Customer Reviews

The Hunters: Two Short Novels

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

 

 

and especially so in Claire Messud's case when "The Last Life" was so deliciously rendered, so unforgettably film like and full of nostalgia without ever being sentimental. In contrast, I found these novellas too tight and with too little room for the reader to daydream on them. But this is highly subjective. I read one professional review that praised the first, damned the second work--there are 2 novellas here. Another reviewer, highly respected saw it just the other way around. But for myself, I missed the last novel and felt these experimental works may lead to a greater next novel, not another novella, which I do not believe is Ms. Messud's best genre.

Claire Messud's THE HUNTED is surprising work, and what most surprises is that this young writer has mastered a demanding literary form, the nouvella. In "A Simple Tale" she enters the mind of a World War II survivor of Hitler's labor camps and traces this woman's consciousness from youth to her older years as a Toronto cleaning woman. All of the characters in this nouvella are fully fleshed out and thoroughly interesting. "The Hunters" is set in contemporary London and deals with the psychology of fear and suggestibility. To say that it is a contemporary take on James'"The Turn of the Screw" is to suggest its creepiness and fascination. not to dismiss the nouvella as trite hommage. The book is a double dose of adventurous thinking and accomplished writing from a writer who has found her voice at a very young age. Highly recommended.

Wonderful introduction to an author who will surely make her mark in contemporary literature. Messud utilizes the pen to paper as would a painter use their brush to a canvas. In both short novels----or novellas, Messud engages the reader into the full depth of a story in the shortness of 100 pages each. Unlike other reviewers, I was not prejudiced by having read The Last Life first and so disappointed with these stories. (although it sits next to me as I write because I can't wait to see more of her work). In A Simple Plan, we learn the whole life of Maria to who and what she has become today from her plight as a child. The Hunters story immediately strikes the reader without ever revealing the gender of the first person narrative. The most engaging part of both of these stories is that the language makes them come alive, almost dance off the page. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of her work.

The ***** is for A Simple Life, which is not simple at all, but rich and complex and almost unbearably painful in parts. The details in this novella are beautiful in their symbolism - for example, the plastic on the furniture, whereby Maria strives to preserve the past. Although they are quite different, I think of Ozu.

Like some of the other reviewers, I read the The Last Life first and loved it. I also intend to read The Emporer's Children. These two novellas were well (meaning artistically) written. Bad writing was not the problem here at all. These stories are much more about character and mood than plot action, if someone is looking for a story that moves, they won't care for this book. However, in the first story, Messud really succeeds in making her main character, Maria, realistic. I found myself thinking that we as the readers are probably the only people who really know her. Much of the story is depressing, but ends on a hopeful note. The second story works the theme of the hunters and hunted well in many ways, but I found it just too weird. There are (maybe purposely) a lot of unanswered questions. I didn't care for it, although again this was not because of poor writing. One thing I did notice was that the narrator, as well as his friend Richard Copley, are supposed to be Americans, but don't talk like any Americans I have ever heard. I'd give this book a 50-50.

Not as good as "The Last Life", which is so far Claire Messud's masterpiece. I love her fuid, romantic language that effortlessly transports you to her worlds, and it works well in these two novellas; however, there is an emotional hole in these stories that was not present in her other work. I did not feel a connection to any of the characters as I did in her previous full-length books and I don't know if it's because the stories did not have a middle "arc" or perhaps Messud is at her best when she is allowed to draw her characters out over several chapters. I enjoyed the stories for what they were but they left no lasting impression on me the way Sagesse from "Last Life" did, nor did they offer any new observations on the human psyche that she hasn't already explored. Still, even Messud's disappointments are never fully "disappointing" and I would recommend this book for a satisfying weekend read.

Two novellas in one book. The first, "A Simple Tale," was my favorite. (That's the thing with more than one story in a book, there will always be disagreement about which is best...but it does help illustrate the mercurial nature of book reviews in general!)

A Simple Tale is a beautifully rendered, elegant and poignant tale of a Toronto housemaid's life, examined primarily through her relationships with an elderly woman she cleans for and her son's family, as well as flashbacks to her youth as an Eastern European refugee ("DP"). Messud portrays how Maria Poniatowski speaks, acts, and interprets others, and allows the reader to see how people -- who cannot possibly understand her history -- relate and react to her. Messud never misses in her portrayals and she spikees them; whether it's the affected wealthy woman calling Maria "gel" and tootling "rig a jig jig! presto! voila!" -- the dogs of another employer "whose chronic, vindictive ill temper created a great need for cleaning," or Maria's daughter-in-law (who polishes off "an entire mixed-meats sub and three glazed crullers, along with a bottle of Carlsberg for which she did not bother with a glass.."), this psychologically sophisticated, semi-comic tragedy gives the reader an extremely interesting and well-resolved look into her character's reality.

The Hunters is a more experimental novella, in that we do not know the gender of the narrator and the ending of the novel - the "whodunnit," for someone is killed - is unresolved. Someone has rented an apartment in a not-very-fashionable section of London for its cheerful interior and telescopic view of the neighboring buildings. The narrator begins to interpret what s/he sees, and the reader is left to decide on the degree the narrator is "reliable." It is a frightening story, because of the way the narrator objectifies and dislikes a particular neighbor: is she truly that objectionable? This is another story that examines insider/outsider, the misunderstandings that occur from differing realities, in Messud's well-crafted prose.

Wow! This is Good Stuff. If books were dessert, this would be one where you savor each bite. Then you would be tempted to ask for seconds and guess what? The author has already generously provided! It would be hard to say which is the better plate, the first or the second; both are rich without being weighty. I loved the intimate portraits of the people in the stories--the personal connection created by the eloquent disclosure of their thoughts. This is a book worthy of kicking off your shoes, curling up in a comfy chair and allowing yourself to be absorbed by.

What happened? Her previous book, "The Last Life," was terrific. The two short novels in this [price] book (big type, too) are awful. They read like five-finger exercises at a third-rate MFA program -- all characterization, no action or development. Omit, but buy The Last Life -- it's great. Hope the author's next will return to her previous level of excellence.