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The Sea
The Sea
Author: John Banville
In this luminous new novel about love, loss, and the unpredictable power of memory, John Banville introduces us to Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman who has gone back to the seaside town where he spent his summer holidays as a child to cope with the recent loss of his wife. It is also a return to the place where he met the Graces, the well-heel...  more »
ISBN-13: 9781400097029
ISBN-10: 1400097029
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 208
Edition: Reprint
Rating:
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 110

3.3 stars, based on 110 ratings
Publisher: Vintage
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

lectio avatar reviewed The Sea on + 88 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 13
This exquistely written and beautifully crafted book proves there's a big difference between literature and fiction! Sometimes I like to read fiction because I'm in a mood to be entertained by plots that grab my attention and characters that are quirky and fun. But more often than not I'm looking for something a little meatier - something that adds a deeper dimension because it requires putting time and thought into what I'm reading. This was such a book. There was a lot more to it than what was happening on the surface and so it meant digging a little deeper below the plot line to think about the things that motivated the characters to behave the way they did. And far from being irritated by the way John Banville uses language, I was impressed by it - in much the same way as I'm impressed when I see a beautiful work of art. Sure, there were words I'd never heard of before - but I enjoyed discovering them even though it meant keeping a dictionary handy!! Banville's writing is going to be lost on a lot of readers because it's much more than a work of fiction. But for the rest of us, it's a great example of why we love to read in the first place....it's because we love to see our language used so beautifully in the hands of a writer who has deep insights into some of the great themes that good literature has always dealt with. This is one of those books. It's a profound reflection on love,loss,regret, and the role memory plays in the grieving process. Those who love to read because they enjoy thinking about the insights to be found in books that are beautifully written will most likely love this book. Obviously not everyone reads for that reason, which is fine for them....but for the rest of us it's easy to see why Banville is considered such a fine writer.
nursenancy avatar reviewed The Sea on + 51 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
I didn't care much for this book. By the time the author got to revealing the plot I didn't like the character and didn't care what happened to him. It was written in a very flowery type of language, very, very descriptive to the point of overkill. But obviously I am in the minority here because it is supposed to be an award winning book.
reviewed The Sea on
Helpful Score: 10
This was not my cup of tea. I don't need an exciting plot to enjoy a book. I don't mind older men looking back on their lives. In a similar vein, I loved Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, although I hated Roth's Everyman. This was closer to Everyman.

Max is a widower that is overly sensitive to smells who is grieving (I guess?) over his wife. He calls her the "c" word and admits he really didn't know her because he preferred not to know her.

Not one character in the book was likable. I guess I was lucky this was short.
reviewed The Sea on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This has GLOWING reviews, from the NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE BOSTON GLOBE, and THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, as well as having won the Man Booker Prize in Britain. It's evocative and nostalgic to me, though it didn't really ring my chimes. More my problem than its, I suspect.
reviewed The Sea on + 334 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
The language of this novel is so very rich, I found myself stopped dead in my reading tracks over and over. Incredible descriptions and words. This is fine literature at its best, the kind you read for the beauty of pure reading pleasure.
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reviewed The Sea on + 2 more book reviews
In the top 3 books I read this year - I'll look for more Banville.
reviewed The Sea on
This is a beautifully written, powerful book. I absolutely loved it. It's no surprise it won the Man Booker prize.
reviewed The Sea on
I began reading a library copy of "The Sea" but had to stop after 5 pages...had to stop because I had filled 2 pages with quotes that were so beautiful not only in the actual use of words but also meaning. I immediately went to PBS to get a copy of my own to underline, write comments, and otherwise mark up to my content because this book is staying on my shelf. The book basically deals with revisiting your past to make sense of your present but covers so much more...first love, friendship, marriage, parenthood, sickness, death and on and on. Banville's writing is real and true. The highest compliment I can give any writer.
Ichabod avatar reviewed The Sea on + 134 more book reviews
"The past beats inside me like a second heart."

I originally read The Sea a few years back, when I was reeling from the deaths of my brother and my cat. I always embrace the sadness, the melancholy when I am down. I chalk it up to an Irish spirit in me. Depression was abetted with a weekend listening to Neil Young's desperate "ditch trilogy." This sort of thing has always suited me.

"The Sea" is a brilliant study of Max who, after recently losing his wife, flees to a time in his boyhood when the innocence of youth was dealt an unspeakable blow by real life. The storyline is a good one, I did not see the twist at the end the first time out. It is Banville's writing, though, that sets this apart. He makes the sea a heavy presence, a foreboding character holding secrets, regrets, memories. I stumbled along with Max, screamed with him, and felt his anguish in my soul. We struggled to find... whatever it is we are supposed to find in these circumstances.

"The past beats inside me like a second heart."

My partner, Barb, passed away unexpectedly on Christmas Eve-- and this was the only book I could handle. Non-fiction embracing fiction. One of my favorite books ever, it may be a long time before I can visit "The Sea" again.


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