Observatory Mansions : A Novel [Hardcover]

Edward Carey (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Random House of Canada, Limited; First Edition edition (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679310452
• ISBN-13: 978-0679310457
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,658,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent debut novel, July 9, 2001

By 

J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Observatory Mansions (Hardcover)

"Observatory Mansions" is an excellent first novel by Edward Carey, that explores some of the most fundamental issues a person can deal with. At the center of the novel, the reader finds Francis Orme, the narrator, and resident of `Observatory Mansions', which is the subdivided remains of his ancestral home. Alongside Francis live characters that are so bizarre that one would consider them cartoonish if it wasn't for their heartbreaking psychoses. To reveal their mental disturbances, both collective and individual, would give away much of the plot, but it is sufficient to say that the element that holds them together is the "self-institutionalization" that they have inflicted on themselves and each other.

On the surface, Francis is the most outwardly normal of the cast of characters, although this isn't saying much. He wears gloves as a literal representation of the mental barriers he has placed between himself and the world. He collects what is in essence garbage, because he sees it as having been loved, and therefore uses it as a proxy for real love. However, his carefully constructed world, and those of his apartment-mates, come crumbling down with the arrival of a more spiritually rooted resident.

I think this is where a lot of the other reviewers have a complaint with this novel. I have yet to see a critique of the authors prose, which is reminiscent of Saramago's "All the Names", and I have seen no argument with his characterizations, which are superb. Rather, I think readers are disturbed because this book is about the power of the human spirit, and its ability to mend itself. Not all of the characters ride off into the sunset, but they don't all wither and die either. It is in this range of outcomes that Carey most effectively considers his core subject. The negative reviews of the ending I have seen put me in mind of the reaction one gets to the 21st chapter of "A Clockwork Orange" in which Alex is starting to weary of his brutal life. To paraphrase Burgess, what is the point in examining the human condition if it always ends in misery? That's not life.

"Observatory Mansions" although a caricature, is life. It is sad and bizarre, but it is also hopeful and uplifting, and that's life. Carey has written an excellent novel, and I expect further greatness from him in the future.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking book that haunts you after you're done., April 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Observatory Mansions: A Novel (Paperback)

Wow. Finishing this book I am overwhelmed and awed that this is Carey's first novel. Very unique characters and situations and writing style. In many places you can see Carey's theatre background with the dialog reading more like a play without punctuation and the book's plot is more in scenes and acts than chapters, but it really works well for this story - it's about life (and all life's a play!) or the lack of life of this group of misfit characters. I really like the way Carey draws the reader in little by little -- reavealing just enough about one character to shock you, to move you, to keep you reading .... and then switches to another character. It's a book that I'm going to keep thinking about long after the reading of it. Yes, these are disturbed characters, but who among us can't recognize themselves in one or more of them? Anyone who collects anything must wonder where is the line that separates my collecting from the bizarre collecting of Francis Orne? I read a lot of books, and I love a book that keeps me guessing right up to the end, and this one definitely does. Bravo, Mr. Carey!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OCD Poster Children, March 4, 2008

By 

Dick Johnson (Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Observatory Mansions (Hardcover)

A psychiatrist could make a career doing case studies on the characters in this strange, wonderful book.

To know the story line, read the Amazon description. To know the real story, you have to live it. Unlike any book I have ever read, I was astounded at the author's ability to keep the characters "in character" throughout the book. Sustaining their personae while advancing the story shows an unusual talent.

While you can sometimes see what's coming you don't want to - it's far better to just let it happen. Carey even made the book the right length - long enough to develop the story without added filler to reach a certain length.

I will be looking forward to reading more from Edward Carey!