The Sea

remarkable character study

Middle aged Irishman Max Morden mourns deeply the loss of his wife Anna. Needing to escape the overwhelming memories and though fifty years have passed since he has been there, Max retreats to the Cedars, a house that was the summer home of the Graces, who strongly influenced him when he was a child. He takes a room there hiding from his normal now dispirited life. --- Max thinks back to that summer when the affluent Graces vacationed at the Cedars. They ¿adopted¿ him as their personal waif for those glorious months. Though the parents, the authoritative father and the real family ruler the mother treated him nicely, the twin daughters Chloe and Myles were his connection. He compares that time with the lingering illness until death do us part of his spouse and his daughter Claire. Worried about her dad, Claire tries to help Max overcome his depression but he wants to sink deeper into the past when death was something adults dealt with and youngsters like him blithely played all day without a care in the world. --- THE SEA runs fathoms deep as the audience obtains a remarkable character study that focuses on an individual who in spite of expecting the Grim Reaper to call cannot cope when the visit occurs. Max is morbid and melancholy as he mourns his loss and cannot cope with it while his daughter can readily see his angst but has no concept on how to return her dad to the living. Readers will sympathize with Max, but wonder whether the past will engulf his present and future or will he realize those idyllic days had woes too that his memories chose to discriminately ignore. --- Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Poignant and haunting

You definitely can't breeze through Banville's writing; his words demand to be savored.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

beautifully written...

The Sea is a beautifully written novel centered around grief and loss. The writer seamlessly and effortlessly travels between the significant events in Max's life; namely love and death. I found I really didn't care about the characters, I had no feelings for any of them. For me, Banville's gracefully corporeal writing is the highlight of The Sea.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This won the Booker Prize?????????

This is the third book of Banville's I have read and I will never read another. His characters are consistently depressing and world-loathing, his story lines and plots are very lightweight although he seems to enjoys creating an over emphasis on sounds, tastes, smells and most everyting else that has no true relevance to the story itself. He has a certain proclivity to overwriting simple scenes and thoughts to needlessly elongated, tedious pages of overblown prose. He also has a certain fetish for throwing in arcane and little used words every page or two, perhaps to demonstrate the range of his thesaurus. Regardless, he has somehow gained a reputation that is considerably larger and better than his writing in anyway deserves. Pass on this and you won't resent the loss of money you spent on this small, insignicant book

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Riverpaw

He is all yours

One of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Banvi

One of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Banville clearly loves language and knows how to use it with breathtaking skill.

THE SEA is an absolutely fascinating book, a tragic but beautifu

THE SEA is an absolutely fascinating book, a tragic but beautiful short novel.Written in a rich but clear language, it takes the reader through a breath-taking journey that climaxes to a satisfying and surprising conclusion.Like all true great books, THE SEA is a novel you enjoy with increasing depth as you read it again and again .As far-reaching as Shades of Fire,as sobering as Kite Runner, as despairingly hopeful as The Union Moujik,and as gripping as NIGHT, the story of THE SEA will stick in your mind long after you read it.

Worth the effort to keep going and finish it

Worth the effort to keep going and finish it

C

Join Thunderclan at: red jersey, all results!

Kimberly

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Sweetdaisy

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Stardream

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bluelagoon

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Petalstream

Who bu?

Goldstreak to Wavestar

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Ninja

Holds her body*guys i can revive her

Joining SeaClan

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Wavestar to Nighthawk

Yes you can join

Clan

Hi my name is Nighthawk. I was from from ThunderClan. My parents are from Skyclan. I have powers. I have the same powers as Dovewing, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather. I also have my own like if a blind or deaf cat is around me it can see or hear. Also I can change my pelt. My eyes are electric blue. I am a she-cat, but don't under estimate me... I was just womdering if I could join your clan.