Customer Reviews

The Center of Things (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My test of a novel is do I think of the characters-- wonder what they're doing-- when I'm not reading the book, and that was certainly the case with this novel. The author has created some really fascinating, eccentric yet completely appealing people. I liked them, wanted to know what was going to happen, and just basically found myself stealing moments to read the book as often as I could. This is a book you'll thoroughly enjoy and when completed will find yourself thinking, "darn! it's over. Wow, I hope she writes another one."

In a novel that truly defies categorization, McPhee tells of Marie Brown, a 39-year-old New Yorker whose conscientious, part-time work on a never-quite-finished graduate school science paper brings her into contact with Marco Trentadue, a fellow habitué of the library and "freelance intellectual," in many ways her opposite. Professionally, Marie works, underappreciated, at a tabloid newspaper. When she volunteers to write the newspaper's not-yet-needed obituary for actress Nora Mars, Marie uncovers a secret so explosive that it could totally change her standing at the tabloid. The intrigue, Marie's emotional responses, her relationships with Marco and others, and the tabloid atmosphere all contribute to an involving plot which can stand completely on its own.

But McPhee is ambitious and fiendishly clever here, and the plot is only the tip of a huge and wonderful thematic iceberg. Every chapter bears the title of a major preoccupation of our lives--Time, Truth, Beauty, Love, Reality, Death, etc.--and in each we learn something about both Marie's life and the life of Nora Mars, relative to this thematic idea. At the same time, however, McPhee also introduces a principle of quantum physics into each chapter, explaining it in a way which suggests obvious parallels with the chapter's theme of Time, Truth, Beauty, Love, etc. She forces the reader to look at things from completely new and infinitely wider perspectives, playing with the reader's preconceived ideas about reality, drawing parallels between the behavior of subatomic particles and the behavior of people; and raising questions about the space/time "continuum," random behavior, multiple universes, and even consciousness itself as an evolutionary response. And she does all this while simultaneously including ironic and humorous quotations from Nora's films.

In its originality, scope, and unique perspectives, this is surely a novel which will arouse passionate feelings (one way or the other) among its readers! My one criticism is that the complex scientific concepts do not have the same narrative "flow" as the story line and can be daunting to the "scientifically challenged" (like me). A sentence such as "She had always loved Schrodinger's theory that life was negative entropy--that it began as a meaningless mess but was in the continuous process of becoming more and more ordered" slows down the narrative and feels clunky and textbook-like in what is otherwise a delightful, sensitive novel about people and relationships. Mary Whipple

Marie Brown is a tabloid writer in search of the explosive story about a dying movie star idol. Marie Brown is a too-tall half-deaf woman who hasn't spoken with her brother Michael in fifteen years. And Marie Brown is an aficionado of quantum mechanics who has been writing her philosophy of science paper for over a decade. How Marie centers her uncentered life makes for interesting reading in Jenny McPhee's The Center of Things, a unique novel about anthropocentric applications of theoretical science.

The chapters are arranged by topic: time, truth, beauty, jealousy, etc. Movie quotes, scientific theories, Marie's conversations with Marco Trentadue, Freelance Intellectual, and the plot itself all serve to explore the topic. Throughout the book, Marie develops her career-breaking tabloid scandal. The juxtaposition of her shallow aim with the depth of her approach demonstrates the potential of popular culture to capture real human experience.

There are some weak spots in this book. In some places the story becomes subsumed by its devices. Readers with not much science background will need to take it slowly to understand large portions of Marie and Marco's dialogue. Readers with lots of science background may find the anthropomorphizing of theoretical physics preposterous rather than whimsical. And in some places Marie almost gets lost as the dialogue takes over, but those spots make for the most fascinating reading.

To say that this book is unusual doesn't quite do it justice. This is a book to linger over, and read tidbits of aloud. It is a wonderful postmodern novel.

A great book that works on many levels. It reads very quickly thanks to Mcphee's concise writing style and a rapidly unfolding plot. When you read it make Marie your focus - not Nora Mars. Marie is actually the more complex woman, even though at first glance you'll be brought in by the weird circumstances surrounding the movie star. Don't be put off by the science references - they are actually used much less than the reviews would lead you to believe. When they are used, they work quite well in tying together the big picture.

If you're looking for a light read (without sacrificing substance and intellect) you will enjoy this novel.

This is a fun, off-beat book and I thouroughly enjoyed the read. It's true that when Marie is remembering a science converstaion with her friend Marco where an old story about her past with her estranged brother comes up the story can get a bit muddled, but the story-telling easliy overcomes this unusual pattern. It was even nice to get this different approach. I really didn't quite grasp *all* of the scientific theories presented, but I was able to get a lot out of the book, just the same. It could be I was just too impatient to see what happened next. I was glad, in the end, that I gave this book a chance.

The best example of 50's sf since - well, the 50's. Ideas as interesting as characters. Characters to care for. And a story just strong enough to tie them together. The tour through 1940's movies is worth the price of admission - suggesting ancient mythology has nothing on us for archetypes.
A wonderful read and re-read.

Jenny McPhee's The Center of Things is a wonderfully unique, tightly written first person narrative about Marie Brown, a tabloid journalist tracking down the truth about the life of one of her obsessions--the movie star Nora Mars, who lays close to dying. Marie is trying to put together an obituary to end all obituaries about Nora, and as she goes about her research, she learns some interesting truths about Nora, about herself and her brother. The Center of Things is an engaging and intelligently written novel, full of witty observations and interesting characters. The story is clever and unique--I've never read anything quite like it. I really enjoyed this one.

What a fun book!! Sometimes a romantic comedy is just what the doctor ordered. I loved Marie and Marcos. The quotes from movies and scientists were perfect. Don't be scared off by the science quotes, they are just fun - understanding quantum phisics (who does??!!) is not integral to understanding (and liking) this book. This was a book that my science-loving husband could not put down - and neither could I. Like other readers said, it ended too soon and we miss the characters!!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It may deserve five stars for originality and presentation. The heroin is vulnerable, funny, thoughtful, and vivid. The other characters, although all personality extremes, are entirely believable and equally vivid. The story is interesting and captivating - plenty of twists and turns. It would have been nice had it been longer, as it was one of those books that seems to end all too quickly. I will certainly be looking forward to Ms. McPhee's next work.

A wonderful read. Great chahacters and a a quick-moving plot but what really makes the book tick are the frequent profound insights into modern life and the links between modern science and modern life. If you like witty, intelligent, sexy novels this is for you!