Wise Children by Angela Carter - book group discussion thread
7 watchers
Sep 2018
10:25am, 3 Sep 2018
35,224 posts
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McGoohan
When Will Smith so wisely rapped, 'Wikki wikki wuh-wild wild west', was he talking about Wise Children by Angela Carter? I think he probably was. And now you can too. Give us your thoughts below. And remember, SPOILERS ahoy, me hearties. |
Sep 2018
10:57am, 3 Sep 2018
29,882 posts
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Diogenes
I never knew Ernie was so fecund
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Sep 2018
11:02am, 3 Sep 2018
35,227 posts
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McGoohan
That would be something wouldn't it? Will Smith doing a rap cover of 'Ernie'? 'And he drove the fastest milkcart in the wikki wikki wuh wild wild west, wikki wild wild west.' |
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Sep 2018
9:41pm, 4 Sep 2018
35,253 posts
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McGoohan
So, I'm three chapters through this five chapter book, and it's a very strange experience. Wise Children is like the Amalgam Book Group Book. Batty old people, colourful names, theatrical types. It's like Memento Mori crashed into The New Confessions by way of What A Carve Up.
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Sep 2018
8:58am, 11 Sep 2018
2,791 posts
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westmoors
Mmm, finished this a couple of days ago. Still can't quite get my head round it (and all the characters!). Thought the number of twins a little far fetched and a pair reaching their centenary?
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Sep 2018
8:58am, 11 Sep 2018
2,792 posts
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westmoors
Ha Ha, love McGoo's mash up!
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Sep 2018
9:00am, 11 Sep 2018
35,337 posts
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McGoohan
I too have finished it and have been holding off saying owt till others commented so I might say my piece shortly. I've inflicted my copy on ... I mean I've *donated* my copy to Dio.
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Sep 2018
9:57am, 11 Sep 2018
35,338 posts
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McGoohan
Only when I was most of the way through did I realise that there's a sort of Shakespearean structure going on. It's not such much 5 chapters as 5 acts. Hence all the swapped parents, multitude of twins etc. Each of this 'acts' also builds to a sort of crescendo, each one becoming increasingly unlikely as we move towards the end of the novel. Hence we get lots of 'they were really alive all along' moments. Now there are some pleasures to be had from the writing, some witticisms, a few nice turns of phrase, but to enjoy it as a whole you have to have a willing suspension of disbelief strong enough to stand quite a bit of bending. Mine snapped in half somewhere midway through and it became irretrievable after that. In the end, we descend into some magical realism cobblers. That final chapter is ludicrous beyond words. I guess it's supposed to be its own version of Shakespearean with all the revelations etc but it just completely grated with me. First off, Dora (aged 75) having sex with Perry (aged 100), the man who is actually her uncle and twin brother to her actual father and who has raised her as a father anyway. How unpleasant/unlikely is that? Then there's the - what? - the dipping into a pocket and pulling out babies? WTF? WTAF? Dio may find bite marks on the copy here. I feel bad scoring it so low - I gave it a 3 - as it's the sainted Angela Carter and I would have thought it a safe bet. And as ever, thank you Night-owl for choosing a book I wouldn't otherwise have read. Sorry I didn't like it.... |
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Sep 2018
12:01pm, 11 Sep 2018
2,793 posts
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westmoors
Agree the final chapter was ludicrous. The chandelier clanging as Perry and Dora had vigorous sex was just laughable. I had to re-read the "babies in pockets" as I thought I'd mis-read it. I know Perry was meant to be a conjuror but... I also thank NO for choosinating. I had never read Angela Carter and after reading this I am unlikely to read any more. |
Sep 2018
3:55pm, 11 Sep 2018
4,141 posts
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The Scribbler
Largely agree with the comments above. As it was Angela Carter I was sort of expecting my willing suspension to snap at some point (and I reckon mine stretches further than most) and that last chapter with the twins in pockets and ALL the other stuff is bonkers. I loved the characterisation of Dora through the first person narrative. Even if her habit of wandering off on a tangent was a bit annoying, it really gave her a voice. And I thought the theatrical family over the top-ness was pretty spot on. I recently read Margaret Attwood's Hagseed which takes a similar magical realism approach to a version of The Tempest, and I think I preferred the Wise Children as it was so obviously OTT. |
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