[XAO]∎ PDF Human Voices Flamingo Penelope Fitzgerald 9780006542544 Books

Human Voices Flamingo Penelope Fitzgerald 9780006542544 Books

Download As PDF : Human Voices Flamingo Penelope Fitzgerald 9780006542544 Books

Human Voices Flamingo Penelope Fitzgerald 9780006542544 Books

This is a lovely, crisp novel, but the Kindle edition is absolutely riddled with typographical errors. One of the worst scanning jobs I've ever encountered--an insult to readers and to a very distinguished writer.


Tags : Human Voices (Flamingo) [Penelope Fitzgerald] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Paperback. Pub Date :2010-05-06 Pages: 208 Language: English Publisher: HarperCollins UK A funny. touching. authentic story of life at Broadcasting House during the Blitz.The human voices of Penelope Fitzgerald's novel are those of the BBC in the first years of the World War II. the time when the Concert Hall was turned into a dormitory for both sexes. the whole building became a target for enemy bombers. and in the BBC - as elsewhere - some had to fail and some had to die . It does not pretend to be an accurate history of Broadcasting House in those years. but 'one is left with the sensation'. as William Boyd said. reviewing it in the 'London Magazine'. 'that this is what it was really like ',Penelope Fitzgerald,Human Voices (Flamingo),Harpercollins Pub Ltd,0006542549,Modern fiction,Fiction

Human Voices Flamingo Penelope Fitzgerald 9780006542544 Books Reviews

If you love language, quirky and vividly drawn characters, delicious irony, and above all, if you want to spend some time with the creative work of someone possessing an exquisite gift for writing, read this book.
But if to you, any good novel must have "character development" or a gripping plot, perhaps you should go elsewhere. (Hey, come to think of it, the character development in this novel is wonderful, especially given how short it is. Oh and the plot, though full of low human foibles and often trivial struggle does take place against the backdrop of the last century's supreme struggle between good and evil. And the funny folks depicted apparently bear some resemblance to those who were actually in charge of getting this story out to the world.
While reading, I started to laugh whenever an official of any sort was introduced, because they were almost instantly reduced to an absurd abbreviated title (RPD, DPP, and the truly absurd ADDG). Friends, I believe this is a joke. At some point, these people's identities have been subsumed by their occupational roles. They are more RPD and DPP than they are "Sam" and "Jeffrey".
One measure of a book for me is how preoccupied by it was I (or not) in the days after I finished it. This one ran on and on in my head. for days and days. I can't wait to read more Fitzgerald.
I found _Human Voices_ harder to "get into" than the other four Fitzgerald novels I've read. And it seemed to have more stock characters. However, it ends more convincingly (less abruptly) than some of her other novels. Having survived wading through the acronyms, I came away feeling that there is more substance in this novel than there seemed to be while I was reading it. Almost by the way, it provides a compelling portrait of life in London early in the war and insight into how the English held on as they expected a Nazi invasion during 1940. Fitzgerald has a great gift for making human foibles simultaneously funny and touching.
Our book group read this work last month, but it was not a success with the group as a whole. Members were confused, disengaged, and bored. Most did not understand the understated, deadpan humor. However, I read the book twice; once I understood its point, I developed real affection for the quirky characters and chuckled a lot.
Still I couldn't escape the feeling that the work is a mere sketch, rather slight, very underdeveloped dramatically. Because the characters were so sketchy, it was difficult at first to care about them. Fitzgerald is obviously very intelligent; she suggests a great deal, so the reader must infer and interpret and read between the lines. The reward for doing so is an understanding of the quirks of organizations--how they become obsessed with trivialities, gossip, power relations, etc-- and a feeling for the poignancy of the "stiff upper lip" stoicism of people who had everything to lose, and a pleasure of watching slightly eccentric individuals interact. The work is short but flavorful.
Ms. Fitzgerald actually did work for the BBC during WWII, and while there was at least one annoying trait, I found the book to be her wittiest I have read. My complaint has to do with the use of acronyms; if you worked at the BBC this will not be an issue. But when used liberally, in a compact novel that defines how she writes, there is little time to learn them. "CJ get me AJ the SECDEF, RJ the SECTRES, ASAP, for a get together at MOJ, PDQ...OK? The PPA, and 2 JPA'S, should attend as well." Usually this sort of banter is reserved for a Tom Clancy Novel.
The book ended with a great bang like many of her works, but this time we are not left wondering if the book we are holding is a few pages short. There still is more to unfold for some central characters, but this time the reader decides whether or not to pursue a continuance.
The TRUTH is the mission the BBC is on. To broadcast this and nothing else, not even speeches by The King that have been mended to delete his stutter. However in one of the funniest passages of the book, a French General feels compelled to share the "truth" with England and the English he so loves. Fortunately for both country and citizens alike, and to the amusement of the PM, he had the plugs pulled upon him.
Since Ms. Fitzgerald did work at the BBC, it offers an additional avenue for thought. Simply stated, how much is true, how many of these people actually lived, and how much was pure fiction. It is a tribute to her writing that the reader is unsure. By writing as she has, whether in a complimentary manner, or unflattering, I doubt some of the subjects would recognize themselves.
Another novel, without repetition, that demonstrates the vast skill this woman commanded.
Reading this book brought home to me the realization that eccentric characters can be drawn at several different skill levels. All too often eccentric characters are composed of clichés, so that the character simply becomes representative of a type. In "Human Voices," however, Fitzgerald manages to convey a hilarious degree of eccentricity in a couple of characters while still maintaining their distinct personality traits. It's quite a feat.

The action takes place at the BBC during the German Blitzkriegs of London. The war is the looming backdrop for this skillfully rendered tale of a few lives struggling to bring the truth to England during its great crisis. It's quite well done, and it's always comforting to spend some time with Fitzgerald's unique intelligence.
An incredible distillation of a time and place. A glimpse into war focusing on the day to day rather than the drama. Hilarious, fascinating, and vivid.
Story focuses on emotions and day to day struggles of BBC staff during World War II, which I found engrossing, but it would have been better if a little more attention had been paid to what was going on in England outside their tightly knit group.
This is a lovely, crisp novel, but the edition is absolutely riddled with typographical errors. One of the worst scanning jobs I've ever encountered--an insult to readers and to a very distinguished writer.