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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant and imaginative tour-de-force,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Way in the World: A Novel (Paperback)
Mr. Naipaul never ceases to amaze in the depth and fertility of his imagination. Weaving history with fiction, biography and comedy we are never sure where he is leading in a tale spanning continents and centuries. It is a prose poetry at its finest, enveloping the reader with texts that only Naipaul his capable of. To say V.S.Naipaul is a an exquiste writer; a writer's writer would be an understatement.A Way In The World represents a novel of such genius, I was and continue to be in awe of the magnificent and masterly control of the English language. I am in love with writing again. Thank you V.S. Naipual
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The work of a Master in his prime - wonderful!,
This review is from: A Way in the World: A Novel (Paperback)
This is an unusual - perhaps even unique - variety of novel, having at first glance no discernible structure and seeming like a series of meditations on the experience of West-Indian colonialism, linked by personal reminiscences of the author. It is only when the book is finished that the masterful integration of the complexities of plot, descriptions and reflections become fully obvious. Much of the work can be seen as an extended series of imagined scenes and dialogues inspired by the dominant themes of the writer's earlier non-fiction work "The Loss of El Dorado", itself a powerful and searing account of the discovery of Trinidad, its capture from the Spaniards by the British, its failed role as a springboard for incitement of revolution on the South American mainland, and its transformation into a slave society. Whereas the earlier work was strictly factual the form of the later novel allows Naipaul to use the full power of his imagination to visualise the motivations of historical players such as Raleigh and Miranda and their reactions to specific situations. There are a host of other characters however, all probably with a basis in actuality, all are realised with the same degree of keen, indeed merciless, perception that characterises Naipaul's fiction at its best. The scenes of action shift rapidly in both time and locale - from the Elizabethan age, on through the turmoil of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods, right through the twentieth century to our own day, with Trinidad, Venezuela, London and an unnamed African colony (Uganda?) providing the backdrop. Those who know these societies today will be impressed by the uncanny accuracy with which their very "feel" is portrayed. This is the work of a master in his prime - wonderful!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
not a strong point for Naipaul,
This review is from: A Way in the World: A Novel (Paperback)
I am a huge fan of V.S. Naipaul. The premise of this book--exploring the effects of the colonial situation upon the lives of three men--is excellent. However, this book is a confusing conglomeration of three separate and unrelated stories, and there were times when I found myself wondering what was going on. I love Naipaul's flair for narrative and description, but the sections on Miranda are almost entirely dialogue, with lots of obscure references. I actually skipped over the last section on Miranda because I just could not get through it, whereas normally I am unable to put down Naipaul's books. Not one of his best works...in fact I don't recommend it to anyone aside from those hardcore fans who are determined to read everything this great novelist has ever written.
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