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Engleby | 
 enlarge | Author: Sebastian Faulks
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £1.79
You Save: £6.20 (78%)
New (27) Used (14) from £1.79
Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 243
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0099458276
EAN: 9780099458272
ASIN: 0099458276
Publication Date: March 27, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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| Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...
Unusual September 6, 2008
Top Banana (Kent)
I have only read one other Faulks novel: Birdsong, which was set in the First World War. This one is completely different in style, setting and era, which suggests some versatility on the author's part.
I enjoyed it. The narrative is humourous in a sardonic way. The dry wit comes out on the very first page and continues throughout, contrasting nicely with the chilling turn of events. Engleby is a misfit, a human island who is worryingly detached from events going on around him. His psychology is the centrepiece of the book. Everything builds up slowly but steadily, finally unravelling to a conclusion that confirms the reader's earlier suspicions but is powerful nonetheless.
Like other reviewers, I liked the period detail too.
 An unexpected darker side from Faulks September 1, 2008
N. Young (London, UK)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A fantastic book, verging on literary genius.
Very cleverly written, with Faulks revealing a much darker side. It's unsettling, at times, especially as the reader is initially drawn to feel sympathetic towards Mike Engleby even though it soon becomes obvious that he's not telling the whole truth, and the bits that he's not telling can be guessed at. So the reader is never entirely comfortable, as one isn't entirely sure what's going to happen next - is Engleby going to go off on another tangent, is he going to remember a few more details, and just how dark is his darker side...?
Some wonderfully comic parts too, such as the rants/discussions about the future and the appearance of Jeffrey Archer and Ken Livingstone being interviewed by the protagonist in the 80s.
All in all, one of the best 'new' books I've read this year. Bravo, Mr Faulks.
Engleby September 1, 2008
Beverley Russell (London)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was an incredible book and not always a comfortable read, nonetheless it was amazing and I was surprised that Sebastian Faulks had written a book like Engleby but shows what a great writer he is.
Recommend!!!
Into the depths of a disturbed mind August 29, 2008
Janie U (England)
I love the chatty first person style of this book which keeps wandering around and going off at huge tangents, although always eventually coming back to make the original point. The narrator is very precise in his writing and, at the same time, has the ability to gloss over areas and be as vague as possible.
Hearing only one side of a story like this gives a very sinister impression of the action as information is skipped and sometimes missed completely, leaving the reader to guess whether or not this has been done on purpose or the narrator just isn't aware.
Mike is an unlikeable man with sociological problems which are clear from the beginning of the book - although the reasons behind them only develop gradually.
I like the historical context. The story is not about the times but the carefree (careless?) 70s and obsessive 80s seems to mirror the events in Mike's life.
This is a book to be read slowly and carefully as there is lots of detail - which increases towards the end of the book when the medical definitions kick in (at this stage I did become a bit bored with the overload of description). Overall a great read.
Like an ill-fitting straight-jacket August 25, 2008
G. Boggia (Kent, England)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
One reviewer's comment highlighted that nothing much happens throughout it's length which although is possibly a fair criticism, Faulks does manage to keep you turning the pages of this weighty novel.
Another reviewer commented on the dissapointing ending of this engaging work - I have to disagree with them. Much of this book concerns itself with the thoughts and opinions of central character Mike Engleby but for me the few last pages spill into a dreamy half world where truth and make-believe cohabit what could be described as a happy ending.
Being the product of 1970's boarding schools, sympathising with Engleby was second nature to me and I sincerely hope that today's such institutions manage to produce rather more socially rounded individuals.
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