has been haunted by a sense that something is lacking. He envies the ease with which others slip into contented suburban life or the pursuit of wealth. As he moves into middle age, Richard grows angry, cynical, depressed. But then a strange event, a profound epiphany, awakens him to a different way of life. He finds himself on a quest, almost against his will, to resolve the 'divine discontent' he has suffered since childhood. From pharmaceuticals to New Age therapies to finding a guru, Richard's journey dramatises the search for meaning in today's world. This audacious novel is an exploration of masculinity, the mystical and our very human yearning for something more. It is hypnotic, nuanced and Amanda Lohrey's finest offering yet - a pilgrim's progress for the here and now. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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