Ingenious Pain Harvest Book Andrew Miller 9780156006002 Books
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Ingenious Pain Harvest Book Andrew Miller 9780156006002 Books
This is the tale of a boy who is born insensitive to pain and grows into an outstanding but heartless surgeon and how his life changes, and what a tale it is. It is crafted with such depth of skill and meaning, it held me captivated like no book I have read in a long time. Absolutely magnificent. That it is a first novel is beyond belief. I am going to the author's web sight now to see if he has written anything else yet.Tags : Ingenious Pain (Harvest Book) [Andrew Miller] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>A chronicle of life of an eighteenth-century man born without the ability to feel pain, this amazing book “offers a panoply of literary pleasures” (Washington Post Book World). Winner of Britain’s James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the 1999 IMPAC Award. “Astoundingly good” (New York Times Book Review). </div>,Andrew Miller,Ingenious Pain (Harvest Book),Harvest Books,0156006006,Bath (England),Historical fiction,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical,Historical - General
Ingenious Pain Harvest Book Andrew Miller 9780156006002 Books Reviews
This unusual novel is set in 18th century England. It narrates the life of James Dyer, born without sensation of pain. His body recovers swiftly from injury and is resistant to disease.
Some years ago a US TV series, Heroes, endowed one of its cast with similar powers, a cheerleader, Claire Bennet. Catchphrase “Save the Cheerleader and save the world” as fans might recall. It seems unlikely that Claire was inspired by Andrew Miller’s novel, which owes more to contemporary writing – Roderick Random, Tristram Shandy – than modern comic culture.
The author explores several themes. The title indicates the most important - that James’s blessing may actually be a curse. If we cannot feel pain can we feel anything?
There is much else, especially a credible rendering of life in that period. Not just the details of diet and dress, riches and poverty. But also the way people thought – not yet Enlightened but slowly losing superstition and indeed religion. He reveals much of medicine – surgery and psychiatry as well as common remedies and cures. Description of disease and injury, and bodily function, is blunt.
He provides a rich cast of characters – doubting parsons, intellectual aristocrats, circus hucksters. We meet the Empress of Russia in the Winter Palace and fight with Admiral Byng in the Seven Years War. He uses devices of letters and diaries to push the tale along – and a very special performance of a Midsummer’s Night Dream. He writes well, his language is rich but not indigestible.
There is no plot, but the life of James provides its own adventures. The author contends most of the story is imagined. There was no James Dyer.
There are some strange, dream-nightmare passages – with supernatural overtones. Moreover, what are we supposed to make of the death of James Dyer, in the first pages, at the age of 33? Maybe there is something of the cheerleader here!
Was in good condition
Somewhat difficult to follow. New characters were not well introduced. Intentions and actions were not clear. The character, Mary, was an enigma as to why she was in the he story for example. I had a hard time staying with the story and was disappointed with the conclusion.
Perhaps it is not fair of me to review a book that I didn't finish, but I bought the book on the basis of other reviews read here. The concept of a person born with out the capacity to feel physical pain is an intriguing one indeed. Unfortunately, it is the reader that really suffers the pain of this book. The first 20 or so pages were so stuffed with descriptions of autopsy, blood lettings and other painful and disgusting practices that I finally had to put the book down in revulsion. I still cringe thinking about it. Perhaps there is an audience that would enjoy reading this book, I however, am not among them.
This book is brilliant. As a person who read countless number of period pieces I have encountered many books that are better left unwritten, but Andrew Miller is a whole different story. He draws the period beautifully and offers a stunning portrayal of that time. The narration has all major styles of storytelling childhood stories, adventure, romance, a bit of Gothic, psychological development. Even though it is a bit graphic sometimes, it does not take away a thing from the book.
The story of a person who does not feel pain is peculiar even if I am not sure that is possible from physiological point of view. I think the author should not have limited himself to trying to tell the reality. The magical aspect of the story (aka Mary) is a bit downplayed and it's a pity. I would enjoy learning more about that character and her powers. Because this story is written as almost a real story, the magic seems to be laughable. The author could have done better by either excluding the magical aspect altogether or by developing that line a bit more. It would not have been the same book though...
Overall, it is a fascinating reading and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in period pieces or in psychological change in the person.
This is the tale of a boy who is born insensitive to pain and grows into an outstanding but heartless surgeon and how his life changes, and what a tale it is. It is crafted with such depth of skill and meaning, it held me captivated like no book I have read in a long time. Absolutely magnificent. That it is a first novel is beyond belief. I am going to the author's web sight now to see if he has written anything else yet.
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