Divisadero

I would have liked it better if there was more of a link between the very separate parts. Also I found the synopsis on the back to be very mis-leading since the main characters described were essentially dropped mid-way through the book. Well-written, just not what I expected.

I love the rich unstructured flow of this book...The style shifts as the book divides into sections, and is always evocative and full of ideas...Ondaatje can create amazing layered worlds that are poetically satisfying...His is not the narrative of linear rationality, but rather creates the shifting moods of characters sensibilities in time and place.

Definately one of the finest examples of Ondaatje's powerful capabilities as a writer.

better than i expected. give it a try :)

A book without closure, possibly about the impossibility of closure in many circumstances, except perhaps in the very long term over lifetimes and in memory.

Intriguing and captivating. Not your typical read. He's a master at his trade.

Something so beautiful that it raises the bar. Something for writers to shoot for.

There is no question that Ondaatje is an outstanding writer, conjuring up believable characters in gripping situations, and inviting prose that leads us along several moving parallel plot lines. I found sadly that the book meandered more than I could manage, and indeed that the many plots never did intersect, and in fact were simply dropped off in favour of new ones. This left the novel feeling...more

There is no question that Ondaatje is an outstanding writer, conjuring up believable characters in gripping situations, and inviting prose that leads us along several moving parallel plot lines. I found sadly that the book meandered more than I could manage, and indeed that the many plots never did intersect, and in fact were simply dropped off in favour of new ones. This left the novel feeling disjointed, while nevertheless beautifully written. The last page seems to try abruptly to tie the loose ends together, but in the end seems to be a message to the readers directly from the author rather than from the story-line, and thereby breaks the spell of the novel. I can't help feeling the story could have been much much more.   hide

This is my one attempt to redeem Michael Ondaatje after the English Patient. While I can appreciate some of his poetic turns of phrase, this plot leaves you hanging around every turn. He tries to connect a disjointed story with one flippant, all meaningful line near the end and I think he fails miserably. At the end I was just left scratching my head and wondering what to make of the book.